Page 101 of Jilted

“Yet Charlotte was going to fly from England with cancer, and my sister drove in from Philly.”

I frowned. “Yeah, I know.”

“What’s the deal with—”

The sliding door behind us glided open, stopping Andrew midsentence. His sister, Ella, stepped out onto the back deck. I hadn’t seen her in a year, not since her graduation party. She’d just finished her first year of law school at UPenn.

“There you are,” she said. “What are you two huddled up talking about?”

“Not much.”

She sat on the arm of Andrew’s chair. “Did you eat? The food is really good.”

My buddy patted his belly, which was new. He’d put on a few pounds. The guy had always been able to eat whatever the hell he wanted and stay stick thin. “Two plates full.”

“Did someone make all that food?” Ella asked.

“Nah. Whitney ordered it from a restaurant in Boston.”

“Sheordered it? Not whoever threw the party?”

“Her friends are all broke students, so I picked up the bill for the party.”

“What about her family? Are they here?”

I side-eyed Andrew. “No, they couldn’t make it.”

“How do they feel about her being pregnant?”

I shrugged. “Okay, I guess.”

“Do you like them?”

“I haven’t met them yet.”

“You haven’t met them? Why not?”

I shook my head. “You’re going to make a great lawyer. I feel like I’m being interrogated.”

Ella leaned forward. “You meanwe’regoing to make great lawyers.”

My eyes shifted to Andrew. “You heard back from Yale?”

He smiled. “Yeah. I got in. Found out yesterday.”

“Why didn’t you tell me?”

He shrugged. “I don’t know. We started talking about Charlotte’s health and Whitney’s dad being sick. It didn’t feel like the right time to celebrate.”

“That’s crazy. It should’ve been the first thing you said when you walked in. Congratulations, man. I’m proud of you.”

“Thanks.”

Ella stood. “I’m going to get some wine. You guys want anything?”

I lifted my beer, which had been sitting on the ground, and swirled it. It was almost empty. “I’ll take another. Thanks.”

Andrew nodded. “Me, too. Thanks, Ella.”

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