Page 16 of To Love or to Lose
266 days until graduation
The smell of the Callaghan house could make any food connoisseur fall to their knees in complete bliss, and that’s putting it lightly.
It’s a little past six, and Logan’s dinner party is just starting. Eloise, Winnie, and I take our shoes off at the front door and head toward the kitchen.
“Hi, Mrs. Callaghan,” I greet when I see her standing at the stove with a beautifully embroidered apron tied around her waist as she stirs a pot of homemade chicken noodle soup.
“Gen!” She smiles, dropping the ladle on the stove before making her way over to me. “How are you, dear?” She wraps me in her arms.
“I’m good.”
“Good, good.” She pulls away from me to greet Eloise and Winnie just the same.
We’ve all known Mrs. Callaghan our entire lives, and she treats all of us like her own children whenever we are over. She is an angel.
“This smells amazing, Mrs. Callaghan,” Winnie says as she sinks down onto a barstool. “Do you need help with anything? We can set the table if you need us to.”
“Oh, stop with that nonsense.” She waves Winnie off. “You three have known me long enough to drop the niceties, please, call me Wren.”
She tells us this every time we come over, right before claiming that it makes her feel old. However, we were all raised to be respectful and address adults by their last name. Old habits die hard, apparently.
“Now, do you girls want anything to drink?” She asks, opening the expansive, stainless-steel fridge behind her. “I have water, lemonade, and just about every soda you could imagine.”
“Water would be great, please,” I say.
Eloise and Winnie both request lemonade.
“Nobody else is here?” I ask Wren as she pours us our drinks.
“The boys are upstairs. I think they took the ‘dinner attire’ requirement a little too seriously.”
“Are you telling us we should go back to Winnie’s and change?” Eloise jokes, making Wren laugh.
“No, no. You girls look wonderful. But I’m telling you, those boys are going all out. Last night, I heard Jameson ask Logan if he had an extra tux he could borrow.”
We all laugh while I try to conceal the fact that the mention of Jameson makes my blood feel a little cooler.
I never had the chance to tell the girls what happened between Jameson and I in the Headmaster’s office, since they insisted on sitting with him and Logan at lunch. Now it feels too late to come clean, and I honestly don’t know if I want to. Itwould be a colossal blow to my pride to admit any possibility of defeat out loud.
“Speaking of Jameson,” Wren continues. “He told me about your shared speech with him, Gen. I’m so happy for the two of you!”
Oh, god.
Forget sparing my pride, because now Eloise and Winnies’ eyes are on me, asking all types of silent questions.
“Oh…” My voice trails off, making Wren’s face fall.
Thankfully, before I’m forced to explain the complete debacle, the sound of footsteps bound down the stairs.
“Logan Kai! Light on the stairs, please!” Wren leans back toward the entrance of the kitchen, bellowing toward the sound of the noise.
When the boys enter the room—Logan, Jameson, and our other lifelong friend, Luke—I instantly feel underdressed.
While I thought miniskirts and tank tops were a safe bet, the boys have outdone us on every scale.
Logan wears a maroon button down with black slacks, his feet clad with expensive loafers.Luke is wearing a similar outfit, except he’s wearing a black button down with gray dress pants.
My eyes land on Jameson last. He is wearing black slacks and loafers, much like Logan, but his white dress shirt is rolled up to his elbows, leaving his hands and muscular forearms bare. I have to force myself not to stare.
