Page 35 of The Luck of Finding You
“You were twenty-one?” Tally whispers to me. My heart flutters slightly knowing that she’s thinking about kissing me, even if for half a second.
I nod.
“I could have been a minor,” she says, still whispering. No one is paying attention to us.
“But you weren’t.” It had been a risk, one I hadn’t thought about at all until I was on a plane and headed back to Colorado. We’d only spent the afternoon together and mostly in public.
Tally is still glaring at me out of the corner of her eye when the conversation comes back to us.
“Are you liking Utah?” Beth asks me.
“Yeah. I like being so close to the mountains,” I say. “I came a few times when I was younger to visit my grandma. My mom lives in Colorado. My dad left when I was a kid, so we were always with mom. My grandma was her mom, but they had a bit of a falling out when my mom and dad got married, and my mom didn’t love it when we came to see Grandma, even after Dad left. I came out more than my younger sister, Annie.”
And now I am rambling like an idiot about my chaotic family life.
Gran doesn’t miss a beat though. “Well, I’m glad you like it. I know Colorado has mountains, did you live by them too?”
I laugh. “Kind of. Where my mom lives, it’s a little over an hour away, so we can’t really see the mountains from her house.”
“Where did you say that was?” Joe asks.
“Kersey,” I tell them. “It’s a really tiny farming community just outside of Greeley.”
“Never heard of either.” Gran grabs the potatoes.
“Most people haven’t.” I laugh a bit. “It’s about an hour north of Denver.” That’s the easiest way to explain it.
The conversation moves away from mountains and into books, then our favorite foods, and holiday traditions. Tally is quiet through most of it.
I poke her shoulder as her dad is clearing the table. “Everything okay?”
“Fine,” she says quietly. Beth and Gran are talking about Halloween plans. It’s already only a few weeks away.
The faint pink I’ve gotten so used to seeing on Tally’s cheeks flushes her face, but this time the reason for the color isn’t because I smiled at her. “I don’t believe you.”
“Well, I’m fine.” There’s an edge to her voice. I try to force the concern off my face. Something is obviously wrong; she’s more closed off than usual.
“Am I making you uncomfortable?” This feels like the only possible explanation. This is her family, and I know that personally, I’m most comfortable being myself around the people I care about most. From how Tally has talked about Gran and her dad, I assumed that she’d be the same way. But it’s like she’s a completely different person. I am the only different factor. I’ve intruded on her family life, and I knew she didn’t like me. I just didn’t realize how much.
Tally snorts. “Don’t flatter yourself. It’s not you.”
I frown at her. “Then, what?” I ask as her dad comes back into the room.
“You’re sure quiet tonight, Tally.” Looks like I’m not the only one who noticed how she’s acting.
“Just tired,” she says, and then she forces a yawn. I know it’s fake because her eyebrows scrunch when she actually yawns and they don’t do that this time, but no one else seems to notice. “I think my period is coming.”
Another lie.
I’m pretty sure, anyway, because she was complaining about cramps the other day to Olivia at the shop, and I happened to be getting back from my lunch right as she said it.
Gran frowns.
“I’m sorry, kiddo,” Joe says as he sits back down beside Beth. “Well, I would have loved to do this when Holly was also here, but since she won’t be here until Christmas, I’ll tell you all now.”
Tally tenses beside me. I briefly wonder if I’ve missed a vital clue about what is about to happen.
“We’re engaged!” Joe and Beth grin at each other. I would think their interaction was sweet except for the fact that Tally’s fists are clenched around the folds of her dress. By the time Beth and Joe look at Tally and Gran, Tally’s features are completely blank again.
