Page 48 of Along Comes Trouble

“I thought I was. I mean, everything I ever wanted was clicking into place, piece after piece, but I was also kind of bored. Stuck in a rut .”

“How about after you met my brother? Were things any better ?”

“At first they were massively better. Like I’d been living in the dark my whole life and he came along and flipped on the light switch. But lately…I don’t know. I just feel like I worry all the time about stuff that hasn’t even happened yet.” I lean against the counter, drowning in the worry and anxiety I’ve been trying to ignore .

“Do you love him ?”

“What?”

Sarah tilts her head. “Do you love him ?”

I don’t know if I can answer that. Not because I don’t know the answer, but because Colton and I haven’t used those words with each other yet and I don’t want to admit it to his sister before I admit it to him .

Sarah sees the hesitation on my face and holds up a hand. “Listen. Don’t answer if you don’t want to, but I know what I see and from where I’m sitting, it looks like the two of you are madly in love.” She pauses while I digest the information. “So here’s my advice. Stop thinking so much. Talk to him. Explain how you feel. See if he’s feeling the same or if it’s all in your head .”

“Yeah, but, aren’t you the one who told me I was ridiculous for thinking Colton and I were perfect for each other? Aren’t you the one who said we couldn’t be more opposite if we tried ?”

“Those words definitely came out of my mouth.” Sarah grabs the spoon and starts scraping the edge of the bowl. “But now I’m telling you that you’re thinking too much. You guys are obviously good together, differences and all. Besides, don’t you know by now that I can’t be held responsible for the things I say?” She giggles as she swipes a finger into the dough and sucks it clean .

“You don’t have a responsible bone in your body, do you ?”

Sarah pops her finger out of her mouth and inspects it. “I really don’t. That’s why I like you so much. You make me feel like maybe I’m this much better at adulting because you’re so good at it.” She holds out her thumb and forefinger with very little space between them. “Maybe I can learn responsibility by osmosis or something .”

We finish the batch of cookies and thankfully, Sarah sticks around long enough to sober up and then heads home. I hate to admit that I’m glad when she leaves, but I’m not in the mood for her kind of chaos right now, even if she did make a damn good point. I should be talking to Colton instead of hiding in my apartment behind old habits and familiar patterns .

I stare out the window at the falling snow and sigh. So much for a relaxing Sunday .

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