Page 116 of Places I've Never Been

I lied to you because I couldn’t think of any other way to get to know you.

But being with you was never a PR stunt. It was a teenage dream. An adult fantasy.

The reality was better than I ever imagined.

I let you down. I should have been the kind of man who would tell you the truth from the start.

The truth is, I love you.

I want you to be happy, even if it isn’t with me.

Please talk to me. Meet with me one last time, so you can look in my eyes and see that what I say is true.

You are everything that makes songs worth singing.

Adam

Mattie rereadthe card until the words blurred together.

Two days later,Mattie still hadn’t made up her mind about meeting with Adam. Her internal arguments for and against were muddy, and at the bottom of them was one simple fact that was becoming impossible to ignore.

She missed him.

When Lizzie suggested they should get out of the house, Mattie at first refused.

“They’re probably still looking for me,” Mattie told her.

“You’re not the juicy topic anymore. Larissa Thompson just filed for her tenth divorce,” Piper said. “Come on. Nobody will know we’re there. You need to get out.”

Della nodded her head in agreement. “We’ll take the SUV. People will think we’re FBI or something. Nobody will see you.”

With all three sisters ganging up on her like that, she finally relented. They piled into the SUV, leaving Renic behind.

“It’s a girls’ trip,” he said firmly. “Besides, I have some phone calls to make. Have fun.”

Mattie had no idea where they were going until Della pulled up outside The Flower Pot.

Mattie couldn’t make herself open the car door. The lasttime she was here, she’d left so angry she couldn’t see. Her stomach tied up in knots just thinking about it.

Della jumped out and handed the keys to the valet.

Piper climbed out, then poked her head back in. “Quit stalling. It’s just brunch. I promise no fighting. Best behavior. I swear.”

Lizzie squeezed Mattie’s hand. “Come on, Mattie Cake. This will be good for you. For all of us.”

Mattie sighed and got out of the car.

It was eleven-thirty, but the restaurant was empty except for the waitstaff, who didn’t act like they remembered her.

“Did you buy out the place?” Mattie asked as she followed Della through the restaurant to the hidden patio.

“Maybe.” Della strode across the patio to the table and flounced down into a chair. “It was hard enough getting you out of the house. I wasn’t about to let a few customers chase you away.”

“Worried I’ll start shouting again?” Mattie sat down. “I’m not mad at you anymore.”

Della cast a cautious glance in Piper’s direction. “That’s not what this is about.”

Piper frowned at Della, then gestured at Lizzie. “Might as well get this over with before we get derailed.”

---