“I’m fine waiting.”
Posey barely seemed to hear me. She was standing up on her tiptoes, looking around the square.
“Paul?” I asked, and she blushed a little, slumping down. “That obvious?”
“It’s cute,” I told her. “If a little nauseating.”
“Hey!” But she was laughing. “I never thought I would be one of those so-cute-we’re-gross couples.”
“You’re definitely more cute than gross.” I scrunched up my face. “Then again, I haven’t seen the two of you since New Year’s. Maybe you’ve gone up a few notches on the gross factor.”
“It does seem to increase the closer we get to setting a date.”
I straightened up, trying to gain a few inches of height, and looked at her with my best impression of our grandmother’s imperious stare. “Are you saying you might set a date in the near future? Before I’m cold in my grave?”
Posey snorted, pushing me. “That is scary. You sound just like her.”
We were both giggling when the woman in front of us turned around. She was tall, blonde, and built like one of those beach volleyball champions, and one look at her face had my laughter dying pretty quickly. Margo Carr. Damn it.
“Posey Conley, what’s this about setting a date? I was beginning to think you were making up the entire engagement story.” Her eyes flicked over to mine, widening a bit. “Iris Holder? Is that you?”
It was all I could do not to groan aloud. A quick glance at my cousin’s face told me that the feeling was mutual. Which didn’t surprise me at all. Margo Carr’s bitchiness was of the caliber that challenged even Posey’s see-the-good-in-everyone attitude.
“Hello, Margo,” I said, figuring I may as well be polite. “It’s nice to see you again.”
“It’s shocking to see you ,” she said, eyes flicking from my shoes—a more sensible wedge heel tonight—to the top of my head. “I figured you wouldn’t be gracing us with your presence again.”
“I’ve come to visit with family for a while.” It was much more difficult than I would have thought to talk with my teeth clenched.
“Well,” she said, her eyes doing that flick to my shoes again. “Isn’t that a nice surprise.”
It couldn’t have been more obvious that she considered it far from nice. Margo had hated me from the first moment I stepped foot inside the Island School. Posey insisted that it was jealousy—Margo hated that I had lived in a big city while she had been stuck here her whole life. I wasn’t sure about that. After all, she hadn’t left when she turned eighteen.
“We’re very happy to have her,” Posey said, taking a minuscule step closer to me.
Margo’s eyebrows lifted, disbelief clear on her face. “I’m sure you are.”
“So, Margo,” I said, raising my chin slightly. I had spent months being afraid of this girl, but there was no way I was going to let her make me feel like shit now. I wasn’t that person anymore. “What have you been up to since high school?”
Her eyes narrowed. “I’m the manager at the Blossom Inn,” she said, every word laced with defensiveness.
“How nice for you.” I was careful to use the exact same inflection that she had on the word nice . Her eyes flashed.
“You’re right,” she said. “It’s wonderful to have roots somewhere, don’t you think? Oh.” She stopped, her expression all faux-embarrassment. “I’m sorry, Iris. I forgot about your family troubles.”
Okay, now I wanted to slap her. It was her favorite method of torture back in school. Some little slip about my parents’ divorce, or about the fact that I wasn’t from the island like the rest of our classmates, and then the pretend apology.
“My family is doing quite well, thanks.”
She took a deep breath, clearly readying to throw another jab my way, but we were interrupted by the arrival of a woman I had never seen before. “Margo,” she said, leaning in and kissing her cheek before turning to us. “And Posey! How are you?” The
Posey barely seemed to hear me. She was standing up on her tiptoes, looking around the square.
“Paul?” I asked, and she blushed a little, slumping down. “That obvious?”
“It’s cute,” I told her. “If a little nauseating.”
“Hey!” But she was laughing. “I never thought I would be one of those so-cute-we’re-gross couples.”
“You’re definitely more cute than gross.” I scrunched up my face. “Then again, I haven’t seen the two of you since New Year’s. Maybe you’ve gone up a few notches on the gross factor.”
“It does seem to increase the closer we get to setting a date.”
I straightened up, trying to gain a few inches of height, and looked at her with my best impression of our grandmother’s imperious stare. “Are you saying you might set a date in the near future? Before I’m cold in my grave?”
Posey snorted, pushing me. “That is scary. You sound just like her.”
We were both giggling when the woman in front of us turned around. She was tall, blonde, and built like one of those beach volleyball champions, and one look at her face had my laughter dying pretty quickly. Margo Carr. Damn it.
“Posey Conley, what’s this about setting a date? I was beginning to think you were making up the entire engagement story.” Her eyes flicked over to mine, widening a bit. “Iris Holder? Is that you?”
It was all I could do not to groan aloud. A quick glance at my cousin’s face told me that the feeling was mutual. Which didn’t surprise me at all. Margo Carr’s bitchiness was of the caliber that challenged even Posey’s see-the-good-in-everyone attitude.
“Hello, Margo,” I said, figuring I may as well be polite. “It’s nice to see you again.”
“It’s shocking to see you ,” she said, eyes flicking from my shoes—a more sensible wedge heel tonight—to the top of my head. “I figured you wouldn’t be gracing us with your presence again.”
“I’ve come to visit with family for a while.” It was much more difficult than I would have thought to talk with my teeth clenched.
“Well,” she said, her eyes doing that flick to my shoes again. “Isn’t that a nice surprise.”
It couldn’t have been more obvious that she considered it far from nice. Margo had hated me from the first moment I stepped foot inside the Island School. Posey insisted that it was jealousy—Margo hated that I had lived in a big city while she had been stuck here her whole life. I wasn’t sure about that. After all, she hadn’t left when she turned eighteen.
“We’re very happy to have her,” Posey said, taking a minuscule step closer to me.
Margo’s eyebrows lifted, disbelief clear on her face. “I’m sure you are.”
“So, Margo,” I said, raising my chin slightly. I had spent months being afraid of this girl, but there was no way I was going to let her make me feel like shit now. I wasn’t that person anymore. “What have you been up to since high school?”
Her eyes narrowed. “I’m the manager at the Blossom Inn,” she said, every word laced with defensiveness.
“How nice for you.” I was careful to use the exact same inflection that she had on the word nice . Her eyes flashed.
“You’re right,” she said. “It’s wonderful to have roots somewhere, don’t you think? Oh.” She stopped, her expression all faux-embarrassment. “I’m sorry, Iris. I forgot about your family troubles.”
Okay, now I wanted to slap her. It was her favorite method of torture back in school. Some little slip about my parents’ divorce, or about the fact that I wasn’t from the island like the rest of our classmates, and then the pretend apology.
“My family is doing quite well, thanks.”
She took a deep breath, clearly readying to throw another jab my way, but we were interrupted by the arrival of a woman I had never seen before. “Margo,” she said, leaning in and kissing her cheek before turning to us. “And Posey! How are you?” The
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