Page 5 of Love at First Slice
“Yeah, exactly. That was a long time ago. Maybe it’s time for you to make a new friend?”I don’t need a new friend. I need things to stay the same, damn it.
“Or,“ Connie continued gently, “maybe it’s time to meet someone.”
“Someone,” I repeated, then I started to laugh. “Me? Meet someone?” I almost snorted at the idea.
“Yes, you. What’s wrong with you? Dating isn’t the craziest idea.” She was clearly starting to grow frustrated with me.
“I don’t know. What’s wrong with you?” I argued back. “It’s not like you’re exactly going out on a bunch of dates yourself since you know who left town.” Connie’s face paled, and I instantly regretted the stupid words that had come out of my mouth. “I didn’t mean that, Con—“ She put a hand up, and any words I was going to say died on my tongue before she turned around and walked out. “Shit.”
“Shit’s right,” my mom said as she stepped into the kitchen, her hazel eyes that I got from her set on me. “Te pasaste’s,” she scolded and had every right.
“I know. I went too far,” I agreed solemnly.
“She’s right, though, you know?” I started to chop up what was left of the cabbage.
“About what?” I asked without looking up as she took the seat next to me and picked up the shredder and a carrot.
“You and dating. It wouldn’t kill you to meet someone.”
“Mom,” I groaned. I didn’t get the idea of dating someone just to date someone. I’d never met anyone who called my attention. Not even movie stars did it for me.Maybe I am the one who is broken?
“You’re not broken,” my mom said softly. Her soft hand covered my wrist, and I looked up at her. She had to be part witch to know what I was thinking. She smiled softly. “When you meet the person you’re supposed to be with, you’ll know.”
“Love at first sight? Like you and Dad?” This wasn’t the first time she’d tried to give me a pep talk when it came to love and relationships, and I was pretty sure I’d be hearing it for the next forty years, god willing.
“Maybe.” She winked. “If you’re lucky. If not, you’ll definitely know by dessert,” she joked. I rolled my eyes while a soft smile played on my lips.
“I should go apologize.”
“Dejala. Give her some time. You might have gone too far, but maybe you weren’t wrong, either.”
My sister had been in love a long time ago. After it ended, she hadn’t been the same.
I really thought he had loved her, too.
Until one day, he up and left, vanishing from Moonlit Pines like he never even existed. I had always assumed they had fought about something but was never sure because Connie never talked about him again. We weren’t even allowed to mention his name.
No, she only carried shadows in her eyes when she thought no one was looking. Even after years of him leaving, she bore the scars as a reminder.
It was like her heart was still his.
Maybe that was why she was always trying to do something every waking minute of every day? To fill the time she no longerspent with him. The thought of my sister and her heartbreak followed me home that day.
If that’s what love did to you, why would anyone want to sign up for that?
Love and happily ever afters were not for me. No, thank you. I’d rather take leftovers.
3.Abby
For all the crap I had given Tabby throughout the years for being perpetually late, I was going to eat crow.
I knew she was going to say something to me. I was never late. Not ever. But there I was, pulling up almost forty minutes late. The morning had started off wonky. I’d forgotten to set my alarm, so I slept in and was in such a hurry to get things cooking, I’d ruined a pot of pasta by overcooking it into mush, so I had to redo it; plus, the first batch of buttermilk biscuits had burned.
To a crisp.Literally.
Karma for being mean to my sister and being a Negative Nancy over all the changes for tonight, I guessed. The icing on the cake was the fact that being late meant there was no parking in front of Brewster’s cabin.
Or I guess it was Tabby’s cabin now, too.
