Page 66 of Faking Summer
"Whatever you say," she said, her voice a sultry whisper. "But I know that look. And if he looked at me like that, I would do anything that man said."
Voices settled into a gentle hush as my sister, the bride-to-be, stood at the center
of the room, her hands poised to unwrap the mountain of gifts piled around her. She flashed a radiant smile as she looked around the room.
"Thank you all for being here," she said, her voice a pitch I only ever heard when she was trying to impress someone. With each present she unwrapped—a gleaming new toaster, a set of plush slippers, fancy new lingerie—I found myself smiling at her excitement, hoping I’d get to experience this one day, too.
"Caroline," my mother leaned closer to our table, "you and Reese need to be at the reception tomorrow at five. The rehearsal dinner is directly after, so don't be late."
"You got it," I replied, giving her a small smile.
My mother's eyes lingered on mine for a moment longer before shifting to Sam. "And Sam," she added, “the next two days, you’ll be running the show. Don’t disappoint us.” She laughed an almost evil laugh.
“Wouldn’t dream of it,” Sam shot back with a forced smile.
As the guests began to disperse, I packed a box full of gifts to load into my sister's car. I walked past the ballroom—the next room over from Charlotte’s bridal shower. Through the open doorway I saw men in suits and ties, and women dressed in business attire.
But there were two men who caught my eye. I could tell them apart from anyone, even with their backs to me—Reese and his dad. And that's whensheappeared, one of the most stunning women I had ever seen. Even her laugh was gracious and sweet as she pulledReese into an embrace that lasted a few moments too long, her hand lingering on his arm. Even Reese’s dad offered her a smirk of approval, which was a huge upgrade from the stink-eye he’d been handing out to me like party favors.
I had no claim over Reese, and she was definitely his type. It was insane to feel the hollow twist of jealousy, so I looked away and continued on my path. I held the box I was holding tighter, its weight grounding me back on track. Each step was an effort to shake off the image of Reese and that brunette.
I slid the box into the trunk and shut it. Then, I took a deep breath before making my way back inside to grab more. Walking through the entrance, a voice pricked at my ears.
"Reese agreed," she was saying to another woman in a navy business suit. "We have a date set for next Thursday. His father was excited about it."
I swallowed hard, trying to push away the anger. Why was this bothering me? Reese and I, we were destined to be enemies. But, the thought of him with her made my stomach turn.
It was irrational, this burning resentment toward someone who simply existed, unfairly beautiful and probably just as kind.
Gathering the last of the bridal shower gifts, I shoved them in the car, packing my sister's trunk full.
"Caroline, that's a toaster," my sister adjusted a box. "If you broke it, then you're giving me yours."
"Don’t have one," I said, wiping sweat off my brow.
"Don't be late tomorrow," she said, before shutting the truck.
twenty-eight
Reese
I turned on my headphones before starting my workout. I dropped my bag into my locker, the sound drowned out by my music blaring in my ears. Stepping into the weight room, I approached the machine I usually started on and set the weight. But just as I gripped the handles, something pulled at the corner of my vision.
Through the large glass windows, her car caught my eye. It was Caroline pulling up out front. It was a fiery red, compact little thing that seemed almost like an extension of her indomitable spirit.
Even from this distance, I could see the concentrated look on her face as she attempted to parallel park, though “attempted” might be too generous a term. I couldn’t help but grin, captivated by just how spectacularly bad she was at it. It was as if she’d skipped the entire parallel park chapter in driver’s ed. She inched backward and forward in a scattered shuffle. Each try brought her no closer to the curb. Honestly, it was kind of cute and oddly endearing. I watched, amused, as her petite frame hunched over the wheel, her blonde hair falling around her shoulders in frustration.
After a few more minutes of this nonsense, I left my machine andpushed open the door as I stepped outside. It was time for this embarrassing spectacle to end. The glare of the sun did little to prepare me for the intensity of her gaze as it found mine through the windshield. With a casual gesture, I motioned for her to roll down the window.
The window slid down slowly, and she slid her sunglasses from over her eyes to the top of her head.
"Yes?" she asked innocently, and I leaned closer, resting my hand on the top of her car.
"What exactly are you doing?" I questioned, doing my best not to laugh.
"Oh, nothing much," she said, like I was interrupting her. “The space just seems to be a little tight.”
"Oh yeah?" I grinned, glancing over at the oversized spot that could easily fit two of her cars. "Your car's so small it's practically a Hot Wheels. How can you be so bad at this?"
