Holland shrugs. “Didn’t make the cut.”
I stare at him, and his indifferent tone is undercut by his rigid posture. He’s trying not to show that missing out on weekend play is eating away at him. I feel for him. Truly, I do. I can’t imagine the pressure. The endless drive to try to be perfect. I should cut him more slack than I do.
“Oh. Well. Hi.”
Holland nods. “Yeah.”
We stand, staring at each other and the ground. We’re both sort of shuffling our feet, and it’s the definition of awkward.
At the sound of another vehicle, I exhale. I hold my hand up to shield the sun and see Poppy pull up in the car she and Rose share. Rose is in the passenger seat on the phone.
I wince. I haven’t told Holland about Poppy and me. Like I said to my mom earlier, there wasn’t anything to tell.
But now…
She shoves open the driver’s side door, and I don’t have time to worry about how this is all going to play out, because one look at Poppy’s face and I know something is seriously wrong. Holland becomes a blur in my periphery.
I step forward and open my arms. She strides straight into a hug, burying her head into the center of my chest. She stands there—inhaling and exhaling—for I don’t know how long before she leans back. In her eyes are unshed tears.
“What happened? Are you hurt?”
Poppy bites her lip. “It’s Noli.”
She gives me a brief rundown of what Nelson said when he called her.
“We don’t know much more than that. Rose is on the phone with the hospital, pretending to be me right now.”
“Why—”
“I’m Noli’s medical power of attorney, so they won’t talk to anyone but me.”
I nod. That makes sense.
“I booked a flight. I’m headed to Florida in less than two hours.”
These words come out in a rush, and I try to digest them. Of course she’s going. She wouldn’t be Poppy if she didn’t. Her sister needs her.
I’m still crushed.
I just found her. We’re starting something new and good and potentially life-altering, and it feels like someone has pulled the emergency brake and yanked us to a halt.
“What about Party in the Park?” I hear myself ask. It’s a stupid question. The town end-of-the-summer party pales in comparison to what Poppy’s dealing with right now, but I’m grasping at straws. Maybe she’ll come back for it. She’s worked so hard.
“I’ve already called Heather. I left her all my notes, and everything should pretty much run itself at this point. I know I can count on you for the set-up.” A ghost of a smile haunts her lips. “I wish I could be here to see what you come up with for the Promenade.”
“I’ll try to make you proud.” Inside, my heart is shriveling up like a raisin. Party in the Park has never been my idea of a good time. This year, it was bearable because of Poppy, and knowing that she was going to be there made me semi-excited to attend for the first time since I found Tricia in bed with another man. But now, the forecast for the day looks as bleak as ever.
“Rose is riding with me to the airport, and then she’ll bring the car back. She’s staying here,” Poppy says. “At least for now. She’s got a big author event at Mood Reader next week, and I’m going to assess how things are with Noli, and then we’ll figure out what our next steps should be as a family.”
“Right. Of course.”
Poppy searches my face, taking in the vulnerability I don’t think I’m doing a very good job of hiding from my gaze.
“I was going to stay,” she says in a whisper. “I want to be with you, Big. But I have to go.”
I pull her into another hug. “I know. I understand.”
“I wish it could be different. I wish it could be easy. I wish I didn’t feel so responsible, but ever since Nelson called, I’ve had this rock in my stomach. It’s sinking me. I feel like I’m drowning, and the only thing that’s going to make it any better is to be there for Noli. To help her.”
