I know. Not healthy.
Then I remember, I’m not half bad myself. I’m not as smart as you, or asgoodas you, but I love you more than anyone else. If loving Anne were an Olympic event, I’d break the world record for the most gold medals. (Not that I’d want to compete with any douchebags for your love.)
But I know I deserve you. I’llalwaysdeserve you, because no one else can love you as much as I do. I love you best now and forever. I win!
Forever yours,
Frederick Nam,
Olympic gold medalist
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
The good news Andrew had shared last week turned out to be worrisome news for Anne. Filming forPride and Prejudicebegan in less than two weeks, and she needed to be on set in England for eleven weeks. That was cutting it awfully close to Coraline’s wedding in July.
Anne had promised her cousin that she would help with the wedding, but she would be out of pocket for almost three months. Even though Coraline, Bethany, and Tessa assured her they could handle the wedding preparations, Anne felt like she was letting them down.
But she’d offered to help because she was the only one not working. Things had changed.You don’t have to do everything, she reminded herself.It’s okay to accept help.She picked up her pace to work off the stubborn twinge of guilt, gazing at the lovely view of the sailboats dotting the water. She released a long breath.
She loved jogging along Marina Del Rey’s oceanside promenade. The wide, paved path wrapped around the marina, offering great views of the ocean on one side and the hotels and restaurants on the other. It was peaceful yet bustling, adding people watching as a bonus to a good workout.
“Gawd, Anne.” Tessa panted as she jogged alongside Anne. “It’s not like you’re training to portray a Marvel superhero. Do you really need to work out so much?”
“I wouldn’t be jogging if I were trying to get ripped.” Anne was slightly out of breath as well. She hadn’t been keeping up with her workout routine since she left Korea. She hoped she didn’t pay for it on the set. “I’m working out to increase my stamina. If I don’t get in shape, I won’t be able to keep up with the filming schedule. I may not be filming choreographed fight scenes, but I need to be fresh and alert for every scene, working twelve-hour days.”
“There’s this amazing substance calledcaffeine,” her sister groused.
“Yeah, hyper and twitchy will be a great new interpretation of Elizabeth Bennet.” Anne huffed a breathless chuckle.
“Just leave me here.” Her sister slowed to a stop, less than two miles away from the end of the promenade. “Go on without me.”
“I’m not leaving my sister behind,” Anne said dramatically and looped Tessa’s arm over her shoulders. “Come on. Just a couple more miles.”
“Can’t you just pretend I’m dead?” Tessa whined. “I don’t know why you dragged me out here. I’m not filming twelve hours a day.”
“You’re cooped up in the ISI building for close to twelve hours a day, and your office doesn’t even have a window. You need this as much as I do.” Anne took a bracing breath. It was okay to take up space. She deserved love and loyalty from her family as much as they deserved hers. “AndIneed your support. It’s harder to motivate myself if I have to work out by myself.”
Tessa pulled back a few inches, still hanging heavily on to Anne, and gave her a curious glance. “I didn’t know youneededstuff like a normal person.”
“What? I’m not a normal person?” Anne drew back as though she were slapped. Did her family—even her little sister—really take her so much for granted that they didn’t realize she had needs and feelings like any other human being?
“Well, you’re kind of my… I don’t know… You’re like asuperhero to me,” Tessa mumbled, looking out at the ocean, dropping her arm from Anne’s shoulders. “I was a wreck when Mom died—we all were, except you. You never faltered, guiding us and holding us together. You were strong and steadfast, always there for us. You were, and still are, our anchor.”
“Oh, Tessa.” A multitude of emotions fought for dominance inside her. In the end, she chose to lean on her brilliant sister—to let her know she was far from a superhero. “I was a wreck, too. Mom was the only person who ever really saw me, and when she died, a part of me died, too. But she wanted me to take care of you all—to be strong for you—so that’s what I did.”
“Well, thank you.” Tessa looked back at Anne with tears in her eyes. “We would’ve been lost without you.”
“You’re welcome,” Anne whispered.
“And I’m sorry I wasn’t there for you. I didn’t know you needed me.” Her sister swiped a forearm across her eyes. “I wish you’d told me, orshownme, that you were hurting, too.”
“I do, too.” She wished she’d opened up to her little sister sooner. Tessa was strong enough to support her, but Anne had never given her the chance.
“All right, lazy ass.” Tessa tugged her by the arm. “You’re not getting in shape by yapping and taking a leisurely oceanside stroll. Let’s go.”
With a laugh that seemed to take years of heartache and pressure off her chest, Anne sprinted down the path. “Last one to that red bicycle at the end of the road is buying a round of beer.”
Anne couldn’t help it. She let Tessa win, but she didn’t mind one bit. She loved this added layer of closeness between them, and Tessa would always be her baby sister.
