Smart Girl by Rachel Hollis Page A

opportunity to tease.
    “Oh really? And is there a particular man you’ve set your cap for, darling?”
    Charlie turns off the burner on the stove and comes to stand behind her. Everyone in the room is looking at me with varying degrees of interest, but I feel Liam’s gaze the most.
    “Of course.” I try to sound breezy. “And as soon as Prince Harry will condescend to answer one of my love letters, I’m sure we’ll be very happy together. You know I’ve always wanted to be a princess.”
    The sound of everyone’s laughter is punctuated by the front door slamming.
    “We’re here!” Malin yells from the front room.
    The baby of the Ashton family apparently has little regard for the craftsmanship of the front door, because she slams it with a crash. Malin is blonde and carefree in a way only gorgeous girls in their early twenties can be. She comes waltzing into the kitchen with Casidee Taylor in tow. In quick succession she’s kissed both her parents and purloined a drink from Max.
    “Is it time to eat yet?” she asks between sips. “We’re starving!”
    “It is.” Viv jumps into motion. “I’m just lining it all up here on the butcher block, and you can make your plates buffet-style. We’ll sit in the dining room.”
    Malin is first in line to make her plate, a whirling dervish in blue cashmere. At first glance she’d be easy to dislike—that much beauty and energy usually is. But once you get to know her, you can’t help but find all that enthusiasm charming.
    “How did the apartment hunt go?” Charlie asks his youngest.
    “I hated most of them,” Malin says, adding some rice to her plate.
    “Why am I not surprised?” Brody teases.
    “Cas hated one of them too,” she hurries to add.
    Casidee pushes her glasses up on her nose.
    “There was a half-naked man sitting out front,” Cas says by way of explanation.
    Malin bumps her with her shoulder. “Come on. He was kind of cute.”
    “He was dirty and covered in faux fur.”
    “I know,” Malin says, popping a chip in her mouth. “It was, like, sexy John the Baptist.”
    Charlie chokes on a swallow of beer while Viv throws Malin a chiding look.
    “That comment seems inappropriate,” Viv tells her.
    “No, I totally get it.” Landon grabs a plate from the stack and starts to assemble a taco. “The first time I saw Brody, my brain sort of short-circuited and I kept thinking he was like Jesus in human form.”
    Brody’s laughter comes out as a bark. “What?”
    Landon looks up from her plate and bites her lip nervously, apparently only just realizing how odd the statement sounded. Then she shrugs happily and keeps piling on the cilantro.
    “I can’t help it. You’re the most beautiful person I’ve ever seen.”
    Brody’s response comes out quietly on an exhale. “Ditto.”
    It’s only one word, but it’s filled with emotion loud enough to melt every heart in the room. There is a single beat of silence, but it’s broken when a kitchen towel flies across my field of vision and hits Brody in the head. Everyone else piles on with boos and gagging sounds, and it’s only made worse when Brody comes around the bar and gives Landon a kiss not in any way appropriate for a family dinner. They’re both laughing when they come up for air.
    “But did you find a place?” Charlie attempts to steer the conversation back to more suitable topics.
    Malin smiles happily. “We sure did. You’re looking at future residents of Culver City. Try to control your jealousy.”
    “Culver City is great,” I tell them both.
    “And it’s safe,” Taylor adds.
    “Yes, whatever you do, don’t consider anything so distasteful as Hollywood,” Max adds with fake disgust.
    Her parents still haven’t gotten over her living east of La Brea.
    “Wait, you two are moving in together?” Liam asks.
    So far he’s been sipping a beer and only observing, a rarity for him since he’s usually carrying the conversation.
    Malin and Casidee share a confused