But what my sister doesn’t understand is, I would be absolutely anything so long as it made me Zoe’s.
A hopeless romantic. Some idealized 00’s romcom character.
A man who would take her childhood love bucket list and bring it to life without her noticing.
“Well, let’s see. We watched the sunrise over the water,” I say with a smile, ticking off items on my fingers.
‘Daylight.’
“Then we danced in a parking lot.”
‘Fearless.’
“I threw rocks at her window.”
‘Love Story.’
“We kissed and danced in a rainstorm.” My sister’s mouth drops and her face softens.
‘Sparks Fly.’
“We went stargazing.”
‘I’m Only Me When I’m With You.’
“I tied a straw wrapper around her finger at a diner—”
“Jesus Christ, you even ‘Paper Rings’ed her?!” Luna says with a shout, standing now. I smile.
“I sure did.”
“Does she know?”
“Know what?” I ask.
“What you were doing?” I shrug.
“I don’t think so.”
“Jesus. She’s so hardheaded,” Luna says with a sigh, sitting down again.
Tony stares at my sister, who literally didn’t know that Tony was head over heels in love with her since she was 17 until a literal stalker came and forced her to stay with him.
“Shut up,” she says, slapping her husband in the arm.
He just laughs then pulls her into him.
There it is.
What I want. What I’m working for.
“Okay,” Luna says finally.
“Okay?”
She stands, wiping her hands on her lap.
“Do you love my best friend, Zander?”
“Luna—” I argue, not sure what to say.
I haven’t even really had this conversation with Zoe yet.
“I’m serious. Do you love her?” Her eyes aren’t joking any more; this isn’t just something she’s saying.
Do I love Zoe?
“Yes.” More than she knows, I think.
“Okay. Good,” She says with a nod.
“Good?”
“If you didn’t seem like you meant it, I wouldn’t give you my secret weapon.”
“Your secret weapon?” I ask.
“Come,” she says. “But it might mean you’re stuck with her forever.” It’s meant as a threat.
As a test.
But I think I pass when I nod and follow her farther into the house.
Then we begin to formulate our final plan to keep Zoe in Springbrook Hills forever.
FORTY-FIVE
CHANGE
-ZOE-
I turn off the meeting screen and sit back, leaning in my seat.
The interview went . . . fine.
It’s everything I thought I wanted: a director position with full benefits, a crew of people working under me, and more responsibilities than I had at my old job.
But it’s . . . boring.
It’s corporate.
It’s definitely not creative.
But, I got the job.
They’re putting together a formal offer and it should be in my inbox tomorrow.
We’re so excited to have your leadership expertise on board.
Leadership expertise. That’s what sold me. The ability to manage people.
I should feel happy.
I should feel relieved.
I should feel excited.
The job is everything I thought I wanted two weeks ago.
VP of marketing for a large firm.
A corner office.
I’d have to live in the city, the job too high pressure to want to worry about a commute, but the pay would be enough to swing a place without a roommate.
And yet I feel . . . stressed.
It’s probably lack of sleep, I tell myself, shaking my head.
A good night’s sleep in my own bed, alone, and I’ll have a better understanding of just how exciting this is.
Standing, I step out of the cubicle and instantly spot my best friend sitting at the barista bar across from Sadie.
“Hey!” Luna says when she spots me. “How’d it go!?”
“Uh, hi,” I say, part confused and part . . .
Jesus, I can’t be disappointed.
That’s not allowed.
I can’t be upset that a different Davidson isn’t sitting there, waiting to hear all about how the interview went.
“Don’t look too excited to see your best friend,” Luna says with a smile.
“Oh my god, I am! Of course! I just, I wasn’t expecting . . .”
“You were expecting to see my brother.”
“No, that’s not it,” I start.
“Bullshit,” Sadie says with a smile.
“To be fair, I begged him to let me pick you up and told him he shouldn’t come.”
My gut both sinks and floats.
Does that mean he wanted to come? Even after I told him no? Does that mean that he was going to try and push my boundaries?
Also, if that is what it means, why doesn’t that annoy the fuck out of me?
“Why?” I ask. “Why did you tell him not to?”
That’s when I reveal my hand and both Sadie and Luna know it.
“Because I need the scoop.”
“The scoop?” I ask, sitting down.
“Don’t play stupid, Zoe. We need to know what happened on that trip!” Sadie says, starting on my iced coffee without me even asking. I roll my eyes.
“There is no scoop,” I say.
“Bullshit. I need to know absolutely everything.” She pauses, staring off in space before going a bit green. “Actually, cut out the NC-17 parts, please.”
“No way! I want to know the NC-17 parts!” Sadie says with a laugh. “Luna can plug her ears.”
Again, I roll my eyes.
“I’m not giving you guys all the details. It told you pretty much everything on the phone yesterday.”
“Yeah, but you weren’t wearing that necklace a day a go,” Luna says, her voice low.
My fingers move to the initial around my neck.
“An A?” Sadie asks, confused.
“Zee’s real name is Alexander.” Her face looks even more confused.
“Really?” Luna nods, but her eyes are still on me. “I went my whole life knowing that kid and I did not know his real name. Weird.”
“His initial on a chain around your neck, huh?” Luna says with a smile, and a cog turns in my mind.
Her face tells me that should mean something.
But I’m so deep in my confusion and frustration and pain over my future that I can’t quite grasp it.
“It’s not that easy.”
“It could be,” she says, and I roll my eyes.
“The two of you got way too much of your mom and not nearly enough of your dad,” I say with a sigh.
“Ace is the straight talker. Zee and I live in the clouds.”
Pretend. The word runs in my mind on a loop.
“Yeah, well, I can’t live with my head in the clouds, unfortunately. I need to worry about bills. And a job.”
“How’d your interview go?” Sadie asks, sliding over a drink. I take sip as I think of how to answer.