Page 64 of Sunshine
Not that he’d really wrestle me into making another promise I couldn’t keep, right? We’re too old for that shit.
Finn stretches his neck from one side to the other, eyeing me with speculative malice.
“Fine,” I agree. “I’ll think about it.”
“You promise?”
“Yeah. I promise.”
What’s one more lie at this point, anyway?
eighteen
Poppy
A flashing red heartlights up the Empire State Building, the credits roll onSleepless in Seattle, and I chase my contented sigh with a mouthful of Frosted Flakes. This was supposed to be a hate-watch, and I shouldn’t feel all warm and fuzzy, but at least I’m not the only one. At a lull in the music, a sniffling sound rises from the other end of the couch.
I throw a cushion at Daisy’s head, taking care not to wake Izzy curled up beside me.
“Hey!” I whisper-shout in the near-darkness. “We’re not supposed to be enjoying this, remember?”
“Leave me alone.” Daisy snatches up the candy bowl and shoves a stupid amount in her mouth. “I’m in my luteal phase.”
On the smaller sofa on the other side of the coffee table, Charlie throws off her blanket and gets to her feet. “That’s two hours I’ll never get back.”
“Oh, come on!” Daisy picks up the cushion I threw at her and lobs it at Charlie, who catches it with two hands before it can smack her in the face. “That movie is perfect.”
“The perfect way to put me to sleep,” Charlie grumbles.
Daisy rolls her eyes and flops back against the sofa. “I can’t wait for the day you fall in love. I bet you’ll be unbearable.”
Charlie snorts quietly, then checks the time on her watch. “Have either of you heard from Dylan? The Hill was fully booked for Valentine’s Day dinner, but it’s nearly eleven and even on our busiest nights, he’s usually home by now.”
“Not since he checked in on Izzy a few hours ago,” I say, digging through my tote for my phone in case I’ve missed a text message.
Daisy checks her phone too. “He’s working late,” she says as she reads from the screen. “Dinner service, then a couple hours of paperwork.”
Charlie glances at Izzy’s sleeping form, a caring crease between her eyebrows. “Should I try carrying her to bed?”
Daisy waves a hand and burrows deeper under her blanket. “Don’t risk it. If she wakes up when you’re transferring her, she won’t sleep in her bed without Dylan. I’ll stay with her until he gets home.”
Charlie nods. “You’re probably right.”
I’m already reaching for my phone, so I check it out of habit, and my stomach does a tight little cartwheel at the sight of Dylan’s name on the screen.
Dylan
Meet me at the restaurant as soon as you can.
I nearly strangle myself resisting the urge to squeak. As much as I love Daisy and Charlie, and as fun as it is to celebrate Galentine’s Day with a rom-com and dry cereal, I’ve spent more years than I care to admit daydreaming about spending Valentine’s Day with Dylan, wishing I lived in a world where he might ask me out.
I cringe inside at how fake it feels when I play-act a tired stretch and crawl out from under my snuggly woolen blanket. “I think I’ll call it a night.”
“Wait.” Daisy bolts upright, and then she rolls off the sofa, lands on her knees, and crawls across the room toward the old timber sideboard.
I exchange a puzzled look with Charlie, who presses her fingertips to her temple with a mix of impatience and amusement.
“What are we waiting for?” I ask.
