Page 41 of Be Your Anything
When she first mentioned the photography stuff to me months ago, back when we were still communicating through email and on FaceTime, she always seemed kind of down about it, like it was a ridiculous dream and she was stupid to even consider creating her own business.
Now? She’s joking about how amazing it could be in the future. What a step up.
“Well, I just need a few minutes to get ready and then we can head out.”
“Change of plans,” Hannah says.
That’s when I realize there’s something wrong with her face.
“What’s with the fake smile?”
Her shoulders drop, and so does the fake cheese. “Was it that obvious?”
I chuckle. “You weren’t raised with the expectation that you know how to smile on command. I’m not surprised you’re no good at it.”
She grins, and that one looks a lot more genuine. “Alright, well I guess I’ll just dive in.” She pauses. “I decided to make tonight a family night.”
I raise an eyebrow in confusion, but then there’s a knock on the door behind me.
“Don’t hate me,” she adds, her teeth spreading into a monkey smile that’s starting to look more like a grimace. “I promise this is going to be awesome.”
“Remind me to teach you how to be more convincing,” I say, heading back to the entry and opening the front door.
Ben, Wyatt, and Ivy Calloway stand at the threshold.
I swear my brain short-circuits. Synapses on overload fry and melt and leave me completely mute.
“She was supposed to tell you before we got here,” Wyatt says, stepping through the doorway and into the house. He gives me an awkward hug then whispers in my ear. “Don’t make this awkward for Ivy or I’ll fucking punch you later.”
I clear my throat, allowing my eyes to return to Ivy, Ben and Wyatt’s adopted thirteen-year-old sister.
Mybiologicalyounger sister.
God, we’re a mess. This could be a reality show.
I grin, pasting on that smile I was just mentioning to Hannah, the one I can produce on command, regardless of how I feel inside.
And I’m so glad I can do it, because holy shit is my heart pounding.
I always knew I’d eventually talk to Ivy, would try to build a relationship with her, but I guess I always thought about it being off in the hypothetically distant future, after I’d had time to improve things with Hannah and become an expert at sign language and find the bone marrow match Ivy needs in order to get better.
You know, the easy stuff.
I didn’t ever think she might be here, standing on my doorstep, with the only brothers she’s ever really had relationships with acting as her bodyguards.
“Hey, Ivy,” I say, giving her a wave. “It’s great to see you. How are you?”
She looks at me for a minute then strides past me into the kitchen, leaving me standing alone with Ben and scratching my neck like an idiot.
Ben’s one of those hard-to-read guys. A year older in age but three above me at school, he’s incredibly intelligent and also incredibly disinterested in making friends. At least, that’s what I remember from back when we were younger.
Now, I don’t really know anything about him. He’s managed to stay off the radar for the past few years after a somewhat decent-sized scandal rocked his world and made him retreat from even the hint of a spotlight a while ago.
“She’ll probably stay silent tonight,” Ben says. “She doesn’t like when people hear her speak. She’s…self-conscious of it.”
“Why?”
He crosses his arms, considering me for a second. “Because one time when she was younger our mother told her her voice makes her sound like a ‘fucking retard’.”
