Sutton

"UGH, GIVE ME THOSE," I GROAN, stealing the sunglasses from my stepsister's face and plopping them on mine.

Vivi gives me the side-eye as we walk down the sidewalk on Main Street Monday morning before work. "Why are you extra cranky this morning anyway? It's like you're hungover or something and I know for a fact you weren't drinking yesterday. You went to bed like a senior citizen last night."

She is not wrong. Just as predicted, I did indeed dissect every little thing from my trip to Maybury with Kelly, tossing and turning in bed, willing my thoughts to shut up. Apparently, you can give yourself a headache that resembles a hangover just by obsessively spiraling.

"Whatever. Just shhhhhh until I get some coffee and greasy breakfast in me, ok?"

I yank open the door to the Cozy Corner Café, one of the only two restaurants in Lake Hope, and groan as the cheery bells on the door tinkles, announcing our arrival because of course the door has bells. The café has the classic small-town vibes and aesthetic with a counter and spinning stools lining the far wall that separates the dining room and the kitchen, deep booths along the perimeter with tables in the center running lengthwise through the room.

Although the restaurant gets busy on the weekends with patrons spilling out of booths, crowding into the tables, and every stool taken at the counter, Mondays are apparently quieter. The place has a spattering of customers this morning, but there are plenty of open spots available for us to choose from.

As I scan the dining room for a prime spot, I see two familiar heads, one red and the other light brown. Raising the sunglasses on top of my head, I stroll over to the booth. "Well, look who it is," I say before I scoot onto the bench seat, budging Rylie's body over to make room for me. I motion with my hand across the table where Teddy sits for Vivi to join her.

"Look who decided to join us, Teddy Bear," Rylie says to her best friend with a grin. "The baby version of us."

I smirk at Rylie, removing the sunglasses from my head and tossing them onto the table. "Don't you mean the upgrade?"

Rylie pats my head condescendingly. "Shhhh," she shushes. "No talking. Babies are to be seen, not heard. Or, better, not seen. Shoo off. We were about to discuss the Paperback Riders. And since you're not cool enough to be invited, scram. Let the grownups talk."

I sit up taller, accessing them, because now my attention is piqued. The Paperback Riders is an exclusive and supposedly secret book club. The kind of book club where they read smutty books and have club meetings with book themes. Last month's book was so racy, if rumors are to be believed, that old Rita Sanderson swears her hot flashes had hot flashes.

Teddy and Rylie were the most recent recruits, and I make them retell their initiation story often. I sigh. How I wouldn't mind being blindfolded, kidnapped, and then set loose in a porn shop with a mission to accomplish. Lucky bitches.

"You two," Teddy says, waving her fork dripping with syrup at us. "Shut it. You're both children. Big grown dummy children."

Vivi scoots away from Teddy and her dripping fork. "You realize your best friend and one-day sister-in-law are like the same person, right?"

Rylie and I glance at each other and turn to grin at Teddy. "Lucky bitch," Rylie says with a laugh. "Two of me."

"Well, one Rylie," I correct. "And one new and improved and fully equipped Sutton."

Rylie studies me. "What are you fully equipped with? Delusion and denial?"

"Style and sexiness."

Vivi groans. "You guys are the worst. Turn it off, Teddy. Turn it off."

"I can't," Teddy says between bites of her pancakes. "Believe me, I've tried. Just enjoy the show."

"How many seasons is it?" Vivi questions. "It's not another Grey's, is it? I don't think I could last a batrillion seasons of them."

Teddy shrugs, and she looks across the booth at us. We've wound our arms around each other and are wearing matching grins. We glance at each other and throw our heads back in laughter.

"They'd be so bored without us," Rylie declares, and I'd have to agree with her.

By the time the waitress stops by the booth to take our order, I've successfully put my bad mood in the rearview.

-

I DIP MY SPOON INTO THE BOWL of milk, scooping up the last of the Cap'n Crunch Berries and shoving them into my mouth, before reaching for the box to pour more into the bowl. I'm sitting at the counter in the kitchen Monday night after work, absently scrolling through a website on my laptop. I take another bite of cereal, milk dribbling down my chin, when Vivi walks in the room.

Wiping the milk off my chin with the back of my hand, I glance up at my stepsister. She's still in her work clothes—black slacks and a silk sleeveless blouse with a big bow at the neck. I'm constantly amazed at how different we are since we've always got along so well.

"Hey," I greet her with a mouthful of cereal, the crunching loud in the room.

She eyes my supper and sighs. "I was hoping you were more motivated than me and whipped up an actual meal of some sort." She grabs a clean bowl and spoon from the dishwasher and joins me at the counter.

She's seated next to me on a stool, crunching the loud cereal in my ear as she looks at the website pulled up on my laptop. I cringe, wishing I would have had the foresight to close out of it before she had a chance to see it. It's hard to hide the big block letters of Stiffelman, Ellis & Latham at the top of the screen.

Vivi looks between me and the computer and sighs, taking another large bite. "What are you doing now, Sutton?" she asks with a full mouth. "Do I even want to know?"

"Never you mind. Just pretend you didn't see this. I'm not in the mood for another lecture on this tired subject." I close the laptop and slide it out of my sister's reach.

We're both silent for a while, the only sound in the room the crunching of the cereal. When Vivi scoops up the last of the berries in her bowl, I cringe. "Don't you dare do it, Viv," I warn her, leaning away from the scene about to unfold.

She picks up the bowl and brings it to her mouth, watching me over the white ceramic as she slurps up the last of the milk.

"God, no, why? Why do you do that when you know it disgusts me? Why, Viv, why?"

I hop off the stool and bring my dishes to the sink and rinse them. Vivi hands me her bowl and I rinse it before stacking it on top of mine in the sink. Since the dishwasher currently houses clean dishes, we silently agree to leave our dirty ones for later. Apparently, neither of us is motivated for simple house chores tonight.

Vivi leans her hip against the counter, studying me with a guarded expression. "What?" I ask her. "Just spit it out already."

"What are you up to, Sutton? You're scheming, I just know it."

I walk around her to retrieve the box of cereal and carton of milk off the counter, busying myself by putting them away. With that task complete, I sigh, hopping up to sit on the counter opposite her.

"I'm not scheming," I finally admit. "Well, maybe a little. I was researching what kind of law firm it is so I can figure out what kind of appointment to make."

"Appointment?" she asks, biting a hangnail on her thumb. Her eyes widen when realization dawns. "No, Sutton. Don't do it. That's stupid. You can't make up a fake legal issue just to talk to the guy."

"Why not?"

"It's not a good idea, Sutton. If you insist on talking to him, can't you just do it honestly? Maybe email him. There's probably an email listed for him on the website, right? But don't invent some ridiculous story. Just be honest."

I roll my eyes. "You sound like Kelly."

"Well, Kelly isn't dumb. If two people are saying something, then maybe you should listen."

I hop off the counter with a groan. "Whatever. This is why I can't talk to you about it. You don't get it. No matter how I explain it, you don't seem to understand, Viv."

"I get it, Sutton. You want answers. And I want you to have those answers. I just don't agree with the way you're going about it. Be reasonable. Think it through."

I take a few steps through the kitchen, then pause at the threshold, my hand gripping the doorframe. I take a deep breath before looking at my sister over my shoulder. "I've never really been known for being reasonable, right? Impulsive, irresponsible Sutton."

I exit the room, regret churning my stomach. I realize Vivi's intentions were pure, but I'm too frustrated with the constant reminders to think before I act, especially with this particular scenario. I've already invested far too much time obsessing over this topic. It's time to act.