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And I had to learn how to do it without hesitation. Without dragging myself down in it just because I had friends, just because I was in love with someone.

It was the least I could do. If I couldn’t say I was sorry, this was all there was to do.

I stood up, pushing my chair back, a feeling in my stomach like a cable wound tight.

“I’m going to see Emberlynn,” I said. “Maybe… make some kind of announcement. Let everyone know I’m going. Guess it’s now or never.”

Priscilla moved quickly, standing with me, and she caught me with a hand on my arm. “Harper—”

I pulled away. “It’s okay.”

She caught me again, her hand back on my arm. “Good luck,” she said, her voice soft. “It’s probably going to bring up a lot of feelings. Hard ones. Just… give yourself space to feel them, okay?”

I sucked in a sharp breath, suddenly dizzy. Priscilla was a good friend. A better friend than I deserved.

“Yeah.” I let out my breath slowly, and somehow or other, I let myself give Priscilla a tight hug—it had just happened naturally, and I squeezed her, but it felt right. “Thanks, Priscilla. You’ve been there for me through a lot. It means a lot.”

“Likewise. I’m glad I’ve gotten to know you.”

Turned out knowing someone wasn’t always easy. Turned out sometimes saying hello meant saying goodbye.

Chapter 20

Paisley

Ugh, I was bummed.

Anything that made me sad—of all people,me—should have been illegal. But… in this case, the person making me sad was also the person who made me really happy.

Feelings, huh? Things sucked.

Emberlynn could still see right through me, because she slid onto the bench next to me while I was looking like a lost puppy out at where Harper was talking to Gwen by the sound set. I barely even registered Emberlynn there next to me until she nudged me.

“Going to stop checking out your girlfriend for two seconds and join the rest of us on earth?”

I glowered at her. “Okay, first of all, how dareyoutry pulling that when you’ve spent half your time since getting with my sister staring at her butt—”

She put her hands up. “Hey. At least I still talk to people.”

“It’s worse when it’s your sister!”

She scratched her arm. “Yeah… thinking of my family, I’m glad you’re not hitting on my sister.”

“Pretty sure it makes you glaze over when you think about your family.”

She shrugged, looking down. “Mom’s been talking to me more lately. Think she’s just preparing to be bored with my sister moving out for college in the fall… empty-nester at last.”

“Telling you to go visit her for Thanksgiving? I’ll give you a boiled eggplant to bring.”

She rolled her eyes, smiling drily. “Apparently, she wants to visit me. So… might have a mom or even a dad swinging by.”

“Oh, shit, seriously?” I turned to face her. “They’re leaving their cornfield?”

“Probably just Mom. Dad’s busy. And probably going to enjoy having the house to himself while she’s gone. But yeah… she’s venturing out of her cornfield. Wants to meet Aria.”

“Oh, that’ll be rich,” I said flatly. “Do they know yet that she’s up to her eyes in money?”

She laughed nervously. “Nope… haven’t gotten around to mentioning that yet.”