Page 110 of Vows We Never Made
He gave me a long grandpa talk about boosting my grades, especially in history and English, two subjects I came close to flunking.
It worked.
I upped my scores just enough to pass that year. I lied to my parents about why. They wouldn’t have understood it if I’d told them, taking the old man’s wisdom to heart.
Damn, I miss him sometimes.
He left his mark.
Because of Gramps, I’m somehow about to fake-marry Pages and consider a deal with the devil.
Maybe I’m not as doomed as I always thought.
Maybe it’s not too late to make Gramps proud one last time.
13
ALL THE GHOSTS (HATTIE)
Margot holds out her arms as she walks along the dock, her smiling face tilted to the sun.
I asked her to meet me, but now that she’s here, I can’t remember what I planned to say.
Hi, Margot.
So, I’m sleeping with your brother.
Yes, the one you thought I couldn’t stand.
Yes, my soon-to-be fake husband.
Yes, it’s still fake. But the sex is real.
No, I don’t have a clue what I’m doing.
Brutal.
Absolutely not the conversation you want to have with your best friend.
But I’m afraid it needs to happen because this thing with Ethan keeps happening. More than once.
I just spent the weekend with him and a whole week later, I can still feel every blistering kiss.
Margot, she’ll understand (I hope).
I can’t lie to save my life, and she should have the truth. It’s only fair she knows, right?
I just dread telling her, but I guess that’s the price of sexy mistakes.
She loops her long blonde hair into a bun as we make small talk about the bookstore, strolling past enormous fishing boats and private yachts with long sleek noses and too many windows.
Leonidas used to take us to this marina when we were kids. It still feels like there’s a part of his ghost on the breeze. He’s one with the lapping sea and the squawking seagulls overhead.
A cute chubby harbor seal floats by, diving back underwater when it sees us.
There’s an old man fishing off the end of the docks, one leg dangling lazily into the water.
I smile, remembering how much Leonidas loved fishing. Ethan was usually the one going out with him, though.
