Page 13 of Play the Part (Marsford Bay #2)

CONNIE

“ C harlie, you’re keeping Alec hostage with your shit, leave him alone,” Ozzy says as he passes through the living room into the kitchen.

It’s Christmas Eve at the McKennas, and the festivities have started to wind down. The few friends left are either in the living room or drinking coffee and playing cards around the dining room table.

I’m settled on the couch with Sophia and Jamie, while Charlie has Alec, Ozzy’s best friend, cornered near the Christmas tree. He’s telling him all about the Chernobyl disaster, his new hyperfixation.

Upon hearing his brother calling him out, Charlie whips his head around and looks at Ozzy disappearing around the corner, then back to Alec, his mouth open in outrage.

“I am not! Alec, tell him.”

Alec barks a laugh, smoothing a palm over his mustache, and winks at Charlie. “All good, bud, finish your story.”

Sophia, Jamie, and I are giggling at the spectacle when the front door opens, and Huxley reappears from smoking outside. Our gazes slam together for a split second before Huxley walks back to his chair at the dining room table.

I chew my lip, feeling annoyed. It’s the first time we’re in the same room since we saw each other at Eden. We haven’t spoken a word all evening.

Taking a sip of my wine, I stare at the Christmas lights reflecting off the living room windows. This is so childish. We’re both adults, we can’t keep on acting this way. I just don’t know how to fix it. Especially now that … I’ll be around a lot more often.

“Jamie, I have something to tell you,” I blurt out.

She stops halfway through her sentence and peers over curiously. Sophia does too. I let out a nervous chuckle, slightly embarrassed that I cut her off for seemingly no reason.

“It’s no big deal, really.” Only the biggest of deals. “I’ve just been waiting for the right moment to tell you.”

“Connie,” Sophia chides. “Spill.”

I shoot Sophia a wary look before continuing my meandering confession, toying with the ring on my finger as I speak. “I’m moving back to Marsford Bay.”

“No, you are not!” Sophia exclaims.

But my attention is solely on Jamie, whose hand is now covering her mouth, looking speechless.

“Are you being serious?” she mutters through her fingers.

I give her a small nod, pressing my lips together in a nonchalant confirmation.

Jamie falls silent again. Then bursts out crying.

“Oh god,” I mutter, rolling my eyes in mock defeat, so incredibly used to my best friend’s melodramatics.

As if summoned by Jamie’s tears, Ozzy pokes his head out of the kitchen. “What happened? Why is Jimbo crying?”

“I’m just so happy,” Jamie squeaks through tears.

“Connie is moving back home!” Sophia yells out over her shoulder to her brother, officially announcing it to the whole house.

I cringe internally, infuriatingly sensitive to Huxley’s reaction to the news while everyone explodes in yips of celebration at the announcement. I make sure not to look his way while I pull Jamie into a quick hug over Sophia’s lap.

“Jamie, stop crying,” I laugh. “This is happy news.”

We pull away from the hug, getting out of Sophia’s personal space, and Jamie chuckles tearily while dabbing the corners of her eyes. “I cry when I’m happy, you know that.”

“And when you’re sad, or angry,”—Sophia starts to enumerate with her fingers—“or when watching auditions on America’s Got Talent . ”

We all burst out laughing, and Jamie playfully slaps Sophia on the arm. She then turns serious, eyes full of concern.

“But what about LA? What about your acting career?”

I turn a little awkward, thankful that everyone has returned to whatever they were doing and have stopped listening in, aside from Sophia.

My shrug is a little defeated, conveying a lot of what I refuse to say out loud.

All I end up saying is a quiet, “I just think it’s time.”

I follow it up with a meek but hopeful smile.

I didn’t make the decision lightly; I stayed up most nights last week, weighing the pros and cons.

But eventually, it became painfully clear that there was nothing of substance keeping me from moving back to the East Coast. I have a few friends that I’ll miss in LA, of course, but it’s not enough to keep me there.

Not when Marsford Bay has Jamie.

“There’s something else,” I say coyly.

Both Jamie and Sophia perk up, waiting for me to continue. I decide to blurt out the words like I did with the earlier news.

“I’m buying a theatre.” Sophia gasps, and Jamie’s mouth falls open.

I start to ramble, “I went to visit it last week — you remember the Remington? Anyway, it’s definitely run down and will need major love and renovations, but the owners are dying to get it off their hands, and well, I’ve been wanting to invest in something since I got the inheritance from my grandparents, and so I made an offer, and they accepted. ”

I stop talking, taking a deep breath in while my eyes flit back and forth from Sophia to Jamie, who both look dumbstruck.

“Well?” I press. I don’t miss the small tremble of nerves in my voice. “Do you guys think it’s a good idea?”

I’ve addressed the two of them, but we all know I’m asking Jamie specifically.

Her smile turns watery, her eyes shining with a fresh batch of tears. “I love it.”

“I can’t believe you’re moving back,” Sophia whispers to me.

After all the guests had left for the night, Sophia tried to convince me, Charlie, and Huxley into a slumber party in the living room. We all agreed, except for the obvious curmudgeon, who barked his displeasure and disappeared upstairs into his old room.

I turn to face Sophia, both of us lying on a makeshift mattress on the floor while Charlie is muttering in his sleep on the couch.

“I know …” I say thoughtfully, watching the shadows dance on the side of her face. “Are you happy about it?”

Her blues widen in delight, twinkling like the Christmas tree behind her as she smiles and nods. “We’ve never lived in the same city since we met.”

Something about the innocence in her expression makes my heart ache, as if suddenly seeing the child she was when we met … and all the hardships she’s been through before and after.

I bring my hand to her face and tuck the blonde hair behind her ear as I return her smile. Melancholy smarts in my chest. “You know I love you, right?”

Sophia chuffs quietly as she watches me, the covers pulled up to her chin. “Feeling mushy?”

I snort and nod. “Something like that.”

We fall into comfortable silence, simply looking back at each other for a beat. “Goodnight, cutie,” I finally whisper.

“Okay, weirdo,” she whispers back with a grin before turning around and settling into her pillow.