Page 104 of The Broken Heart Playlist
“No thanks to you,” I retort, brushing past her and heading to the kitchen.
“What do you mean?” she asks, following me.
I stand in the middle of the kitchen and glare at her. “The Unique Food Museum. Really? I don’t understand. How could you do that to me? What a way to ruin a date.”
Tess raises an eyebrow at me. “Maybe my eyes were deceiving me, but it didn’t look like your date was ruined.”
“We had a great timein spiteof you recommending the museum to Gideon.”
“No, Kate, you had a great datebecauseof my recommendation.”
“What are you talking about?”
She tilts her head, studying me. “Did you and Gideon have fun tonight?”
“Yes, but—”
“Did you get freaked out by the stuff in the museum and end up laughing about it?”
“Yes,” I answer slowly.
She nods. “And did you, my dear sister, get out of your head for most of the date?”
I stare at her. “You didn’t recommend the museum to sabotage us?”
“No. The opposite, in fact.”
“Because I would have found a way to ruin this evening all on my own,” I say, voicing out loud my earlier thoughts.
“Exactly,” Tess replies. “Don’t you think I know you? I needed you not to overthink everything, but simply to experience the evening as it unfolded.”
“And this was the best you came up with?” I sputter.
“Yes,” she answers calmly. “And it worked.”
I’m about to deny her words, but I realize she’s right. I didn’t self-sabotage. Gideon wants a second date. To my shock, so do I.
“Now,” Tess says, settling herself onto a kitchen stool, “I want to hear all about that HOT make-out session.”
SUMMER
Playlist
“Are You with Me?” — Lost Frequencies
“Let it Happen” — Tame Impala
“Summer Breeze” — Seals and Crofts
“Dog Days are Over” — Florence + The Machine
“Fall in Love Again” — P1Harmony
CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE
Gideon and I don’t manage to organize a second date. We keep meaning to, but I’m swept up in preparations for Lisset’s birthday party. Usually, I keep her birthday a low-key affair. In the past, she’s invited a friend or two over for a movie and sleepover, but this year, I somehow ended up agreeing to a big birthday bash. Partly due to Lisset hauling out some impressive logic when she informed me we ought to celebrate that she’s reading again. And partly because Gideon has turned me into a soft and sappy woman who’s saying yes to too many things.
Now I have eight girls coming to my house today to celebrate Lisset turning nine. At least the weather’s on our side, which was my greatest worry, considering I’ve hired a bounce castle for the day. It’s a little windy but shaping up to be a lovely hot Saturday. I’m thankful Lisset’s birthday falls in June and not in freezing January.
