Page 53 of Everything's Coming Up Rosie

He raises his eyebrows. “I knew you were going to be fun to have around.”

Shut up.

Shut up right now.

Shut up your stupid beautiful stupid face.

Chapter 14

Hose water is cold. But at least the mud is gone.

Thank goodness my shirt isn’t white.

I’m not sure I’ll ever live this day down, but at least I got the mud out of my ear. Most of it anyway.

I spend most of the afternoon in my room, unpacking and setting everything up. It’s nice to have a space of my own, and without much trying, it’s already feeling like an escape.

My phone dings with a new possible love match, followed by a text from Maya:This one is a doctor! Go out with him, Rosie.

I send her a thumbs-down emoji and toss my phone on the bed as my stomach growls, reminding me that I haven’t eaten today.It’s moved past the point of,“Hey, you should eat,”into,“WHY ARE YOU DOING THIS TO ME!?”

I make a mental note to pick up some snacks as I walk into the kitchen and open the pantry. I wonder if I could steal a bowl of cereal. I could pay her back tomorrow. There are at least five boxes in here—the sugary kind, nothing healthy. Somehow, after meeting Daisy, this doesn’t surprise me. And somehow, it makes me love her more.

I reach for a box of Cinnamon Toast Crunch when a voice stops me.

“That’s not yours.”

I spin around and see her standing in the doorway.

I pull my hand back. “Oh! Sorry, I missed dinner and haven’t had a chance to—”

She cracks a smile. “Just kidding. You can eat whatever you want, but you might want to head over to the Commons.”

I frown. “I thought it was closed.”

“Special circumstances.” She leans her head into the room a little more. “Yourspecial circumstances,” she adds, as if I don’t know that my golf cart hijinks are thecircumstancesshe’s referring to.

When I don’t move, she walks over to me, drapes her arm around my shoulder, and gives me a tug toward the door. “You didn’t get a proper Sunset Hills welcome. One thing you should know about the staff here, Rosie”—she stops and looks at me—“Is that we take care of each other.”

The words land. It’s like a clenched fist relaxes.

My friends back home take care of each other too, but it’s been a long time since I’ve really been a part of that circle. I miss it. In the past several years, I’ve found no suitable replacement. I’ve done the networking and the mingling. I know a lot of people. But I’m not part of a group. There’s no one to call when I feel down.

That thought stops me.

“Give me a second.”

I head back into my room and find my phone, click open the group text, and start typing. The old Rosie—maybe the real Rosie—would’ve shared the crazy golf cart story with her friends. And being home made me realize how I’ve let my so-called failures steal that part of myself. I don’t know how to make light of anything because every mess-up feels like proof that I’m a disaster.

But I don’t want to keep myself to myself. Not from them. Not anymore.

Rosie:Hey guys! I’m getting settled. My cottage is amazing! I have my own mailbox! I’ve got a story forFaceTime later—it’s a doozy! Classic Rosie!??Miss you guys.

Taylor:Oh, I LOVE classic Rosie stories!! So glad you’re having fun!

Marnie:Does this story involve wildlife? I swear all classic Rosie stories involve wildlife.

Maya:I’m not sure anything can top the attack of the killer goose!??

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