was placing the dishes back on the table. He stepped around it, paused to look her in the eyes, and then drew her into a tight embrace.
“Thank you,” he murmured against the top of her head.
“Thank you ,” she whispered in return. Because the promise of a new life was far bigger than the solitude she’d miss.
10
----
V EE STOOD DEEP in the orchard, her phone held aloft and the camera app focusing in on a straight column of trees. It was a great shot, one that would get her at least a few likes and comments on Facebook and Instagram. She texted the shot to Heidi.
Cherry orchard behind the house.
At least it’s pretty here. But boring! What’s up?
She considered cutting to the chase and asking about Tim, but she didn’t want to be obvious about it. Vee was pretty sure her best friend knew she had it bad for her brother, but to Vee’s relief, Heidi hadn’t ever brought it up. Then again, it would have been nice to have someone keep an eye on Tim for the next two months, keep her in the loop, let her know if anything weird was going on. It wasn’t as though Vee and Tim were a thing , but she had her hopes. He was the first boy she daydreamed about. She’d even practiced kissing her pillow, though she’d take that little detail with her to the grave.
Her phone blipped in her hand.
Cool, but looks like the boonies! LOL
Not much. Going 2 the movies 2nite.
Vee frowned at the text. She bet Heidi was going with Clara and Laurie. Maybe, since Vee was missing, they even invited Jenn along even though Jenn was a total drag. Jenn was the type of kid to rat on her friends if her parents so much as suspected she’d been doing something she wasn’t supposed to be doing. It was why the girls tended not to invite her to hang out. Clara liked to curse and Laurie loved dirty jokes, and both Vee and Heidi were “weird” with their dark clothes and choice of music. It wouldn’t have taken much for Jenn to blab to her mother after hanging out with a motley crew like them.
What movie? With Tim?
She bit her bottom lip and busied herself with Instagram while waiting for a reply. So what if Heidi knew Vee liked Tim? Wasn’t that what friends were for? If she and Tim ended up going out, it would just be an excuse for Vee to spend even more time at Heidi’s place. Heck, if she and Tim ended up getting married, she and Heidi would kind of be like sisters, and that would be pretty cool.
Don’t know yet LOL
Vee glowered at the screen. Don’t know what ? she wanted to know. Don’t know what movie you’re going to see, or don’t know if Tim is going? Didn’t Heidi get that this was important? Vee was an entire country away, nothing but her and her dad—a father that, sooner rather than later, would forget all about her, lost in his work—and all Heidi could do was reply with her stupid LOLs. Vee squeezed the phone tight in her hand, attempting to subdue her mounting frustration, then began to type up a response:
Don’t know what?
Delete.
Don’t be a jerk.
Delete.
Why can’t you just answer?
Delete.
Stop being such a bitch!
No.
She closed her eyes and counted to five.
It’s going to be fine. Just write him an email in a few days. Take some creepy pictures and post them on Tumblr. Give him a reason to remember you. Give him a reason to miss you, Vee. Maybe the fastest way to most men’s hearts was through their stomachs, but the fastest way to Tim’s heart was through mystery. For all he knew, she was having a blast in Washington. Heck, for all he knew, Pier Pointe was full of guys twice as cool as him. Tim who? Oh, Tim Steinway ? He was okay, she guessed, but the Washington boys were better. Darker. Way more dangerous.
The sky rumbled overhead and she sighed, tipping her face up to stare at the dark clouds above. If it kept raining, she’d be stuck in the house all summer. She’d never meet anyone, let alone any boys. Not that her dad would mind. Rain was a convenient excuse for staying in rather
“Thank you,” he murmured against the top of her head.
“Thank you ,” she whispered in return. Because the promise of a new life was far bigger than the solitude she’d miss.
10
----
V EE STOOD DEEP in the orchard, her phone held aloft and the camera app focusing in on a straight column of trees. It was a great shot, one that would get her at least a few likes and comments on Facebook and Instagram. She texted the shot to Heidi.
Cherry orchard behind the house.
At least it’s pretty here. But boring! What’s up?
She considered cutting to the chase and asking about Tim, but she didn’t want to be obvious about it. Vee was pretty sure her best friend knew she had it bad for her brother, but to Vee’s relief, Heidi hadn’t ever brought it up. Then again, it would have been nice to have someone keep an eye on Tim for the next two months, keep her in the loop, let her know if anything weird was going on. It wasn’t as though Vee and Tim were a thing , but she had her hopes. He was the first boy she daydreamed about. She’d even practiced kissing her pillow, though she’d take that little detail with her to the grave.
Her phone blipped in her hand.
Cool, but looks like the boonies! LOL
Not much. Going 2 the movies 2nite.
Vee frowned at the text. She bet Heidi was going with Clara and Laurie. Maybe, since Vee was missing, they even invited Jenn along even though Jenn was a total drag. Jenn was the type of kid to rat on her friends if her parents so much as suspected she’d been doing something she wasn’t supposed to be doing. It was why the girls tended not to invite her to hang out. Clara liked to curse and Laurie loved dirty jokes, and both Vee and Heidi were “weird” with their dark clothes and choice of music. It wouldn’t have taken much for Jenn to blab to her mother after hanging out with a motley crew like them.
What movie? With Tim?
She bit her bottom lip and busied herself with Instagram while waiting for a reply. So what if Heidi knew Vee liked Tim? Wasn’t that what friends were for? If she and Tim ended up going out, it would just be an excuse for Vee to spend even more time at Heidi’s place. Heck, if she and Tim ended up getting married, she and Heidi would kind of be like sisters, and that would be pretty cool.
Don’t know yet LOL
Vee glowered at the screen. Don’t know what ? she wanted to know. Don’t know what movie you’re going to see, or don’t know if Tim is going? Didn’t Heidi get that this was important? Vee was an entire country away, nothing but her and her dad—a father that, sooner rather than later, would forget all about her, lost in his work—and all Heidi could do was reply with her stupid LOLs. Vee squeezed the phone tight in her hand, attempting to subdue her mounting frustration, then began to type up a response:
Don’t know what?
Delete.
Don’t be a jerk.
Delete.
Why can’t you just answer?
Delete.
Stop being such a bitch!
No.
She closed her eyes and counted to five.
It’s going to be fine. Just write him an email in a few days. Take some creepy pictures and post them on Tumblr. Give him a reason to remember you. Give him a reason to miss you, Vee. Maybe the fastest way to most men’s hearts was through their stomachs, but the fastest way to Tim’s heart was through mystery. For all he knew, she was having a blast in Washington. Heck, for all he knew, Pier Pointe was full of guys twice as cool as him. Tim who? Oh, Tim Steinway ? He was okay, she guessed, but the Washington boys were better. Darker. Way more dangerous.
The sky rumbled overhead and she sighed, tipping her face up to stare at the dark clouds above. If it kept raining, she’d be stuck in the house all summer. She’d never meet anyone, let alone any boys. Not that her dad would mind. Rain was a convenient excuse for staying in rather
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