Page 58 of Tangled with the Tight End
Winona laughs softly. “I know, right?”
“She needs to tell him.”
“Hang in there,” she says to me, not even pausing the film.
We both go quiet through the credits. The ending is a gut punch. I have no words.
“Good, huh?” Winona asks, grabbing a napkin and dabbing her eyes.
“Great,” I admit.
“Now you’re ready for Sleepless. Next time.”
“What about the cookies?” I ask, not wanting her to leave, and feeling immediately selfish.
“The cookies!” she shouts, bounding out of her chair. “Oh my gosh. I forgot. At least I didn’t put them in the oven yet.”
“Want to stay for cookies?” I offer.
“Is that even a question?” she asks, already heading into the kitchen with a familiarity that makes my chest tighten around a strange warmth.
She comes back, carrying her phone and holding it up in the air. “Timer. No burnt cookies on my watch.”
I study her. “Why aren't you out with someone tonight? Your friends? … A guy?”
She shuts the pizza boxes, stacking them off to the side. Then she plops back down into her chair.
“My friends are all ... well, basically attached. You know. Daisy's with your brother now. Emberleigh and Dustin are together ... Cass and I are the only single ones, and she has a work thing tonight.”
“So, no boyfriend?” I ask.
“Nope.” She pops the P. “Just me and Cass. Not that she's my boyfriend, obviously. She's my sister. So, not a boy. Not even a friend. Well, she is a friend. My best friend, actually ... you know what? I'll just ... queue Sleepless in Seattle. Unless you’re sleepy. In Waterford.” She laughs at her own joke.
“I’m not.” I chuckle softly.
No boyfriend. Hmm. I stare at her, not meaning to stare, but I’m curious. She’s not like anyone I’ve met before. Where will she be in a year? I'll be back on the field. My life will snap back into place. Will our paths cross again once I’m healed?
We start the movie and fall into a comfortable silence again. When the timer goes off on Winona’s phone, she grabs the pizza boxes and disappears into the kitchen. She comes back with a plate of warm cookies.
“You need milk,” she says, turning back to the kitchen and returning with two glasses.
“You think of everything,” I tell her.
“You think so?” she asks, seeming baffled by my compliment.
“I do.”
I can’t tell if she’s blushing in the low light, but she averts her eyes, grabs a cookie and bites into it with a soft moan of appreciation.
“These are perfect,” she says, hitting the remote and curling back into her chair.
“Yeah.” I say, not even grabbing one yet. “Pretty perfect.”
Chapter 10
Declan
Always remember that you are absolutely unique.
