Perfectly Hopeless by Holly Hood Page B

hard.
     
    “ Well, I just mean he has the hair of a refined actor from my time.” She smiled.
     
    Maven scrunched her nose. “He gets cuter every time he speaks.”
     
    Her mother’s eyes widened. “That’s not something I ever thought my teenage daughter would say. Those are the words of a woman in love.”
     
    Maven’s cheeks grew warm. She looked away. “There is no such thing as love, Mother.”
     
    Her mother smirked. “I beg to differ. Your father and I fell into it a very long time ago. And I have been falling ever since.”
     
    Maven loved hearing about her mother’s undying love for her father. But it wasn’t normal. Most people fell in and out of love their whole life. Her parents were a very rare thing.
     
    “ Henri is never going to love me.” She shook her head at the thought of it. “He has much bigger things to deal with then falling in love.”
     
    This disappointed her mother. It was horrible that her daughter would think such a thing. Love wasn’t something you decided. It was thrust upon you at the most inopportune times in your life. You didn’t choose when or who to love, love chose you.
     
    Maven sighed. She hated to be so open about Henri’s health. It made it more real. It was illogical, but she thought if she ignored it that he would always be there. But other times it was hard to make it through a day knowing, she felt like she was going to burst if she didn’t talk about it. “I don’t think Henri will ever admit he cares about me because he doesn’t want to hurt me. He’s not selfish.”
     
    Her mother returned the white dress to the sales rack and wrapped her arm around her. “You don’t know that. I think Henri thinks a lot about you whether he says so or not. It’s written all over him every time he looks at you.” She smoothed her hair. “It’s too early to give up hope.”
     
     
     
     
     
    Maven stepped out of line to check her phone. Another text from Henri.
     
     
     
    You me and a pizza?
     
     
     
    Sounds nice 
     
     
     
    Hurry before Flynn eats it all, got your favorite kind, pineapple.
     
     
     
    Maven grinned, her heart fluttering. One day I will convince you to try it. It’s yummy.
     
     
     
    Let’s start with pineapple lip gloss. If I can stand kissing it off your lips then I’ll give pineapple pizza a shot, deal?
     
     
     
    Maven giggled loud enough to make the woman sampling perfumes look over at her.
     
     
     
    She stuffed her phone back in her pocket. The girls behind her started up conversation.
     
     
     
    “ Tatiana is crushed.” Maven’s ears perked up at the familiar name and she froze where she was. She couldn’t help but listen in on the gossip. There weren’t many Tatiana’s in Portwood.
     
    “ What do you think happened?”
     
    “ I don’t know. But I heard he dumped her on Facebook.” The girls laughed at the shocking rumors that were nothing but ugly to Maven. She knew how it felt to be in Tatiana’s shoes.
     
    “ I wonder who he is dating now. I’m sure he already had a back up.”
     
     
     
    Maven’s mother tapped her on the shoulder. “Are you ready?”
     
    Maven shot the girl’s one last look before heading out of the dress shop with her mother. Jake and Tatiana’s liaison lasted less than a year. What had been the point of ruining her life for less than a year? Jake Summit always seemed to find a new way to destroy someone’s life. And part of her was glad this time it wasn’t her who had to deal with the heartache. Her heart was healing just fine.
     

 
     
    Uninvited
     
     
     
     
     
    Maven’s father smiled at the sound of his daughter’s laughter outside on the porch. A sound he had grown to miss. But now it was back and he could see why she enjoyed Henri’s friendship so much. Henri had a way to make her all smiles and free from care
     
    Maven’s mother snuck up behind him. She wrapped her arms around him.
     
    “ Are you enjoying your day off?”
     
    “