Page 98 of Quiet Beautiful Things

I stare her down. “I’ve told you about him.”

“Leopards can change their spots, Ellie.”

My mouth clenches into a defiant pucker. “No, Beth. Leopards cannot change their spots.”

“Has the man given you any indication he’s interested in anyone else?”

I shrug. “I don’t know what he does when I’m not around.”

“Yeah, but have you heard anything?”

I sigh heavily. “No, Beth. I haven’theardanything.”

“Jeez, why so touchy?” When I don’t come back with a snarky remark, she adds, “Oh my god, you really like the guy. Ellie, are you in love with him?”

“Of course not,” I say audibly, the vibrations in my chest alerting me to the increased volume of my voice.

She gives me the side-eye. “Me thinks you doth protest too much.”

“Shut up and help me pick a dress.”

Her mile-wide smile tells me she’d totally be on board if Blake and I became… more. The question is,would I?

Finally, after the fourth dress, I settle on one. It’s light blue. Spaghetti straps. Above the knees but not inappropriately short. And it has a matching pashmina in case the venue is chilly.

“You are going to stop traffic in that thing,” Beth signs.

I do a little hip wiggle in appreciation of her comment. Then I look down at my bare feet. “What shoes should I wear? Heels or wedges?”

“Heels,” she signs. “Definitely heels. I’ll pick out a pair. I’m thinking silver if you have any.”

I’m going through my drawer of small handbags when I’m tapped forcefully on the shoulder.Ouch. I turn to see my sister glaring at me while holding the small gun lock box.

“What the hell is this?” she fumes.

I can tell by the angry look on her face that she was most definitely shouting. I reach for it, but she pulls it back, points to the engraving on the front, and signs one-handed as she yells some more.

“G. Lucas?” Her eyes blaze into me. “As in your idiot of a birth father?ThatG. Lucas? Ellie, what the fuck are you doing with a gun that belongs to him?”

My mind scrambles. Is this the moment when I have to come clean? “It’s um… it’s Sierra’s. She couldn’t take it to New Zealand, so I said I’d keep it here for her.”

Beth studies my face. I don’t break eye contact. I don’t waver one little bit.Believe me,I implore.

She relaxes. “Well, Dad would kill you if he knew you had a gun here.”

She puts it back on the shelf in my closet and comes out dangling a pair of stilettos on her fingers. They were tucked away in a box and I forgot I even had them. I’ve only worn them once, when I was ‘Miss November’ for a fundraising calendar my school did four years ago.

“No,” I say emphatically.

“Yes.” She nods, equally insistent.

“Beth, I’ll probably be chasing Maisy around all afternoon. Those are so impractical.”

“Are you going as Blake’s date or Maisy’s babysitter?”

“His date, but—”

“There!” She pumps a fist. “You said it, not me.”

---