Page 52 of Enemies with my Bestie’s Brother
Whitney stops in her tracks, staring down at the invitation in her hand.
“I see. What did you tell her?”
I frown at the fact that she won’t even look up. Whitney is acting like a robot. I know that she’s scared of telling Penny, but why is she this scared?
“I told her that I’m not interested in you, and that I don’t want to date anyone.” Whitney finally looks up and examines my face.
She frowns sadly before responding. “Right, of course you did. I’m sorry that our relationship means that you have to lie to your sister.”
“Well, it’s not our relationship that is making me lie to my sister,” I say pointedly.
Whitney averts her gaze as I stare at her. “But it’s okay, because she’ll know the truth after the party, right?”
Whitney slowly begins to fold the sheer sheet over the invitation in her hand, taking her time before she answers me.
“Right, of course she will. That was our deal, and I don’t intend on breaking it. Thank you for helping me keep this a secret.”
I stare at Whitney, but she continues to look at the invitation in her hands as if she can’t feel my gaze burning holes into her. The way she’s acting bothers me. Will she actually want to tell Penny after the birthday party? That’s the question that I keep asking myself out of worry. Because the reality is that the only reason we’re waiting to tell people is because that’s what she wants. If it was up to me, I would have revealed everything to Penny at lunch today, no problem. Sure, she might have been a little peeved at us for keeping secrets, but she would get over it eventually. Truthfully, I think that she would be overjoyed knowing that Whitney and I are together.
Whitney stands up suddenly, smoothing the fabric of her pants over her thighs.
“I actually think I need a break. I’ve been at this all morning. I’m going to run down the street and grab a bite to eat.”
“Are you sure? I do have food here.”
“Yeah, I’m sure. I think a change of scenery could help me stop feeling so worried about getting all the invitations together.”
Whitney hurries out of the apartment, the door shutting a mere five seconds after she’s left the room. I sigh and lean back, staring at the ceiling.
There’s a niggling feeling inside of me that tells me that Whitney is going to back out of telling Penny after the party. It almost feels inevitable at this point — her coming up with yet another excuse why we shouldn’t tell Penny. I know that I don’t have a right to be annoyed at her for something that hasn’t happened, but I can’t help it. Will we be old and gray before Whitney finally decides she’s ready to tell Penny the truth?
Chapter Twenty-Four
Whitney
PennyandIareat a local craft store. Our dresses have been perfectly done, Penny has assured me, but she wanted me to come with her to pick out things to decorate our masks with.
“Oh, these peacock feathers would be perfect for my mask. Maybe off to the side, like this?” she asks as she places the feathers fanned out onto the right side of the mask.
She holds it up to her face for me to approve. The idea is good, and even though they’re not put together yet, I know that the masks will look amazing with or without feathers.
“That’s a great idea, Penny. Especially with those sequins in different shades of blue and green on the left side, I think you’ve got a winning idea. I can’t wait to see the dresses! Can I see them when we get home?” I’ve been eager to see the dresses for weeks now, but Penny has been adamant about waiting until the whole look is finished before letting me take even a sneak peek.
Penny must have taken my measurements about a million times while working on the dresses. I can’t help but admire Penny and her determination. Seriously, if there was ever a contender for superwoman, it would be her. I didn’t think she’d be able to make two dresses while also watching Baby J full time, but I was wrong. When I’m not watching him, she puts him in his pack and play in her sewing room with a few toys and it distracts him perfectly.
She looks at the masks and nods, approving of my opinion. She pushes the cart farther down the aisle. I look at all the different craft items hanging on hooks for my own mask. Finally, I spot something that I know I want for mine. In a small packet on the shelf are pink and purple butterflies made out of some sort of organza fabric.
“Penny! Look at these!” I show her the packet and her eyes widen as she snatches them from me.
“These are perfect! Are there more?”
She gently shoves me to the side before looking at the others in front of her. She grabs all the packets off the hook and slides them into our cart. My eyes must bulge out of my head, because she laughs at the expression on my face.
“They’re not all for your mask, don’t worry. I have something else planned for all of these.”
There’s a twinkle in her eye, and I find myself wondering what on earth she could be planning with almost three hundred organza butterflies.
“What are you planning on doing with them?”
