Page 99 of This Broken Heart

Charlie turns away, sniffing quietly.

“What was she like?”

Reese gives me a watery smile. “She was such a tomboy.”

“Sweet, though.” Parker says, piping up for the first time. She shrinks when everyone turns to look at her. “She always noticed if someone was being left out.”

“Competitive and really fucking smart.” Charlie says, rubbing at her eyes like she has something stuck in them. Her gaze lands on me, skewering me. “She’s not somebody who could ever be replaced.”

It feels particularly pointed. I want to say I’m not trying to replace anyone, but is that true? I’ve been afraid to look too closely at those feelings, afraid that if I exposed them to the air, they’d wither and die.

Parker turns away, snagging a hanger from a rack. She holds up a Spanish-style sundress. “You should try this on.”

I look around, realizing belatedly that she’s looking at me. “You want me to try that on?”

She nods.

I don’t really want to play dress up. Especially not in the middle of a conversation about Ana. But this is hands down the longest sentence Parker has ever uttered directly to me. I’m afraid to say no. Taking the dress from her, I step into the dressing room and put it on.

It’s actually a two piece that exposes a slice of tummy. I’m self-conscious about my stomach, so I would never have picked it myself. But the beautiful pattern is calling my name.

“How’s it look?” Reese calls out from the other side of the dressing room. “Let us see.”

I step out, and they go very quiet.

“What do you think?” Reese asks.

I turn, looking at my curves in the mirror. “I think I kind of love it?”

Parker’s face breaks into a huge grin. She’s always pretty, but when she smiles, she’s stunning. “You should wear it now.”

I grin. “Only if the rest of you pick out a dress to wear, too.”

The girls smile at each other, turning to look at Charlie who is lurking a few feet away. She runs her hand down the fabric of a green sundress. Looking at them, she rolls her eyes theatrically. “Sure. Why not?”

66.

Josh

I hear the girls before I see them.

Mom and I sit on the patio drinking mimosas when we hear a chorus of Olson girl laughter from the front of the condo.

I know that laugh. That laugh spells trouble.

It means they’re having a joke, usually at my expense. I can’t decide if it’s better for them to be fighting or getting along. When they’re getting along, they’re usually colluding against me.

One by one, they filter onto the patio.

“Oh, what a pretty dress.” Mom says, running her fingers along the green skirt of Charlie’s new dress.

“It was a successful shopping trip.” Reese says, swishing her yellow skirt. She’s even got a little yellow flower behind her ear. Sometimes, I forget how pretty my sisters are. The guys their age never forget and that’s why being a big brother is a stressful job.

“Where are the kids?” Charlie asks, sitting on the edge of mom’s chair.

Mom puts her arm around Charlie. “With grandpa. He took them down to the bait shop.”

Parker and Erin arrive last. The first thing I notice is that Parker, quiet and reserved Parker, has her hands wrapped around Erin’s arm.