Page 64 of When Ellie Falls in Love

The nickname from when she was a kid had stuck over the years, but Ellie didn’t care. She snuggled closer to Isla before joining the rest of the family at the tables near the stage. Eden and her cousin River Bennet were on the stage with what seemed like a makeshift DJ stand.

That can only mean show tunes all night long, Ellie chuckled to herself as she sat down beside Mason. Who, of course, immediately hugged her.

“I’m just so proud of my little sis.”

“Really? I couldn’t tell.”

“Oh, hush. Let me be sentimental on your graduation day.”

The party was filled with amazing food, lots of laughs, and her amazing family. It was beyond perfect, and Ellie was glad she had decided not to go away for college. She’d applied to several out-of-state school theater programs and gotten into all of them, a fact shemighthave hidden from her parents.

Ellie just wasn’t sure she was ready to fly the coop just yet. The Cove was her turf and the local theater was her domain. She’d been the lead in plays since she was a kid and knew that her chances would only grow as she got older.

So Ellie didn’t regret her decision to go to the local college. Especially since she was pretty sure she only wanted theater to be a hobby and not her job. She’d seen firsthand from Eden and River how tough and demanding a full-time theater contract was, and Ellie knew deep down she wanted it to always be fun.

Which of course meant at some point, she’d have to figure out a career.

After Cape Cod. We’ll focus on that after the Cape.

A few tables away, Ellie caught Sadie’s eye. She was at a table with her parents and Ellie’s Aunt Cameron, along with Dylan and her brother Jonah. Ellie waited a beat for Sadie to look her way before nodding her head toward the bathroom. Despite not having a single clue what she was doing, Ellie stood and walked toward the hallway where the bathrooms were.

Ellie nervously paced the wooden floorboards for a moment before Sadie rounded the corner. The two smiled at each other, and Ellie resisted the urge to close the space between her and kiss her.

Oh, my god. I’m turning into Mason.

Shaking the thought from her head, Ellie took a step toward Sadie.

“How does it feel to be a high school graduate?”

“Pretty good,” Sadie giggled as she took a step toward Ellie. They were barely a foot away from each other now, and Sadie quickly closed the gap for a quick kiss. “Sorry, I’ve been thinking about doing that for hours.”

“Never apologize for that.”

Beside them, one of the bathroom doors opened as one of Brayden’s friend’s parents stepped out. Ellie knew their chances of getting caught kissing in a hallway were high, especially given her nosy family. So Ellie opened a door to another bathroom and ushered Sadie inside.

I am living up to that mini-Mason name every day.

“What are we doing?” Sadie asked in a whisper as she giggled.

Ellie giggled. “I have no clue. I just wanted to kiss you without worrying about someone interrupting us.”

“Oh, yeah?”

The look in Sadie’s eyes was one Ellie hadn’t seen before. Maybe it was the darkened light in the bathroom. Maybe it was because, for the first time since they admitted their feelings, they were finally alone together. Whatever it was, it made Ellie’s heart beat faster in her chest. Before she knew what her brain was doing, Ellie closed the gap between them and kissed Sadie again.

She ran her hands up the back of her dress as she tried to remember everything she’d learned at acting camp when it came to kissing someone. But none of that seemed to matter because all Ellie could focus on was Sadie’s lips on her neck.

God, how do you learn to kiss like that?

Ellie was glad her words stayed internally.

Especiallyas a knock came at the door.

“Ellie?”

Mom. Shit.

“Ellie, you in there?”

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