Page 139 of Between the Lines

“I guess this explains the Escalade.”

We both laugh, and then, she suddenly stops hugging me, stands up straight, and stares at me with wide-eyed accusation.

“Oh my God. Wait. Who wereyouout with that you saw my brother?”

Whoops.

“I… No one?—”

“Claire…”

She crosses her arms over her chest, and for the first time, I see a big sister standing before me.Trading secrets. Having sleepovers. Giving advice.

My heart inflates, and somehow, I know that I can trust her with this.

“Promise not to be weird about it?” I echo her earlier sentiment.

“I think I get to have one ear-splitting scream in exchange for yours.”

“That’s fair.Ugh.”

With my back against the wall, I sink to the floor, tent my knees, and rest my forehead against them. She joins me on the floor, sitting crisscross.

“Sleepingwithourboss,” I mumble.

“Come again?”

“I’msleepingwith ourboss.” I say it a little more forcefully this time. When she doesn’t say anything back, I lift my head so only one eye is peeping. Her jaw is now the one hanging open, and she’s staring out over my head, probably into the abyss where I’m sure her train of thought has disappeared to.

“We’re talking about Nathan, not Don, right?”

“Gross,yes, Nathan.”

She pauses again, staring at the wall opposite us like she’s deep in thought.

“You don’t call himDaddy, do you?”

“I…”

I laugh. At first, it’s a huffed, pained sound, but then my head falls back against the wall, and we both disassemble into a fit of giggles that has tears leaking from our eyes. I think we both needed this. To tell someone else the weight of what’s been on our hearts. It was needed. Therapeutic, even. When our giggle fit dies down, we both sigh, much more relaxed than we both were ten minutes ago.

“Does this mean we can both stop sneaking around now?” I plead. “You with your writing. Me with going to see him.”

She nods, her sigh of relief one I feel deep down.

“I could’ve figured it out, you know.”

“That I’m… me and Nathan?”

She nods, her hair rubbing up against the wall.

“The first time that he came to the bar with us, he couldn’t take his eyes off you. You left to go to the bathroom and he stared at the door until you came back.”

“I never knew that.”

“He’s not as subtle as he thinks,” Penelope grins. “Aaron and Lucy had a bet going. I can’t wait to see the looks on their faces when?—”

“Please don’t tell anyone yet,” I whisper. “I just… We… And then…”

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