Page 16 of The Sound Of Silence

Willow

Sleephasalwaysbeenan issue for me, and last night was no exception. Actually, it was worse. As I pull myself out of bed, my eyelids feel like they’re duct-taped closed—like I’m going to have to pry them open with some kind of tool. And I’m not a handy person… I call my dad for that stuff.

Taking a deep breath, I slap my cheeks a few times before blindly making my way into the shower, hoping that will help. And twenty minutes later, I can finally see, but I’m running incredibly late.

An image of Ashley waiting at my store, tapping her foot against the pavement, comes to mind, and I huff out a laugh. No doubt she’s already there with her pointer finger resting against the face of her smart watch, giving me the evil eye, ready to not-so-subtly alert me to the time.

Why, oh why did Lucia’s baby choosethisweek to come into the world? She wasn’t due for another three.

Ugh. I shouldn’t be blaming Lucia or her precious daughter. I never should have agreed to help bridezilla in the first place. As Sara concluded, she’s definitely treating Dad’s retirement party as a rehearsal for her wedding. To see if the town is equipped to handle it.

And it seems she hasnothingto worry about, because everyone—including me—is bowing down to her every whim. I swear she has some kind of magical power. She must, because even Pippa is helping, and those two haven’t spoken a word to each other in years.Although, I’m almost certain Mom would have guilted her into it.

After locking my door, I take my time heading to the main street, where my little store is located. It’s only a ten-minute walk, but I can easily make it twenty, and I’m in no hurry to see my flustered older sister. Bypassing the shortcut through the alley, I follow the road around, noting who’s out and about on this not-so-quiet Thursday morning. Like always, I smile at anyone who passes by, but when I see who’s standing in the doorway as I arrive, my smile fades.Jonah.

No matter how hard I try to accept everything that happened, I’ve always felt uncomfortable around him. He’s never specifically done anything to warrant my reaction, but it drives me crazy that he’s dated, and slept with,bothof my sisters, and doesn’t seem to be ashamed of it.

“Where’s Ashley?” I ask, by way of greeting, forcing my lips to curl into a pleasant grin.

Jonah smiles so wide it looks comical. “She wanted to double-check her dress for tomorrow—she thinks she may have put on some weight with how stressed she’s been—so she’s over there getting fitted.” She’s at a dress fitting?Yep, she’s definitely making this whole ordeal bigger than it needs to be.

“Hopefully it’s all okay,” I say, though I don’t really care. “Last-minute alterations might add to that stress. And we wouldn’t want that, would we?”

“Definitely not.” Jonah laughs like I’m joking, or maybe he actually enjoys my sarcasm. “She’s hard enough to live with right now. What happened to the simpler times?”

You mean back when you were cheating on your girlfriend with her sister. Was that easier?

“There’s always something.” I shrug, not really sure how I’m supposed to respond to that. “Anyway, I have the table decorations and the flowers inside. Is that what you’re here for?”

Jonah nods and gestures toward his beat-up truck. “Load ’em up,” he says with a grin.

Um, what? I’m not loading—

“Just messing with you, future sister.” He laughs before waving his hand toward the door. “Lead the way.”

Ugh.

A short time later, I watch Jonah’s taillights disappear out of view just as another unwelcome sight comes into it. Pippa and Jesse exit the Hepburn Falls Inn, arms linked, looking so out of place you’d think they’d never been to a small town before.And maybe Jesse hasn’t. He acts like an entitled city boy.

Pippa talks animatedly about something, while Jesse’s eyes are trained on the ground. He looks up occasionally to reassure her he’s listening, but he’s emotionless. Whatever she’s saying means absolutely nothing to him, good, bad, or indifferent. I can see it clear as day from here.

Midspeech, Pippa unhooks her arm and tries to intertwine their fingers. She’s so focused on her story that I’m not even sure she realizes what’s happening as Jesse subtly flinches, hesitating for a moment before connecting their hands, his eyes scanning their surroundings. Clearly looking for something…or someone.

Tucked away in the nook of my doorway, I stare, analyzing what his body language could mean, but when a throat clears from behind me, I jump, snapping out of my scrutinizing gaze, realizing I’ve been a voyeur in their moment for too long.

“Can you believe she’s dating Jesse Hastings?” a voice says, pulling me out of my thoughts.

Looking over my shoulder, I smile at my nosey neighbor, the other person we share a wall with, Debbie. She flashes me a knowing grin in return, but for the life of me, I have no idea what she thinks she knows.

“It’s about time,” I say in response to her question, ignoring her expression. “She deserves to find someone great.”

Debbie frowns. “But you’re not happy about it?”

What?“Pardon?”

“Your face did this little scrunched-up thing as you spoke about them, and you had a very confused look on your face when I interrupted you just now.”

I did? What the hell?

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