Page 95 of If My Wishes Came True
My sister takes another sip of her margarita before she responds. “Kyle definitely didn’t knock my socks off. He wouldn’t even have sex with me if it wasn’t a Friday night between the hours of nine and eleven-thirty.”
Sam is mid-gulp again, and chokes on her drink. “You can’t be serious,” she says after clearing her throat. “What happenedat midnight? Did his dick turn into a pumpkin?”
Christy laughs, then rolls her eyes. “Kyle had a very rigid sleep schedule. He had to get eight hours a night, no matter what. And Saturday was the only morning he could sleep in. But he insisted on being up at eight for his morning run.”
Sam grimaces. “I bet he wasterriblein bed. No one that uptight could possibly be a good lay.”
Vanessa and I exchange the type of amused grin that Sam usually elicits with her unfiltered comments, but my sister just shrugs, unfazed. “Well, I don’t have anyone to compare him to. But I guess I did do all the work. He would always just lie there.”
Sam brings her palm to her forehead. “You poor, sweet, girl. Do you need me to help you find a man? I’ve become incredibly skilled at detecting bad lovers before they make it to my bed. It’s my superpower. I guess it comes with experience,” she goes on with a proud grin.
Christy laughs. “Tonight is girls’ night, and I want to get to know you and Vanessa, so no, thank you. But…maybe after the holidays?”
I tilt my head. “What’s happening after the holidays? Are you coming back to visit?”
Christy beams. “Not to visit…to live.”
My jaw drops. “Oh my gosh! Really? You’re moving here?”
She nods. “I talked to my boss, and she said I could keep my job and work remotely. I might have to fly to New York every now and then, but it’s official—I’m moving to Chicago in January.”
I jump out of my seat and throw my arms around my sister. “I can’t believe it! I’m so excited, Christy! We’re going to have the best time living in the same city.”
“I’ve already started looking at apartments online, and there’s a beautiful building not far from you, with several two-bedrooms available,” she tells me. “We can be neighbors!”
Neighbors.My mind flits to Charlie again, and I have to swallow back tears.
“And I can finally go to my first Starlings game next spring!” my sister exclaims. Christy became a diehard fan of Chicago’s MLB team when they came back from a string of humiliating defeats to win the World Series two years ago.
I’m about to suggest that my equally baseball-obsessed boyfriend and I could accompany her to a game or two—but what if he and I aren’t together next season?
“Sounds like we have another cause for celebration,” Vanessa says, topping off everyone’s drinks. “To Christy moving here—and joining our crew.”
“To Christy!” Sam and I say as we all clink glasses again. And I do my best not to think about Charlie.
“Thank you. I’m so excited for this next chapter to begin,” my sister replies.
Once we’ve taken sips, I catch Sam looking at me out of the corner of my eye.
“What?” I ask, a little on edge, because I never know what to expect from her.
She winces, but there’s mischief in her eyes. “I’m sorry, but…can we just take a moment to talk about how weird it is that Charlie is Nico? Vanessa told me right before you got here.”
So much for not thinking about my boyfriend.
“And let me just say, I didnotsee that coming,” Sam goes on before taking a gulp of her margarita. “Quite the plot twist.”
Blood rushes to my face. I can’t even look at Vanessa, but she reaches across the table for my hand. “Jenna and I agreed not to let it be weird, right?” When my gaze meets hers, she winks at me.
I heave a sigh. “So nothing’s changed since you’ve had more time to think about things? You’re sure you’re still okay with it?”
“I promise,” she says, squeezing my fingers before she lets go. “I’m so happy with Ash, he’s all I can think about, anyway.”
“Okay, good.” I glance briefly from Vanessa to Sam. “Because I don’t want to be that girl no one trusts around their boyfriends.”
“I don’t think of you that way—I promise,” Sam tells me, looking as serious as I’ve ever seen her. “I know we got off to a rocky start because I worried you were a threat to Sunny. But you put that fear to rest pretty quickly. And the more I get to know you, the more I like you. You’re a good egg, Jenna Andersen.”
A good egg.It’s what Charlie’s cousin Maya called me, after we took her yoga class on the beach. It was such a perfect day with him. And, that night, we slept together for the first time. I miss him so much, my chest aches. Then my lip quivers.
