*
At dinner I get a text from Peter. It says, If you’re going to hang out with Sanderson, can you at least not do it in public?
Under the table I read it over and over. Could it be that Peter’s the teensiest bit jealous? Or is he really just worried about how it looks to Genevieve?
“What do you keep looking at?” Kitty wants to know.
I put my phone down, facedown. “Nothing.”
Kitty turns to Daddy and says, “I bet it was a text from Peter.”
Buttering a roll, my dad says, “I like Peter.”
“You do?” I say.
Daddy nods. “He’s a good kid. He’s really taken with you, Lara Jean.”
“Taken with me?” I repeat.
To me Kitty says, “You sound like a parrot.” To Daddy she says, “What does that mean? Taken by her?”
“It means he’s charmed by her,” Daddy explains. “He’s smitten.”
“Well, what’s smitten?”
He chuckles and stuffs the roll in Kitty’s open, perplexed mouth. “It means he likes her.”
“He definitely likes her,” Kitty agrees, her mouth full. “He . . . he looks at you a lot, Lara Jean. When you’re not paying attention. He looks at you, to see if you’re having a good time.”
“He does?” My chest feels warm and glowy, and I can feel myself start to smile.
“I’m just happy to see you so happy. I used to worry about Margot taking on so many responsibilities at home and helping out the way she did. I didn’t want her to miss out on her high school experience. But you know Margot. She’s so driven.” Daddy reaches over and squeezes my shoulder. “To see you now, going out and doing things and making new friends . . . it makes your old man very happy. Very, very happy.”
I feel a lump grow in my throat. If only it wasn’t all a lie.
“Don’t cry, Daddy,” Kitty orders, and Daddy nods and pulls her into his arms for a hug.
“Can you do me a favor, Kitty?” he says.
“What?”
“Can you stay this age forever?”
Automatically Kitty replies, “I can if you give me a puppy.”
My dad roars with laughter, and Kitty laughs too.
I really admire my little sister sometimes. She knows exactly what she wants, and she’ll do whatever it takes to get it. She’s shameless that way.
I’m going to talk to Daddy and help her cause. The two of us will wear him down. There’ll be a puppy under our tree Christmas morning. I’d bet money on it.