Page 63 of Silver Lining Love

“She is,” I agreed.

Bryson just nodded. I didn’t miss the knowing glint in his eyes. I recognized it as the same one my mom had in the kitchen this morning when she’d asked when I was going to tell Whitney I loved her.

“So you two are tog?—”

“She’s my neighbor.” I interrupted him again. I wasn’t sure what Whitney and I were and I didn’t want to talk out of turn. “I’ve been helping out.”

He nodded as a grin lifted at the corners of his mouth. Before he could press any further, my phone buzzed with a text. I grabbed it and saw it was another request from Mom to pick up chairs from my brother’s house.

“Looks like I have to go pick up chairs from Travis’s,” I explained to Bryson before shouting, “Kids we gotta go!”

The trio returned and Bryson asked, “You comin’ to Movies in the Park tonight? They’re showing Ghostbusters. The original.”

“Can we go? Can we go?” Alice asked, bouncing up and down.

I’d learned, over the past few months, not to make promises before checking with Whitney. “Maybe, we’ll check with Auntie Whitney.”

Alice’s expression deflated. I remember how much I hated it when my parents told me ‘maybe’ when I was a kid. I found myself doing and saying a lot of things I never thought I would.

“Alright, then, man. I’ll see ya.” Bryson slapped my back before he and Milo walked into The Best Hairhouse in Texas, where my mom had mentioned that his wife worked.

“I’m hungry,” Alice complained as we started toward the truck.

“We’ve gotta go pick up some chairs at my brother Travis’s house. We’ll get you a snack there,” I told her as I hung the dress in the back seat.

I held out my hand to help Alice into her booster seat, but she didn’t take it. “What about the well? I thought we were going to go to the well.”

Bryson had interrupted our trip to throw coins in and I’d totally forgotten that’s what we were doing.

“Right, okay.” I grabbed a couple pennies from my console and handed one to Michael and one to Alice.

“I’m gonna wish that we can go to Movies in the Park tonight!” Alice exclaimed as she skipped happily toward the stone structure. “What are you going to wish for, bubbas?”

“I’m not telling you,” Michael stated firmly.

“Please! I told you!” she whined.

“I can’t tell you because it won’t come true,” Michael explained.

“Yes it will! Right, Wyatt?” Alice looked up at me.

“No, it won’t. If you say your wish out loud, it won’t come true,” Michael doubled down.

When I saw Alice’s lip tremble, I knew I needed to come up with something quick.

“Some people believe that they can’t say their wishes out loud or they won’t come true, and some people believe that you have to say your wishes out loud for them to come true. It’s called manifesting.”

“See, bubbas! I’m man arresting.”

“Manifesting,” Michael corrected her as he rolled his eyes.

When we got to the well, Alice squeezed her lids shut as she held the penny up to her mouth and blew on it. I wasn’t sure where the blowing on the coin had come from. She whispered her wish as she tossed her penny into the well.

Michael’s coin toss was much less dramatic. He just closed his eyes and then threw it in.

“Good job, guys.” I started to turn around when Alice grabbed my hand.

“No, you have to, too.”

---