Page 62 of The Perils of Pretending
“I won’t let them get near you.”
I look at him, smiling tenderly. “I know. You’ve been amazing at protecting me from them.”
His eyes seem to hold me even more tenderly than his arms. “I will always be there for you, princess.”
I full-heartedly believe him.
Chapter 24
Max
BrodyandMichellewalkinto the dining room first. Sadie and I follow, hand in hand. The moment we stand in the buffet line, the tension thickens like storm clouds gathering before a downpour.
I don’t know their names, but the people standing in front of us crinkle their noses at us, roll their eyes, then turn their backs to us.
Weird.
Turning my head to the right, I catch the eyes of those sitting at the table. Sadie’s great-aunt—I can’t remember her name—sneers at me. Her gaze travels up and down my body like she’s disgusted by my entire being.
Why are they snubbing us?
“Get a room next time,” some woman in her fifties says as she passes by us with a plate full of food.
What does she mean “next time?” “Sadie, do you understand why they’re looking at us like we’re dog feces stuck to the bottom of a shoe?”
Sadie’s sigh is resigned. “My grandma must have told everyone about our kiss.”
“The last time I got a room full of looks like this was when I told my ninth-graders we were having a pop quiz worth half their grade.”
“Ignore it.” Michelle smiles at us. “You two didn’t do anything inappropriate.”
Arms drape around me and Sadie. “Aunt Alice is on a war path,” Robbie says, poking his head between us. “You should have seen theway she ranted on and on about how her only son’s daughter is a harlot determined to drag this family down. I disagree. That kiss was fire.”
“Just because we kissed?” I shake my head. “That’s harsh.”
Brody stands there with wide eyes. “I can’t process it. Grandma Sue would NEVER do something like this. Someone make it make sense.”
Sadie looks at me with the saddest eyes. “From the moment you met my grandma, did you expect anything less?”
I pinch the bridge of my nose. “No, but if I had thought more about what the long-term consequences would be before I kissed you, I wouldn’t have. You don’t deserve to be called horrendous names by your own family. I’m sorry, Sadie.”
I’m such an idiot. All I was concerned about was getting Alice to stop following us. I should have known better than to act on impulse. This backfired completely.
“If it were me,” Robbie says, “I’d kiss again right here right now to prove their words don’t mean anything. Anyway, I’ll see y’all later. I’m heading out to the bar.”
Michelle takes my hand and Sadie’s in hers, squeezing. “I’m sorry for insisting we come to Alaska. Alice has stooped to a new low. It’s not okay for her to speak to you or about you that way. Your dad wouldn’t stand for this treatment and neither will I. Let’s go into Homer and grab dinner with just the four of us. I’ll talk to Alice tomorrow. But from here on out, we’re focusing on Sadie’s list and that’s it. And you know, if you want to take Robbie’s advice, I approve.”
Is Michelle missing her husband? I’m trying to understand why she’s been so supportive of Sadie and me since this afternoon.
I lean down and whisper to Sadie, “As much as I wouldn’t mind kissing you again to show them we’re not affected by their words, I won’t do that to you. Let’s just get out of here, okay?”
Sadie flashes me a brief smile and nods. “Lead the way.”
The four of us climb into my car and drive downtown. We settle on a restaurant made of wood siding painted red topped with green shingles. The normalcy of going out, getting away from the Ashcombes, is a breath of much needed fresh air.
Could this be our future? Can I somehow convince Sadie to give me a real chance when we get home?
Inside the diner, we’re seated at an old wooden table, the varnish fading in a few places. Our server hands us menus. I look at my options, unsure what to order. Everything looks amazing.
