Page 55 of The Perils of Pretending
“Brody, do you remember the last time Mom and Dad came up without us? Grandma Sue babysat us. She took us to the park, swimming,the zoo, and the movies. She let all the cousins sleep over and we stayed up late playing Canasta. We had so much fun.” Grandma Sue always makes me feel loved, wanted, and appreciated for who I am. She doesn’t care what I wear (though she likes to dress classy), how much money I have, or what my career is. She has a tendency to talk too much about our youngest cousin, Kaden, but otherwise, Grandma Sue is everything a grandparent should be.
“Did you come to Homer a lot?” I ask Max.
“I wouldn’t say a lot. This is my third or fourth time being here.”
I’m slightly jealous of Max, but at the same time, being in Alaska means dealing with the Buttcombes. “What’s your favorite city in Alaska?”
Max groans. “That’s like asking who’s my favorite kid. Impossible to say. I like different cities for different reasons.”
“Let’s say you had to live in one city for three months with no internet. Which city would you choose?”
“Anchorage,” Max says. “Because it’s where I grew up.”
I never in a million years thought I’d say this, but I’d miss Max if he moved away. I’ve never paid much attention to him before at our family gatherings because he’s Brody’s friend and older than me. But things between us have changed. I’d miss our spats and his dimples. “Being in Alaska and eating all this seafood makes me wonder if there’s any scientific evidence that fish dream.”
“I’m not a fish biologist, so I don’t know the answer to that. We should look it up when we get back.”
I should probably know this about Max, but I don’t. “What kind of science did you teach?” Science was never my subject of choice. I remember taking biology but have no clue what my other science classes were. I purposely blacked out that part of my studies. Words and stories were and still are my passion.
“Chemistry and physics.”
“My least favorite subjects,” I say.
“That’s interesting. Brody likes science and math. Do you two like any of the same things?” Max asks.
I laugh harder, my body shaking enough it makes our kayak wobble a little. “Not really. We fought a lot over what movies to watch, what Mom should make for dinner, where we went on vacation. We don’t even like the same type of candy.”
“What about music and books? Any similarities there?”
“No,” Brody says, shaking his head. “She likes romances and pop songs.”
“There’s nothing wrong with those,” I defend. “They’re popular for a reason, and they make me happy.”
“What’s your favorite movie, Sadie?”
“For pure romance,Pride & Prejudice,Austenland,How to Lose a Guy in Ten Days, andTo All the Boys I’ve Loved Before. But I also really likeShadow and Bone,which has romance but a lot of fantasy too. I was bummed when they cancelled it. What movies do you like?”
“I’m a sucker for Marvel movies.”
I smack the side of the kayak. “It’s because of the romance and family ties. That’s why most people prefer them to DC.”
I can’t see Max’s face behind me, but Brody’s head tilts as he thinks about what I said. “Huh.”
“See, I’m right.”
“I’ve never thought about why I like Marvel more than DC before. But dang, princess. You’re good. I bet your clients love working with you.”
I take a page from Max’s book and brag about myself. “I am the editor for Dani’s viral romantasy. She didn’t get her book as awesome as it is without me pushing her to make it better.”
“If I ever write a book, I’m coming to you,” Max says.
I want to turn around so I can see Max’s face when I ask this, but if I do, we’ll tip over. “Do you want to write a book someday?”
Max snorts. “Not fiction. When I taught science, I toyed with the idea of writing an informative piece about how science teachers can relate what they’re teaching to kids nowadays. But then I decided to go for my doctorate and don’t have time anymore. One day, if something crazy comes over me and I do write one, I’ll get your feedback on it.”
“Oh. Okay.” I’m not sure why I’m disappointed by him saying he doesn’t want to. Maybe subconsciously I want something to connect us again in the future. But why? He’s Brody’s best friend; it’s not like after this trip I won’t see him ever again.
“Up ahead, we’re paddling through a craggy rock arch,” the guide shouts. “Keep a look out for more eagles and otters!”
