Page 195 of The Vacation Mix-Up
Roni’s face puckers. “A dancing trophy?”
I smirk again.
“I’m going to show Nanna,” Poppy says, skipping out of the room with her loot.
“Did I hear that correctly? You won a dancing trophy?” Roni hovers over my suitcase and collects the formal night photo I bought without Riles’s knowledge.
“You did hear that correctly,” I say. “I’m the new Michael Flatley.”
My sister bursts into laughter. “NowthatI would’ve liked to see.”
“Trust me, you wouldn’t have.”
Smiling at the photo, she takes a seat next to me. “Is this her?”
I nod. “Yep.”
“She’s pretty.”
“I know.”
Roni leans over the bed and places the picture on my bedside table. “So… this thing with Riley—God, that’s weird. Riley and Riley.” She blinks, then shakes her head. “Anyway, this thing with Riley?—”
“Riles,” I say, helping her out.
“Riles?”
I nod.
“This thing withRiles, is it serious?”
“From my perspective, yes.”
She frowns. “What about her perspective?”
I rub my beard. “I don’t know… yet.”
“Oh. Why not?”
“She’s extremely dedicated to her work, so I’m not sure what that will mean for us. I’m willing to find out though. She’s worth it.”
“Good.” She pats my thigh. “You deserve to find love again. But finding it and keeping it are two entirely different things. One involves opening your heart, and the other involves sacrifice and dedication.”
“You deserve to find love again too, you know.”
She scoffs. “Maybe I should go on a cruise and sowmywild oats.”
I wrench my head back. “Over my dead body!”
“Don’t give me that sexist bullshit, young man. What’s good for a gander is good for a goose.”
“I know, but?—”
“No buts. We’re all made of the same flesh and blood.”
“Not exactly.”
She fires me her don’t-argue-with-your-older-sister look and lowers her voice. “Riley.”
