Page 64 of This Kind of Forever

“No,” she says. “I want to go. We should go.”

I’m a little surprised, but I try not to let it show. “Yeah?”

She nods. “Yeah. I’ve never been to a bar before. Clara tried to get me to go for my nineteenth birthday, but I was too chicken. So why not?”

The bar in Tobermory isn’t the most glamorous of venues, but I don’t want to dampen her budding excitement about trying something new, so I hold my tongue.

Hallie and I are in.

Delilah

Luke and I will be there too!

Luke

One hour.

Clara

Yes, we get it. You hate joy.

But yay! I’ll coordinate schedules and let you know what day.

Delilah

That might be tough. My boss is kind of a hard-ass…

Clara sends the middle finger emoji in response. Delilah fires back a GIF of someone blowing a kiss.

I set my phone down, and when I look up, I find Hallie smiling. Her happiness is infectious.

“You like her, huh?”

Hallie looks at me. “Who, Delilah? Yeah. She’s a great friend to Clara, and she’s good for Luke. She fits with you guys.”

Something about the way she says this rubs me the wrong way—as if Delilah fits, butshedoesn’t. That couldn’t be further from the truth. Disregarding how I feel about her, Hallie has always been part of our family in my eyes. I know my parents and siblings feel the same.

“You know you fit, too, right?”

Her cheeks turn pink. “Well, sure. But it’s different. She’swithLuke. She’ll probably be your sister-in-law one day.”

I can’t help it. My gaze lands on her bare ring finger. That stupid fake ring is taunting me, even when she’s not fucking wearing it.

I meet her eyes again. “You fit,” I insist. “Okay?”

After a moment of studying my unmoving expression, she softly says, “Okay.”

When our food is warmed up, we take it to the living room and settle on the couch. Despite our more proper setup for Sunday brunch, my family was never big on propriety when it came to meals. Especially when my siblings and I got older, started playing sports or working. We almost never had a schedule that lined up for everyone, so we all ate at separate times and often in our own bedrooms.

I like the idea of eating meals with Hallie. Though it should come as no surprise, considering I like anything that has to do with her.

Turning on the TV, I find a sitcom I know we’ve both seen a hundred times. And when Hallie takes the first bite of Mom’s latest recipe, she practically vibrates with happiness.

“You weren’t lying,” she says. “This is amazing. I’ll have to say thank you next time I see her.”

“She’ll be glad you like it. I think she’s excited to experiment in the kitchen again.” One thing Mom has always loved is cooking, especially when it’s for the people she cares about. It’spart of the reason my parents bought Dockside to begin with. Truthfully, Hallie’s vegetarian diet has given her a gift.

We’re quiet as we eat. Every once in a while, Hallie will let out a breathy kind of laugh over something that happens on the screen. Each time, my attention gets dragged in her direction, and I can’t help watching her for a moment or two.