“What are you smiling at?” she snaps under her breath. It’s the kind of reaction you give someone when they’re staring right at you with a shit-eating grin. Yet, I’m not even looking remotely in her direction. I also have to sidestep out of her way to avoid Blythe plowing into me as she hands her ticket over to the valet.
Of course, she composes herself and acts all sweet again when my dad comes out, but even her Jekyll & Hyde performance isn’t enough to sour my mood.
I’m Cinderella—evil stepmother, missing shoes, and all.
Stepping out of the shower when I get home, I anticipate I’m about to wake up, realizing this has all been a dream.
But I still have the festival stamp on my hand, only slightly faded. When I enter my room, I also find my window open, my torturous heels set nicely on the floor, and a certain patriotic stuffed penguin sitting at the top of my bed.
I grab the animal and pull it to my chest, relishing the scents clinging to it. Popcorn mixed with the contents of Jase’s backpack—his cologne and deodorant, the salt air and sand from the beach towel, and just…him. I’m not sure it’s physically possible for a human being to get even giddier, but Jase proves me wrong as I plop down on my bed.
Something crinkles under my elbow, and I lift it to find a sticky note that reads:
“They say, ‘The bird who dares to fall is the bird who learns to fly.’ Fall with me.”
Only, it’s not signed with a simple-J.
Instead, it says:
Sincerely,
Yours
Yours.
I can’t believe it.
Jase just called himselfmine.
For the next twelve hours, you can’t slap the smile from my face. That’s what I get for being so stupid because, of course, thisis when the other shoe finally drops. And it may as well be made of glass, to go along with my heart.
CHAPTER 18
CRICKETS
PRESENT
“I can officially saythat this job kicks ass,” Maggie declares at the end of our shift, eating some of the fries from the takeout containers Nico gave us before leaving. “Not only do I get to avoid having to be stuck inside an office building all day, wearing a skirt, with people bitching nonstop about empty ink cartridges and stale coffee, but it has the best perks.”
Much like her daughter, Maggie’s mom isn’t exactly known for her culinary skills, and anything that prevents Mags from having to eat at home is for the best.
“Seriously, if not for a certain blonde douche nozzle who banged your sister, this would be the perfect work day.”
I grit my teeth at the very mention, and she sighs.
“Sorry.”
“It is what it is.” I shrug, hoping I look more relaxed than I feel. My anxiety only ratchets up the closer we get to my house. Seeing a driveway full of carsisn’ta welcomed sight as Maggie parks out on the curb.
“On the bright side, the eye candy at our new gig certainly doesn’t hurt either,” she says around another mouthful of fries as we step out of the Range Rover. “Especially the one built like a tree. What’s Reed’s situation anyway?”
“Situation?”
“Yeah, you know. In a relationship? Single? ‘It’s complicated’?”
“I’d say he’s not a tree you should go sniffing around,” I warn.
She looks more than a little confused. “You calling dibs on him?”
