Page 24 of The Best Friend Power Play

I come in and sit down on the edge of the bed. "Wouldn't that be final-final-final checking?"

She flops down next to me with a resigned smile. "I'm being too much. I mean, I'm not even leaving the country. If I forget anything, I'm sure either Dean or his family can help me out, or there'll be a Walmart or something nearby."

"I get it." I wrap my arm around her. "It's good to be prepared. Makes you feel in control. Safe."

"Yeah." She leans into my shoulder, and I smooth down her long brown hair. "Are you going to be okay?"

"Of course. I'll be fine. I love summer in Comfort Bay. The weather's great. There's a nice influx of tourists. I've got my hot girl summer list. I'll be fine."

"I'm going to miss you so much," she says, her voice sounding more like a little girl than the brilliant young woman she's become.

I hold her closer, enjoying these precious last few moments we have together. "I'll miss you, too."

After a moment, she straightens and turns to face me. Her light-blue eyes are a little glassy. "I just want to say that I can't find words to adequately express how grateful I am for what you've done for me and Chester. You put your life on hold to raise us. That means so, so, so much to me. To both of us. We'll never forget it."

I get teary. "It's what big sisters do."

"Well, in that case, you're the best big sister in the world."

We embrace, and I take a moment to let the beauty of her words sink in.

"You won't be too lonely without us?" she asks when we pull apart.

"The house will be a lot quieter," I say, falling back onto the bed. "Especially without Chester banging about all over the place."

Katie joins me, lying down. "I'm assuming that since he's older, Culver has graduated from man academy and learned basic domestic rules like keeping the toilet seat down and not leaving wet towels on the bathroom floor?"

I chuckle. "Yes. He has. I was at his graduation ceremony. A beautiful affair."

We turn to each other. Katie nibbles on her lower lip. "You know how you've always said we can tell you anything and you won't judge us?"

"Uh-huh."

"Well, there's something I'm planning on doing this summer that I haven't told you about yet."

I sit up because it feels like this is going to be a serious conversation. "Go on."

Katie, following suit, sitting up, too. "Dean and I are going to have sex."

"Oh."

"We've talked about it a lot, and we feel that since we've been together for almost two years and we love each other, also a lot, we feel like we're both ready, and we want to do it. A lot."

"I see."

"Did I catch you off-guard?"

I smile. "A little, yeah. Give me a minute."

"Of course."

I think it through.

Katie and Dean are in love. They obviously have a level of emotional intelligence if they're discussing the topic, which is a prerequisite in my mind. And Dean's a good kid. I like him. I like his family. And most importantly of all, he's always treated Katie well.

"I'm happy for you," I finally say. "It sounds like a beautiful next step in your relationship."

She lets out a relieved breath. "Thanks for being cool with it." Then she pulls out her phone and opens a…spreadsheet.

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