Page 68 of We Were Something
“Ah, you know what I mean,” I say. “I love you, Pen, but you know I wasn’t a fan of Oren. I’m sorry you’re going through the pain of a breakup, but I’m not sorry that I won’t have to see that useless skinbag ever again.”
“Ugh, don’t say skinbag. It just reminds me of a flaccid penis.”
Snorting, I pat her arms then cross back over to the bed.
“But that’s not my only news,” she says.
Rolling onto my side, I eye her. “Spill it, sister.”
Penny smiles, crossing over to me on her hands and knees then folding her arms and resting her chin on her hands.
“Okay, well, I got a new job. It’s a gallery position at the Whitney, so I’m going to be living in New York full-time.”
I tuck one of my fingers into one of hers and give her a big smile. “Aww, Pen, that’s amazing. I’m so happy for you! I know you’ve been wanting to pull back on traveling so much. This sounds perfect.”
“And I want you to come back to the city with me.”
My smile falls.
“Think about it, P. You could go back to school and finish your degree. And we could be roommates. Like, honest-to-god, roommates without a stinky boyfriend to get in the way.” She shrugs a shoulder. “Unless your guy is cool. I might let a meticulously clean doctor-y type set up shop.”
I roll onto my back and stare at the ceiling.
“Going back to New York might be perfect for you, Penny, but it’s not what I want, and you know that.”
“Come on, Paige. It’ll be different this time around, so much better because I’ll be there and we’ll be together.”
“You’re not listening to me. I meant it when I left. I meant it three years ago when you suggested I go back, and I mean it now. I don’t want to go back to the city.”
Penny watches me with concern, so I don’t look at her face anymore, choosing instead to keep my focus on the ceiling.
“Why don’t you just…tell me about your new job. Or tell me what happened with Oren. What did he finally do to fuck everything up?”
My sister is silent for a long moment, and I can feel her eyes on me, but I don’t break. I don’t look at her.
“You can’t let what happened take away—”
“I said no,” I snap, giving up and getting off the bed, glaring at my sister. “The last thing I want is to be back in the place where I nearlydied, Penny. Where my entire future was snatched away from me in the fucking blink of an eye. And there isn’t anything you can say to convince me I should change my mind.”
Penny’s eyes grow sad, but I don’t wait around for her to try to guilt me any more than she’s already tried to.
Instead, I storm from the room, heading to my own to pack a small bag for tomorrow.
Hopefully my weekend on the boat with Logan will distract me from the wave of memories that have returned with my sister.
The feel of the salty sea air blowing across my skin as we slice through the deep blue of the Pacific is unlike anything else. My hair, though tucked back in a tiny pony at the nape of my neck, still whips around my face in wild movements from the breeze, and the setting sun casts beautiful colors across the horizon, gorgeous pinks and oranges that make the sky look like it’s on fire.
I was surprised when we first walked up to Logan’s boat on one of the long docks off the Hermosa Beach Yacht Club, the mast sticking up high into the air as the edges of the rolled-up sails fluttered softly. Most of the boats I’ve been on in the past are powered by massive motors.
It stupidly hadn’t occurred to me that Logan’s youthful passion for sailing would turn into the desire to own an actual sailboat, but it really is beautiful.
He spent the first twenty minutes when we arrived getting all the sails ready and telling me about the extensive work he’s done on it over the years. He bought it in his late twenties and spent two years renovating and overhauling it before he finally christened herSeas the Dayand took her out for a maiden voyage.
I loved hearing about what that was like for him, his experience purchasing his first boat. I also loved hearing about his life when he was younger, closer to my age. It’s not that he isn’t just as full of life now, but people are constantly growing and changing, and it’s interesting hearing about who he was during a time when I didn’t know him.
Eventually we took off, out from the jetty and the protection of the marina, sailing into open water, dark blue on all sides as we set sail for Santa Barbara Island about 40 miles west of the South Bay.
If everything goes smoothly, we’ll make it there just in time to drop anchor for the night off the coast, maybe get a quick dip in the water before the sun sets and we’re enveloped in darkness.
