Total pages in book: 101
Estimated words: 103102 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 516(@200wpm)___ 412(@250wpm)___ 344(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 103102 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 516(@200wpm)___ 412(@250wpm)___ 344(@300wpm)
There. The second she smooths her dress, she’s picture perfect. If I didn’t know better, I’d think she was on her way to a party. She doesn’t show a single sign of intoxication.
She’s the other Deanna again, the one who never admits weakness.
“She only stayed long enough to rub a few elbows,” Lexi says.
“And she approved of your plan to—”
Lexi turns on the radio just in time to cut Deanna off. One of the slow-jams satellite stations. “Sorry. Should I put on something a little more sisterly?” She switches to a pop channel.
A girl-power anthem fills the space. Something popular when we were in high school.
“Let’s not bore River with shop talk, huh?” Through the rearview mirror, Lexi makes eye contact with her sister. “I already kept him waiting long enough.”
Deanna opens her mouth to speak but she stops herself. “Sure. I won’t bore you with the details of our wager, either.”
“You two have a wager?” Lexi asks. “Anything juicy?”
“No,” she says. “But he knows the terms. What he isn’t going to do.”
“Is this a riddle?” Lexi shakes her head. “Or is it the scotch talking?”
“You drink scotch?” I ask.
“No. She’s teasing,” Deanna says. “We had cosmos in your honor.”
Lexi lets out a sigh of pure flattery. “How sweet.” She stops at a red light and looks to me.
Again, the warmth of her attention overwhelms me.
“Did you miss me?” she asks.
I can’t find any words.
She smiles. “I’ll take that as a yes.” She looks to the street as the light turns green. “Did you really need to go to Anaheim? There’s a perfectly good bar on Main Street.”
“This seemed more like River’s vibe,” Deanna says.
She laughs. “I haven’t ever seen him wearing eyeliner.”
She’s been paying enough attention to know?
“Really, it’s more your vibe,” Lexi says. “Remember that guy you dated in high school?”
“Which one?” Deanna asks.
“The one who wore black nail polish,” Lexi says. “Who got you hooked on combat boots?”
“Mom bought my first pair of combat boots,” Deanna says.
“Who actually convinced you to listen to Joy Division,” Lexi says.
“They’re not terrible,” Deanna says.
“That’s a high compliment from her,” Lexi says. “Whatever happened to that guy?”
“I don’t know. We broke up after a few months.”
Lexi laughs. “Bored with him?”
“No.” Deanna stares out the window. “He wanted a different kind of girl.”
“One who wore even more black?”
“No. A curvy blonde,” she says. “A California girl.”
Lexi’s nose wrinkles in confusion. She isn’t putting the pieces together.
But they’re obvious. The guy wanted Lexi.
Is that Deanna’s experience with men? Even the Goth guy goes for the bubbly blonde? The contrast is appealing. I see that.
It must hurt her, though, to always be in the shadow of the sun.
No wonder she doesn’t believe in love. No one’s offered it to her.
“Is Depressed Mode still fun?” Lexi asks. “I haven’t been since high school.”
“It’s twenty-one plus,” Deanna says.
“I have my ways.”
“A fake ID or a fling with a bartender?” Deanna asks.
“Dee, I know you don’t approve of rule breaking. But you’d get it if you got it,” she says. “Bartenders are hot.”
“River knows something about that,” Deanna says.
Lexi’s blue eyes go wide. “A dirty story? Do tell.”
Dirty.
Lexi.
Me.
All the thoughts leave my brain at once.
She doesn’t wait for me to find a thought. “Aw, I bet you broke her heart.” She presses her hand to her chest with utmost sympathy. “The poor girl probably had no idea what she was in for.”
Deanna actually laughs out loud. “Really?”
“Yeah, really.” Lexi turns to the back seat. “Do you have a problem?”
“No.” Deanna mimes zipping her lips.
Lexi holds her sister’s gaze for a moment, then she settles into her seat. “Did you break her heart?”
“I—”
“They dated in high school,” Deanna says, cutting me off.
“And?” Lexi asks. “No one broke your heart in high school?”
“You’re right,” Deanna says. “She was pissed to see him, even after all these years.”
“Wait a second.” Lexi cups her ear with one hand. “Did I hear that right?”
“Don’t rub it in,” Deanna says.
“I was right?” Lexi asks.
“Yeah. You were right. Take the win,” Deanna says.
Lexi turns to me with an even more radiant smile. “She’s never said this before.”
“I guess you two can bond there,” Deanna says. “Breaking hearts.”
I can’t get a word in between these two.
“I’ve never broken a heart,” Lexi says.
“Are you kidding?” Deanna asks. “A million guys cried to me over you.”
“They did not.” Lexi turns to me for a brief moment. “What happened with your bartender?”
There’s a beat of silence before I realize she asked me a question. “I apologized,” I say.
“That’s big of you,” Lexi says. “I don’t know if I’ve ever apologized to an ex. I tell them what I want straight up. Fun. No strings. I can’t help it if they develop feelings. Or if they refuse to believe I enjoy casual sex because I’m a woman.”
From her spot in the back seat, Deanna clears her throat. She mutters something that sounds a lot like I told you so.