Swink (Landry Family 5)

“So my taste is good because it matches yours? What if I liked it in reverse? Then would my taste suck?”

“It would be less on-point, yes,” she teases me. “Good call though. I’ll keep playing with these.”

Her keyboard clacks faintly in the distance. I imagine a pencil between her teeth, her hair in a messy ponytail, like she used to do when we were growing up and she was working on an essay for Mrs. Podaski’s class.

“Sienna?”

“What?”

“Are you serious about moving to Illinois?”

“Yeah,” she admits on a sigh. “I think it’s a great opportunity for me, Cam. I have a feeling about it. It’s the opening I’ve been waiting on.”

“Then you should take it. I just don’t know why you can’t stay here and do things.”

“If I stay here, I’ll do what I’ve done for the last however many months I’ve been home. Nothing. I just . . . I can’t be happy volunteering and organizing things and being Mom,” she laughs. “I know you love that and I’m proud of you for doing it. The world needs more

selfless people. I’m just selfish, I guess.”

“You are not,” I object.

“Maybe not. I don’t feel like I am. I just want to see the world. Meet people. Try different things. See what’s out there, you know? I know what’s here and it’s wonderful. I’m not knocking it at all. I just want more experiences.”

“You have wanderlust.”

“I have wanderlust,” she agrees.

“I can appreciate that. I think it sounds fun to not be tied down to one place.”

“Want to come with me?”

“No.”

“You answered that pretty quickly.”

“Yeah, well . . .” My voice trails off into a smile. “I’m happy here right now.”

“Because of Dom?”

“Yeah.” Fiddling with the drawstring of the workout pants I put on earlier, I take a deep breath. “He’s having lunch with Ford and I tomorrow afternoon.”

She gasps. “What? You’re serious? Cam. That’s . . . that’s wow.”

“I know.”

“Give me a minute here. Just . . . wow.”

Pacing through the kitchen, I remember Ford’s voice as he accepted my offer. He’s the only one I could ask, besides Sienna. The others would be too overbearing. Too judgmental. Too illogical. Still, I’m not convinced beyond a reasonable doubt this will end up in a good place with Ford either.

I can’t blame them. I’ve always looked at their interest to keep me safe as an asset. There’s a level of comfort knowing you have a family that loves you as much as mine does me. It’s never bothered me at all . . . until lately.

“You know what? It’s not their call who I date,” I insist, more to placate myself than Sienna. “If I want to see Dominic, then I will. This is not up for Ford’s approval. This is an olive branch so they’ll get off my back.”

“This is totally up for Ford’s approval or you wouldn’t be doing it.” She sighs again. “If it matters what I think, and of course it does because I’m your twin sister, I think you’re doing the right thing.”

I stop pacing. “You do?”

“Of course I do. You know I like Dom. Yes, maybe he’s not what our parents expect, but I don’t think it’s going to be that big of a deal.”