Page 347 of How to Kiss a Hawthorne Brother
Lucy is convinced Flint is going to fall in love with me for real.
Summer is hopeful he’ll discover he isn’t in love with me, but one of the sisters he saw when he showed up at my house definitely caught his eye.
I’m still in shock that I agreed to go along with this.
The whole plan is completely ridiculous.
Utterly Laughable.
Totally—wait.I adjust the straps on the halter of the bikini top, tightening them the slightest bit.
Okay. This doesn’t look half bad. I turn to the side and take in my profile, then shift so I can see how much of my butt cheeks are hanging out.
“Not bad, Callahan,” I say softly to myself. “Not bad.”
Summer bangs on the door. “How’s it look?”
I take one last calming breath and swing the door open, then step into my bedroom.
Lucy’s jaw drops.
Summer swears softly and lets out a disappointed sigh. “Okay. He’s so going to fall in love with you.”
I roll my eyes. “It’s just a swimsuit. He’s not going to fall in love with me over a swimsuit.”
“But he might fall in love with you because of the bodyinthe swimsuit,” Lucy says. “I can’t believe you’ve been hiding this.” She waves a hand up and down my body, like she still can’t believe it’s me standing in front of her.
“Do you really think it looks okay?” I ask, one hand pressed against my bare stomach.
“You’re smoking hot,” Summer says. “Ridiculously hot.”
I move to the mirror hanging above my dresser and take in my appearance one more time. Ridiculously hot is never a description anyone has ever used to describe me before.
I once overheard one of my TAs referring to me assecret hot.And the boyfriend I had during my master’s program always told me I was pretty in a modest, understated way. (I have no idea what he actually meant by this. When I told my sisters, they seemed offended on my behalf, but I always felt like it was an honest, practical assessment.)
Which is whyridiculously hotfeels like such a reach. “You’re just saying that because you’re my sister,” I finally say.
“She’s not,” Lucy says. “I mean, you really need to tweeze and shape your eyebrows. And your skincare routine needs leveling up. But if you made an actual effort? Wore makeup? Bought clothesnotfrom the men’s section at Tractor Supply? Yeah. You’d totally be hot.”
I reach for the nearest pair of pants. “Tractor Supply has a lot of really practical clothing.”
Summer grabs the pants away from me. “None of which you are wearing today. You’re going to the pool. Don’t dress like you’re out hunting for wild hogs. Hang on.” She holds up her finger, then disappears down the hall. Less than a minute later, she’s back holding a gauzy white sundress. “Here. Try this.”
I pull it over my bikini and turn to look. It’s loose and flowy, but somehow still flattering, which is a welcome surprise. In my head, clothes designed to flatter my shape are automatically clothes that will be restrictive and uncomfortable. But this isn’t either of those things.
“You like it,” Summer says proudly. “I can totally tell you like it.”
I smile the slightest bit. “It isn’t terrible,” I say.
“Here. Shoes. Bag.” Lucy drops a pair of strappy sandals onto the floor in front of me and holds out an oversized mesh tote. “I stocked it with everything you’ll need. Towel. Sunscreen. I even grabbed that boring book off your nightstand.”
“Unseen Dangersisn’t boring,” I say as I take the bag. “It’s a realistic look at the worsening crisis the Southern pine beetle is bringing to North Carolina pine trees.”
“And to think I’ve been wasting my time reading Emily Henry novels,” Lucy says, her voice a robotic monotone. “I had no idea what I was missing.”
“Whatever. I have to go.” I push past my sisters but hesitate when I reach my bedroom door. I look back at them both. “Are you sure I can do this?”
Their expressions shift simultaneously into identical looks of confidence and compassion.
