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“She makes it hard.” She smiles at the waiter as he approaches. “Another coffee and a—” She motions for me to finish.
“English Breakfast,” I say.
She waves goodbye to the server, waits for him to leave, and turns to me with concern in her eyes. Immediately, her voice drops to a tone I’ve never heard on her. Something firm and serious. “She likes you.”
“I like her.”
“She’s funny, don’t you think?” She watches Deanna and Jake sit at the edge of the pool, remove their shoes, dip their feet.
Deanna looks right there, in her short teal dress, her eyes on the crystal-blue water.
She looks gorgeous, actually.
“Hilarious,” I say.
“Is that what you like about her?”
“One of the things,” I say.
“What else?”
I shoot her a curious look. “Is this a quiz?”
“A test.”
“How do I pass?”
“You went to art school, right?”
“I have an MFA.” I nod.
“It’s like that. There’s a rubric. A mix of technical elements and style.”
“That doesn’t sound like you.”
“It’s not.” She takes a long sip of her coffee. “I’m trying to learn from her.”
I don’t know what to say. I care about Deanna deeply, but I don’t know how to prove it. How does anyone prove their feelings? Why would they?
And if this is the sort of talk I used to have with my sister’s boyfriends (not that any of the guys ever listened), I don’t have the answers she wants.
I don’t know what our future holds.
If she belongs here, and I belong somewhere else—
There’s really no way to fix that. I may not be practical, but I see that.
“It’s hard, though,” Lexi says. “I’m not like her. You aren’t, either, I think. We both know something she doesn’t: certain things don’t follow logic. Sex, for example. Or love.”
This isn’t the Lexi I know, but then I never really knew her. I’m only getting to know the person under the sunglasses and the pink. “You’re not as agreeable as you seem.”
“I know.” She smiles, and for a moment, I see that usual Lexi charm. Bright and brilliant. Only it’s too bright, too brilliant. She’s playing it up. Forcing a fake expression.
The pretense fades as she studies me. Her lips straighten, her eyes focus, her jaw softens.
I see her. The actual Lexi. The girl who loves her sister more than anything.
“I’ve always admired her drive,” Lexi says.
