Still, I forced a laugh. "Oh, please. I was watching the kittens."
At the moment, they were curled up in their favorite basket near the fireplace. But Ihadbeen watching them.
In fact, I'd been playing with them for nearly an hour before they'd gotten all tuckered out and had retreated to their comfiest basket for one of their many naps.
As for my sister, she looked unconvinced. "You weren't watching them a minute ago."
"How wouldyouknow?" I asked. "You weren't even here."
"Yes, I was." She gave me a look that was half-smug, half-amused. "I've been standing here for at least five minutes."
Impossible.
Orwasit?
When I replied with only a shrug, Harper said, "You're up to something."
"Me?"
"Yes. You. I can always tell, you know."
This was true.Harper was a lot like our mom. She could always tell when I was up to no good –orwhen I was hiding something.
In this case, I was hiding the fact that I'd made plans with Cole Henster – a guy I'd sworn to hate forever.
Earlier at the deli, he'd nearly shocked the pants off me when he'd not only asked me out, but had suggested that we go sledding of all things.
As a kid, I'd loved sledding, and not only during the day.
Near the center of our city was a decent-sized hill. The hill was man-made, part of a steep rise that provided the foundation for a long, high bridge over the city's widest river.
The hill itself spanned the whole length of our largest city park – the one that hosted fireworks on the Fourth of July and countless other festivals throughout the summer.
When the weather turned cold, the park was a winter wonderland with an open ice-skating rink, the occasional food truck, and free downhill-sledding for anyone with a sled.
I didn't have a sled, not anymore. But Cole had promised to bring one. He'd even offered to pick me up.
For obvious reasons, I'd declined, telling him that I had some errands to run and that I would simply meet him at the park.
But of course, things weren't nearly as simple as I'd made them sound.
I was scheduled to meet him at seven o'clock, and the park was a twenty-minute drive away. Already, the time was past six-thirty, but I couldn’t leave untilheleft first.
That's why I'd been watching his house. My plan was to leave five minutes after he did, so he wouldn't see where I was living.
It wasn't cowardly.
It was smart, strategic even.
If tonight we rediscovered that we hated each other, he and I would never go out again – andI'dnever need to explain that I was living within spitting distance.
When it came to my sister, the same logic applied. It tonight's date was a dud, I wouldn't need to justify my decision to take up with the enemy.
See?It all made perfect sense.
When my sister turned to look at the kittens, I snuck another peek through the blinds.
She called out, "I saw that!"
