Paper Thin

“And he didn’t mention asking your sister to marry him?”

“No. He just said he would see me around.” The slight sting of rejection stabbed through me again. “And then I saw him tonight. He was the first person to arrive. Didn’t take me long to figure out why.”

“What dress did you have on?” Sadie asked as though it mattered.

“The black one.”

“Oh, honey. I’m so sorry. You were really looking to reel that guy in, weren’t you?”

My throat felt pinched closed as tears pricked my eyes. “I was.” I took in a deep breath and squared my shoulders as I blinked back my tears. “It’s fine though. Emma is happy. Really happy. You should see the two of them together; they’re like couple of the year.”

“That’s good.” There was a cautious tone to her words. I knew she didn’t believe my sudden happiness for my sister.

“He moved back to town because his dad has lung cancer, and he’s taking care of him. He understands what Emma is going through, because he’s going through something similar with his dad,” I said. “They need each other. Emma needs him. She gets this sparkle in her eyes when she looks at him. I’m happy for them. I really am.” I wasn’t sure who I was trying to convince more, her or me.

“Good.” Sadie paused, and I knew there was more she wanted to say. “But you know, when you have kids one day, and they ask about your first kiss, you’re going to have to tell them it was with their uncle, right?”

I died laughing. “Leave it to you to point out the most screwed up thing about the situation.”

“That’s why you love me,” she said in a singsong voice. “But seriously, you do realize that, right? You’re going to screw your kids up for life if you tell them the truth.”

“Oh my God.” I couldn’t control my laughter.

“I mean it.” She chuckled. “Better think of something now.”

“I’ll try. I promise.”

“Okay, good.” She breathed a dramatic sigh of relief. “I should probably get off here and let you get some sleep.”

“Yeah.” I yawned. “I’ll see you around six-ish.”

“Be careful driving.”

“Always.”

“Night.”

“Night.” I hung up, and made my way back inside as quietly as I could.

I SAT ON MY suitcase, hoping it would compress the contents enough so I would be able to zip the damn thing back up. Why did clothes always seem to fit so nicely the first time you packed them, but then the second time around they appeared to swell ten sizes, making it impossible to cram back in?

“Did you get everything?” Emma was standing behind me.

“I think so.” I pulled on the zipper, forcing it to close the last few inches. “If I forgot anything important, you can just mail it to me.”

“Okay.” She folded her arms over her chest, and dropped her eyes to the floor. I got the impression there was something she wanted to say, but wasn’t sure how.

I waited a few seconds, giving her time to gather the words. “What?”

She shrugged. “I just feel bad we didn’t get to spend a lot of time together this weekend.”

I hoisted my suitcase off the bed and onto the floor. “It’s okay. I know you were busy making sure the party happened without a glitch, and keeping an eye on Mom.”

“Nothing happened the way I wanted it to. I pla

“It’s okay,” I lied.

“No, it’s not.” She shook her head. “I remember how you felt about him growing up, and I wanted to make sure you were okay with everything.” She chewed her bottom lip as she waited for what I would say next. I’d never seen my sister so nervous before, especially not for something that involved me.

“I’m fine with it. Honestly.” I flashed her a smile to prove myself. “That was in the past. I had a lot of crushes; he wasn’t the only one.” Part truth, part lie. Dawson was the only one I still thought about though. He was the only one who had mattered.

“Are you sure?” A glimmer of relief flickered through her hazel eyes.

“Yes.” Not one hundred percent yet, but I would be. With a little time. I had no other choice. “He makes you happy. I like seeing you happy, Em. You deserve it.” I reached out, and took her hand in mine.

“Thank you.” The tension melted from her, softening her facial features and bringing a glistening quality to her eyes. “I was worried there for a minute. I didn’t want you to leave hating me. I noticed how shocked you were when you saw the two of us together. I’m sorry for not telling you sooner. I thought I mentioned it, but I think every time I call you, I go on and on about Mom and her doctor appointments.”

“It’s okay. I get it.” I popped the handle out on my suitcase so I could roll it through the house behind me. “I’m looking forward to October.” I winked, and then sidestepped her, rolling my suitcase behind me.

October twenty-fourth. That was the date I overheard them mentioning to everyone at the party. It seemed so soon, but I guess when you knew you wanted to be with someone for the rest of your life, dragging out a yearlong engagement was a waste of time.

“You’ll have to come back before then.” Emma followed through the hall behind me. “I’ll need your help picking out a dress.”

“You know it.” I glanced at her from over my shoulder. “At least your colors are easy. We all know you’ll pick purple.”

“I just don’t know what shade.”

“No eggplant. That has got to be the ugliest color.” I scrunched my nose up. “Go with lavender.” I paused once I made it to the front door.

“We’ll see.” A mischievous grin plastered on her face.

“Is Mom taking a nap?” I hadn’t gotten a chance to say goodbye to her yet.

“Yeah. Call later and talk with her. I’m sure she’ll want to know you made it back okay.”

“I will,” I said, even though I knew I wouldn’t. I didn’t want to ruin the memory I had of her from today. It was the longest stretch of normalcy from her I’d witnessed all weekend.

“Do you have enough money for gas?”

I patted my back pocket. “I’m good.”

“All right.” She stepped past me, and held the screen door open wide enough for me to squeeze through with my suitcase.

I maneuvered it over the doorway, and across the porch. When I made it to the first step, I paused.

“Here, let me.” Dawson’s deep voice startled me. I hadn’t realized he was here.

“Thanks.” I moved out of his way, and let him carry my suitcase down the stairs to my car.

Emma wrapped her arm around me as we followed behind him. “Call me when you get to the dorms, okay?”

“I will.” I wouldn’t. She would get a text, and we both knew it.

A fat droplet of rain landed on my head as we stood beside my car. Great. There was nothing I hated more than driving in the pouring rain—well, maybe driving in snow. I glanced up at the sky, checking out the black clouds rolling in. More droplets fell, splattering against the concrete of our driveway as well as my skin. It looked like Jeff had been right about that crazy storm coming through.

“Be careful, okay?” Emma pulled me in for another hug.

“Yup.” I squeezed her tight. “I’ll talk to you soon.”

“It was nice seeing you again, Charlotte,” Dawson said. His voice combined with the cold drops of rain splattering against me caused goose bumps to prickle across my skin.

“You too.” It was, but for reasons I shouldn’t feel. “See you guys.”

I climbed into my car before the sky opened up. My sister waved once more as Dawson wrapped an arm around her waist and started pulling her with him toward the porch. A wide smile spread across Emma’s face, and the sound of her laughter penetrated through the windows of my car. The rain hitting the roof couldn’t drown out its beauty. She was so happy with him. I swallowed hard and ripped my eyes away from them.