“Hey.” I gasped and pulled her face back to me. It killed me when her eyes filled with tears. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d cried.
“If you ever say something like that again, I’ll kick your butt,” I said. She sniffled and gave me a small smile. “I mean it, Cass. There is no man and no distance that could ever make me forget about you, or stop needing you. I’ll do whatever I have to to keep in touch. And don’t forget about begging Mom and Dad to study abroad next year.”
That idea always cheered us. There was still a shroud of mystery about McKale’s clan and what it’d be like there. Mom made it sound like there was no technology. I couldn’t even send him letters over the years because mail wasn’t delivered there. If Cass could study abroad in Ireland it would make any situation more livable for me.
“I wish he could come here instead,” she said.
“Yeah. Me too.”
Cassidy wiped her eyes. She nuzzled her head closer to my leg and I continued braiding her hair.
“If he’s not a good guy… If he doesn’t appreciate you—”
“Don’t think like that. Everything is going to be fine.”
I’d often been filled with gratitude that this was my fate and not hers. Cassidy was too free-spirited to handle something like this.
Her smooth hair slid through my fingers and she closed her eyes. The thought of my predicament dampening her spirit broke my heart.
“I wish I could stay here with you longer,” I said.
“No, you don’t,” Cass said without opening her eyes. Her voice was still soft. “You want to go be with him.”
Her words shook me. Partly because she was right—I was excited to go, to meet the magical boy I’d been chosen for. But that didn’t mean I wanted to leave my family.
“I do want to meet him,” I admitted. “But I’m not looking forward to being without you.” My insides shook just thinking about it. She seemed so young with her head in my lap. I had to remind myself this was an independent girl who always took what she wanted and had kissed way more boys than me. I bent down over her face and cupped her soft cheeks with my palms. She opened her eyes. “You know you’re my heart, Cass. Nobody could ever take your place.”
She sat up and turned, hugging me around the neck. I gulped back my emotions.
“Now get out of here,” I said. “Before you make me cry or something.”
“Pfft, yeah right.” She gave me a tired smile before slipping off the bed.
“Hey, what if McKale is cross-eyed?” Cass asked, walking backward to the door. Her mood seemed lighter now, but I couldn’t forget the jealousy she’d revealed.
“Don’t they have surgery to correct that?”
She shrugged, almost at the door. “What if he’s got some wicked crooked teeth?”
“Braces.”
“What if he refuses to get braces?”
I groaned and threw a small pillow at her. “Go finish packing, dork.”
She punched her chest and threw me a peace sign before leaving.
I flopped back on the blankets, feeling uneasy from all the emotion. This whole thing was going to be harder if Cassidy made a fuss. I’d be sure to give her plenty of attention in Ireland.
I switched off the light and set my alarm for the butt-crack of dawn. We’d only be getting a few hours of sleep, so I’d be running on pure adrenaline tomorrow. I climbed underneath the down comforter and snuggled in, doing what I’d done every night since I was six.
I imagined McKale. The guy whose life was tied to mine.
What would he see when he looked at me?
I’d resigned myself to a lot of bad “what ifs” over the years. Cassidy loved to throw those at me for fun. What if he has a big nose? What if he has halitosis? What if he’s got an ugly comb-over and he won’t shave it off?
But in all our imaginings there was one thing I never cared to envision. It was vain and stupid, considering I forced myself to imagine all sorts of horrid scenarios, and yet this was the thing that bothered me. Cassidy and I looked very much alike: athletic bodies, ample curves, medium-length brown hair, and round brown eyes. She, like our mom, was taller than average. And at five feet, eleven inches, I was over two inches taller than them.
Of all the truly frightening things worth worrying about, I held one selfish wish. Please… don’t let McKale be too much shorter than me.
BOARDING THE PLANE WAS SURREAL.
The four of us took our seats in the back row of first class. Thankfully it wasn’t a crowded flight. Three other passengers sat in the front, a good distance away. I nestled between my mom and sister with Mom by the window and Cass on the aisle. Dad sat in the aisle seat in the row beside us. I wondered if my father had somehow gotten them to fix the seating with no passengers around us so we could have privacy to talk.