Page 34 of Always a Chance
I wanted to believe him, to think Talia still adhered to the one and only rule of our friendship. We’d both broken it after that day on the beach when we needed each other and walked away. But she was here now. Except, the way she looked at me… I stood. “Absolutely not.”
* * *
I wasn’tin the mood for the Kelly Sunday dinner at Mom’s. Especially because we were all able to make it for the first time in weeks, so the house was packed to the gills with my three siblings and their spouses or significant others.
I pasted on a smile as I watched Tanner’s soon-to-be stepson, Cole, play with their dog in the front yard. This was what my family expected of me, what they wanted from me. Happy Johnny, charming and carefree Johnny.
“Uncle Johnny,” Cole yelled. “Watch what Cane can do.” He threw a rubber frisbee high into the air. Cane tracked it, his nose lifted toward the gray sky. When it came down, he jumped, all four feet leaving the ground, and snatched it in his teeth before landing.
“Nice going, Cane.” I clapped, and Cole took a bow.
“That kid is something else.” Finley stepped up beside me on the porch, drink in hand. “Made this for you.”
I rolled my eyes as I caught sight of the chocolate milkshake. “This isn’t a shake kind of mood.”
“Go on.” She held it toward me. “It will make everything better.”
“Milkshake goggles?” I took it from her. My siblings were obsessed with milkshakes, and I indulged them because it meant spending a lot of time sitting around our favorite diner with no one but each other. “Mom will disown you if she learns you’re filling me up before we eat her tamales.”
“Johnny, I have never known you to get full.”
That brought a real smile to my face as I took a sip. “Want some?”
“Duh.” Finley took it from me. “So, a birdie told me you want to reveal your manhood.”
“That sounds so wrong.”
“Yeah, pretend I never said it.” She handed me back the shake.
“Done.” We shared a smile. Having three older siblings was sometimes rough, especially when I felt excluded, but they were also the best. “And yes, I want to tell the truth. Finally.”
“Are you sure it matters?”
I stared at her. “Of course it does.”
“I just mean that readers fall in love with your books, not the person behind them.”
“And that would be fine if the publisher wasn’t faking interviews and hadn’t hired a woman to be me. We’ve crossed so many lines, Finny, that I’m not even sure where the line was to begin with.”
“And how does Talia fit into this?”
A string of curses flew out of me. “You’ve been talking to Aidan.”
She hid her smile by taking another sip. “He’s sort of inside telling the whole saga.”
I gripped the glass and drained the rest of the milkshake, despite Finley’s protests.
“That was cruel.” She pouted.
“And deserved.”
“Debatable.” She pinched me, and I yelped, rubbing my arm. “Now, for my revenge, I’m going to tell you something deep, world-changing. You’re going to think, ‘wow, my sister is probably the smartest person I have ever met.’ And you’ll be right.”
“What is this knowledge you’re so gracious to share with me?” I rolled my eyes. Finley had always been ridiculous, but it was at a new level now that she was married to Knox.
Her smile dropped, and her eyes met mine. “Life is too short to hate anyone. It’s too hard to let anger replace love. And humility is a virtue.”
Her meaning was clear. Go talk to her. “I can’t.”
