don't like me prying," said Linda, "but—"
Maddie groaned
"Why aren't you still seeing him? What went wrong?"
Maddie sighed. She'd been thinking about that all night, ever since Sam had dropped her at her front door. Around midnight, after two glasses of wine and a tub of cookies and cream ice cream, she'd decided she could wear Pheramour for the rest of her life. It wouldn't cost much since the formula was in her notebook.
But she'd fallen asleep on the couch before she could harness her courage and by morning the idea’s original appeal had worn off. It was juvenile, stupid. Maddie didn’t do juvenile or stupid.
"He thinks I'm a nerd," she said, not wanting to tell her sister about Pheramour yet. It was like admitting she'd cheated, and she'd never cheated at anything in her life. Not even at Monopoly as a kid, which was probably why Linda always won.
Linda shrugged. "You are a nerd."
Maddie didn't bother glaring at her because it would go unnoticed. Besides, her sister didn't really mean it. Not anymore. Ten years ago she had, and Maddie had taken the teasing to heart, but now Linda only called her a nerd when they disagreed. It had almost become a term of affection between them.
"But I don't want Sam thinking I'm a nerd. Calling each other names is not a healthy way to begin a relationship."
"Unless that name is Sweet Cheeks."
Maddie held up her hands and cringed. "I don't want to know what Pete calls you."
"It's not. It's what I call him."
"Eeew."
Linda smoothed down Ronan's hair, a smile on her lips. "Kidding aside, tell me what he said, Mad. We need to get to the bottom of this before, um, Ronan's nap time."
Maddie recounted the previous day's events, explaining that she didn't want to go in the water because she was wearing too-thin underwear, and he'd called her a nerd because of it. Linda roared with laughter when she got to the part where she'd ended up in the lake anyway, giving Sam and everyone else an eyeful.
When she stopped laughing, Linda said, "So that's why Pete and Sam used to bump us off the boats. I always wondered about that." A smirk crossed her lips. "Now I know why Mary Ellen got so many dates. I thought it was because she had a swimming pool."
"Linda! Forget about Mary Ellen and tell me what I should do."
Linda sighed but ended it with a giggle. "Okay," she said, "so you broke up because he sort of called you a nerd—which he didn't really."
Maddie rolled her eyes. Semantics. "Well?"
"I love you, Maddie, because you're my sister, but you fit the Aunt Mad title perfectly." She threw up one hand, the other still wrapped around Ronan, and let it fall on her knee with a slap. "You just dumped Sam Hennessy because you think he called you a nerd. You're insane!"
Maddie chewed her lip. Maybe she should come clean. It was only Linda after all. If she couldn't confide in her sister, who could she trust? "It's not just that. It's the tip of the iceberg. Sam has never looked at me like, you know, he wanted me. Until the other day. All those years and he barely even spoke to me except to call me a nerd."
"He did that once, Maddie, don't exaggerate."
"Fine, it was only once, but that's enough. It just proves that we're entirely different people. I'm a nerd and he's Sam Hennessy for God’s sake. He's the bad boy and I'm the good girl. He shouldn't be attracted to me. Then or now. I haven't changed that much in fifteen years."
"You're right, he is Sam Hennessy, bad boy, so make the most of it. To hell with what might or might not happen later. Nothing you've said so far is convincing me."
"Then maybe this will. He only likes me now because of Pheramour."
"The love potion you're working on?"
Maddie nodded. "I tried it on myself before he came over Friday night, then again yesterday morning. It worked."
"Crap." Linda frowned down at Ronan then jerked her head up, her face brighter. "You weren't wearing any on Thursday night, and he liked you enough then to visit you on Friday."
"You
Maddie groaned
"Why aren't you still seeing him? What went wrong?"
Maddie sighed. She'd been thinking about that all night, ever since Sam had dropped her at her front door. Around midnight, after two glasses of wine and a tub of cookies and cream ice cream, she'd decided she could wear Pheramour for the rest of her life. It wouldn't cost much since the formula was in her notebook.
But she'd fallen asleep on the couch before she could harness her courage and by morning the idea’s original appeal had worn off. It was juvenile, stupid. Maddie didn’t do juvenile or stupid.
"He thinks I'm a nerd," she said, not wanting to tell her sister about Pheramour yet. It was like admitting she'd cheated, and she'd never cheated at anything in her life. Not even at Monopoly as a kid, which was probably why Linda always won.
Linda shrugged. "You are a nerd."
Maddie didn't bother glaring at her because it would go unnoticed. Besides, her sister didn't really mean it. Not anymore. Ten years ago she had, and Maddie had taken the teasing to heart, but now Linda only called her a nerd when they disagreed. It had almost become a term of affection between them.
"But I don't want Sam thinking I'm a nerd. Calling each other names is not a healthy way to begin a relationship."
"Unless that name is Sweet Cheeks."
Maddie held up her hands and cringed. "I don't want to know what Pete calls you."
"It's not. It's what I call him."
"Eeew."
Linda smoothed down Ronan's hair, a smile on her lips. "Kidding aside, tell me what he said, Mad. We need to get to the bottom of this before, um, Ronan's nap time."
Maddie recounted the previous day's events, explaining that she didn't want to go in the water because she was wearing too-thin underwear, and he'd called her a nerd because of it. Linda roared with laughter when she got to the part where she'd ended up in the lake anyway, giving Sam and everyone else an eyeful.
When she stopped laughing, Linda said, "So that's why Pete and Sam used to bump us off the boats. I always wondered about that." A smirk crossed her lips. "Now I know why Mary Ellen got so many dates. I thought it was because she had a swimming pool."
"Linda! Forget about Mary Ellen and tell me what I should do."
Linda sighed but ended it with a giggle. "Okay," she said, "so you broke up because he sort of called you a nerd—which he didn't really."
Maddie rolled her eyes. Semantics. "Well?"
"I love you, Maddie, because you're my sister, but you fit the Aunt Mad title perfectly." She threw up one hand, the other still wrapped around Ronan, and let it fall on her knee with a slap. "You just dumped Sam Hennessy because you think he called you a nerd. You're insane!"
Maddie chewed her lip. Maybe she should come clean. It was only Linda after all. If she couldn't confide in her sister, who could she trust? "It's not just that. It's the tip of the iceberg. Sam has never looked at me like, you know, he wanted me. Until the other day. All those years and he barely even spoke to me except to call me a nerd."
"He did that once, Maddie, don't exaggerate."
"Fine, it was only once, but that's enough. It just proves that we're entirely different people. I'm a nerd and he's Sam Hennessy for God’s sake. He's the bad boy and I'm the good girl. He shouldn't be attracted to me. Then or now. I haven't changed that much in fifteen years."
"You're right, he is Sam Hennessy, bad boy, so make the most of it. To hell with what might or might not happen later. Nothing you've said so far is convincing me."
"Then maybe this will. He only likes me now because of Pheramour."
"The love potion you're working on?"
Maddie nodded. "I tried it on myself before he came over Friday night, then again yesterday morning. It worked."
"Crap." Linda frowned down at Ronan then jerked her head up, her face brighter. "You weren't wearing any on Thursday night, and he liked you enough then to visit you on Friday."
"You
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