Page 7 of The Love Trick

“It’s my grandma Esme,” she interjects with a heavy sigh. “She acts like being single at thirty is a death sentence or something. It’s ridiculous. And my mom goes along with it because life is apparently just a series of boxes that must be checked off.”

“Okay, but you’ve always done things your own way. It’s never seemed to bother you before. So, why now?”

She falls silent, her lips flatlining like they do when she’s trying to decide if I’m making a solid point or if she’d like to murder me.

It could go either way.

However, this time, she just sighs again. “I don’t know. Maybe I’ma little jealous of my sister. But that’s only becauseeverythingalways works out for her. She’s only twenty-five, yet she’s already got a rich fiancé who perfectly fits my family’s expectations, and now she’s about to have the perfect wedding…”

“I’d hardly call Robert Welch a real catch.” I snort, earning myself a dirty look.

“He’s a little old, sure, but he’s nice,” Addy reasons, her dark brows furrowed beneath her platinum blonde hair. I’m pretty sure her hair has been every color under the sun at some point, and now that I think about it, I have no idea what the natural one is. But I digress.

“He’s forty.”

“And you know you’re only nine years away from that.” Addy rolls her eyes.

“Okay, but your sister is only twenty-five,” I reason with a shrug as we make it to our favorite pizza spot. “I think that’s a pretty significant age gap. Just saying.”

She lets out a frustrated sigh. “Okay, but he’s also an investment guru who’s made more money at forty than my family will inherit in their lifetime. Not to mention, he has a reputable last name. Trust me, my family couldn’t be morethrilledthat Aurora is marrying him. And it’s a win-win because she gets to keep living her luxurious lifestyle—never having to lift a finger. But, anyway, enough about Robert.”

I purse my lips as I grab the door, holding it open for her. While I refrain from making any further comments about the subject, my mind instantly wonders if Addy feels like she’s missing out.

My best friend works harder than anyone I know, and even though her parents have offered to foot the bill for things, she, instead, works overtime in the business she started to support herself. It’s admirable—much more so than someone who’s just searching for a deep wallet and a diamond ring.

“Just the two of you?” the hostess asks.

“Yeah,” Addy mutters, brushing some of her hair out of her face. “Just the two of us.”

I frown at the saltiness in her voice before following her in silence to our usual back corner booth. I slide in across from her, and before I can even ask her about her work schedule tomorrow, she’s off on another tangent.

“You should’ve heard them, Blaze.” She groans. “They were going on and on about how I don’t have a plus one for the wedding—it’s so embarrassing. They act like there aren’ttonsof people who are still single at thirty.”

“You’re only twenty-nine,” I say, eyeing the waiter as he sets down our waters. I thank him on behalf of both of us and then order our usual pineapple and bacon pizza.

“I just don’t get it. Why have I had such horrible luck finding a true connection?” Addy rakes her black, chipped fingernails through her hair. “I’m a catch, right?”

“Uh-huh.” I clear my throat. “But I don’t know why you’re suddenly so upset about this. Why don’t you just ignore them and go have a good time in Hawaii? Who knows, you may end up meeting some surfer dude that’ll accompany you to the wedding.”

Addy suddenly looks hopeful, but it quickly fades. “There’s no way my family would ever be okay with that. They didn’t even likeHarrison.”

I make a face. “Duh, that dude was weird.”

She throws her hands up. “He was an aerospace engineer.Of coursehe was weird.”

“He told me the first time I met him thatorigamiwas one of his greatest passions in life, Addy,” I drawl. “I don’t think origami has anything to do with his career.”

“Okay. So, he liked to fold paper …a lot.What’s so bad about that?” She shrugs. “I wonder if he’d want to go to the wedding with me as my plus one.”

I think back to the Facebook post I saw a few weeks ago. “He’s married now. His wife is some kind of origami artist, too.”

“Match made in heaven.” Addy groans. “Ifhecan find love, why can’t I? And why can’t my family just accept it?”

“Maybe you should try talking to your girlfriend Penny about this.” I offer up the advice mostly because Idon’tknow what to say. I don’t have a family that puts pressure on me to be anyone or anything. Nobody—aside from my teammates and Addy—thinks twice about what I do with myself and my life.

Addy sighs and slumps down in the booth. “That’s probably a good idea. She was raised in a similar household. She’ll know how to handle this. I’m sorry for bugging you.” She gives me one of her famous soft smiles, her plump, glossy lips turning upward, and as always, I return it.

She has the kind of smile you can’t meet with anything other than joy.

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