Page 34 of Broken Dreams
“Me?” I ask incredulously. “What the hell did I do?”
Her hand rests on her hip. “Once again, I have to hear all this gossip from Sydney! She said you guys had lunch today?”
“I don’t run my schedule and love life through you, Brynn.”
“You should!”
“Yes, you did a bang-up job setting me up on that blind date who didn’t show,” I scoff.
“You’re going to pay for that one,” Rowan warns.
Brynn huffs. “I like Addison, so I’ll let that one pass.”
“Aunt Brynn!” Jett spots his favorite person and heads towards her. She makes an oof sound as he plows into her legs. “I sat on your horsey!”
“You did?” she asks him, her eyes wide as love emanates from her. “You are so brave to sit on a horse. I wish I was brave like you.”
“Come on!” He tries to pull her. “I show you how!”
I laugh and head over, saving my sister, as he doesn’t really understand women’s fashion. “Not today, big guy. Aunt Brynn had a long day and it’s getting late.”
His lower lip juts out. “Pwease, Daddy!”
Before he can beg more, a firefly blinks in front of his face. He laughs and tries to catch it, but Brynn is right there and does it for him. She leans down, showing him what’s in her hand, and he’s completely captivated by it.
“See how it glows?” My sister’s voice is soft.
“It’s so bright.”
She nods. “Even in the dark, there is light, and where there is light, there is hope. Hold on to it.”
I hope I’m not making a mistake with this hoax, because if Brynn finds out, I’m going to hope I never did it.
* * *
There shouldn’t be nerves on a fake date, but here I am, palms sweaty, heart racing, and that pit in my stomach that’s growing with each step to her front door.
I push through it, telling myself that the nerves are because I have it on good authority Mr. Kopaskey will be at the same restaurant with his wife, and I don’t want to screw this up.
I need for us to have a good date, keep this pretense up, and get the damn money.
I go to knock on the door, but it opens before I can.
“Hi, sorry,” Addison whispers. “Elodie is asleep and we had a tantrum the size of California an hour ago, I’d rather not wake her.”
I step back. “Of course. That’s daily for Jett, only you get to experience it firsthand.”
She laughs. “Please, he’s not bad, he’s just finding his footing at a place he really doesn’t like.”
“Yeah, hates is more like it, unless he has Elodie.”
We start to walk to the car.
She smiles. “You look handsome.”
“You stole my line. I’m supposed to tell you how beautiful you look.”
And she does. She really is one of the most stunning women I’ve seen. Her long blond hair is pulled to the side and she’s wearing a short maroon dress. All of that pales in comparison to her long legs in those fucking heels.
