Anyone But Nick (Anyone But... #3) - Penelope Bloom Page 0,76

me. “I’m just worried that I could be convincing myself this all feels right because it took so long to happen. I mean, admit it. It’s got kind of a romantic feel to it, doesn’t it? Seven years apart because of a stupid poem with the wrong name on the bottom. Then we reunite, and it turns out we both secretly wanted this the whole time? It just seems too perfect.”

“And perfect things don’t really happen to you,” I said slowly. “People just think they do.”

She nodded. “Yeah. Something like that.”

“Maybe the trick is that you can either look happy, or be happy. I’d say breaking up with Robbie and going after this Bark Bites job were your first steps toward being happy. Neither of those lined up with everyone’s idea of you being Miss Perfect.”

“But I still tried to keep it all secret for as long as I could. I’m not sure it counts.”

“Because it’s new. You’re not used to following your own heart, but look at everything you’ve done recently. Whether you realize it or not, you’ve been giving a big-ass middle finger to living by anybody else’s rules. And I’m proud as hell of you for it.”

She smiled, biting her lip. “Assuming you’re right, which I’m not ready to admit you are, by the way . . . what would this new-and-improved Miranda do right now? About Max and Robbie and this whole mess?”

I thought for a long time before I spoke again. “I came here to talk you out of taking this job from Robbie. I didn’t care what it took. All I knew was that I couldn’t stand the idea of you going back to him, even if it was just figuratively. But that’s not my choice to make. I just want you to know I’m here to back you up, however you decide to handle this. And I think the new-and-improved Miranda should do what’s right for her.”

Miranda sat up. “You mean that?”

“Yes. I’ll even help you tame your hair before you go meet with Robbie, if that’s what you want. Or we can go back to West Valley together and turn Bark Bites into what you imagined, shitty news story or not.”

“Would you still help me tame my hair if we went back to West Valley?”

“Unless a bird mistakes it for a nest before then. I think it’d be a nature conservation issue at that point.”

She swatted at me, then her expression grew serious. “I want to talk to Kira, Iris, Rich, and Cade before I make my final decision. But if they’re okay with it, I think I want to give Robbie one of those big fat middle fingers.”

“As long as that’s not as dirty as it sounded, then I’m in.”

Chapter 25

MIRANDA

We sat at Bradley’s biggest table, which was a ten-seater in a corner booth. Between Julian Ridge and my brief-but-interesting trip out to LA, it felt like I’d been gone from West Valley for ages. It was fitting that today was Watermelon Day in West Valley, because there were few town events that embodied our collective weirdness better than Watermelon Day.

Even though almost everyone was already outside at the hill by the river for the main event, we all sat around the big table, waiting for Cade to finish his story so I could explain why I’d asked everyone to come. Bear was half-asleep in Cade’s lap but occasionally cracked his eyes open long enough to take a bite of Cade’s ice cream.

Cade was leaning forward with both elbows on the table. He was in the middle of a story about some “dick nozzle” he’d met at Bear’s day care the other day. “Seriously,” he said, “it was perfect. Like you know when you read something and just hope you’ll have a chance to use it someday? Well, this guy tried to sound smart quoting some Bukowski line. I think he said people are dumb because we run from the rain, yet we sit in bathtubs. It just so happened that I saw that exact quote on the internet a couple years ago, and my favorite comment was somebody who asked if it’s also strange that we’ll eat when we’re hungry but duck if you throw an apple at their face. But guess what I happened to be holding?”

Rich sighed. “Did you throw your apple at his face?”

“No,” Cade said. “But I was holding a zucchini that Bear and I cut up to look like George Washington for a school project.