Page 19 of If This Was a Movie

“And Ashlyn is going to fall in love with you!” Sophie shouts, clearly excited by this grand plan.

“Shh! Soph, you’re going to freak her out!” Claire says.

“Oh, sorry, Jules!” Sophie says with a giggle.

I look to Jules, who does, in fact, look slightly more freaked out than before, and sigh, turning to her completely.

My fucking sisters make everything so much more complicated than it needs to be.

“Ignore them, okay? First things first, you’re going to go up with Mark and grab some things for a day or so. That’s step one. Then we’ll worry about step two when that’s done.” Slowly, the tiniest glimmer of relief flashes into her eyes, and I begin to understand just how overwhelmed she is. “I’ll handle all of them, don’t worry,” I say, tipping my head to the four meddling Donovans, and Jules nods.

“Ready?” Mark asks, coming up beside our huddle. Jules nods, then tries to shrug out of my jacket.

“Keep it for now,” I insist, my rarely used dad voice coming out.

She stares at me, ready to argue, but must see it’s pointless. Without another word, she turns to follow him into her building.

“It’s her, isn’t it?” Sloane asks as soon as the door closes behind them, and I sigh, knowing my nosy sisters will never let this die. Even as it was happening, I knew I shouldn’t have drank too much that night in February and let it spill to my youngest sister. “Your dream girl?”

“She’s not my dream girl, Sloane,” I say, running a hand through my hair. She was just a girl I thought was my dream girl before she ghosted me because I came on way too strong. And now it’s like my fucking sisters are repeating history.

“If I remember when you were drinking that tequila, you told me you’d met your dream girl, hung out with her for two nights, and thought you were going to marry her just like Dad did with Mom. Then she disappeared,” Claire recalls with a smug smile.

“Weren’t you drinking too?” I ask, frustrated.

Her smile goes wider, and it looks exactly like the girl who used to make my life misery when we were kids, always finding out my secrets and using them as blackmail.

It seems that hasn’t changed at all.

“No, my sweet Nathan,” she starts, patting my cheek. “I saw it for what it was, a perfect opportunity to pull all of your deepest, darkest secrets out in your moment of weakness, and I pounced.”

Sounds about right.

“You’re the worst, you know that?”

“You love me. Now, about my friend being your dream girl. That’s not a coincidence, and you know it.”

My middle sister nods in agreement.

“Things like this, Nate…they don’t happen for no reason. It’s a sign, some kind of miracle, that you’re finding her like this again,” Sutton says. Of all of us, she’s the most like Mom with her belief that everything is a sign.

“A Christmas miracle!” Sophie shouts, and I close my eyes to take a deep breath, trying to find the will not to lose it.

“You guys?—”

“She has nowhere to stay. You know how the hotels here get during the holiday season.” Claire adds. “Even before I knew all of this was happening”—she waves her hand toward me—“I was calling you to see if you’d be okay with a total stranger staying in the cottage while she figured things out. She’s a friend, and I don’t want her going three towns over and staying in a sketchy motel.”

“But it turns out she’s not a total stranger, so now there’s no reason not to help out a damsel in distress,” Sloane continues with a pointed look.

“Just like all of the movies! The prince saves the princess, and then they fall in love!” Sophie is nearly jumping with excitement now.

I stare up at the night sky, stars shining, and I wonder who up there is watching my life as their own personal reality show.

I hope it’s entertaining, at least.

“Soph, we gotta play it cool,” Sutton says to my daughter, pulling her into her side and lowering her voice. “If we freak your dad out with our super secret Christmas plan, he’s never going to agree.” She winks at my daughter, and Sophie gives Sutton a sage, all-knowing nod.

“Got it,” my daughter says to her aunt before giving her a thumbs-up. Claire and Sloane snort out a laugh.

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