Our Broken Pieces by Sarah White

Author:Sarah White
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: HarperCollins
Published: 2017-05-26T04:00:00+00:00

seventeen

I HAD A few hours to kill before Gabe’s barbecue, so I decided to go to the retirement home. After an hour reading to a few of the women and watching game show reruns with the men, I feel like my old self again. Sitting in my car on Gabe’s street, I look down at my phone for the tenth time, checking to make sure I’m at the right address. Finally I climb out, following a few girls up to the front door. They knock and Gabe answers, letting them inside with a hug for each of them. When he turns back around and sees me, my heart jumps a little in my chest as his bright smile stretches across his face. He pulls me into his arms for a brief hug before motioning for me to come inside.

“Come on,” he says over his shoulder as he walks through the living room and toward the back of the house. “I want you to meet Maggie.” We step outside and the sound of music fills the cooling air. There are about ten girls on the patio, laughing and snacking on chips and veggies. Their eyes follow us as Gabe puts his hand on the small of my back and guides me toward a beautiful redhead curled up in a wooden deck chair.

I immediately see that they share the same eyes. She stands and takes a step toward me. “You must be Everly.” She gives me a small hug. “I’m Maggie.”

“Nice to meet you,” I reply, and it is. She has a warmth about her that puts me at ease. “Thanks for letting me come.” Her eyes leave mine to quickly glance at her brother.

“I needed to put a face to the name.” It gives me a bit of a buzz, knowing he’s been talking to his family about me. “Help yourself to a drink if you’d like and then get my brother going on that grill. We’re starving.”

Gabe laughs behind me and I turn to see his hands up in surrender. “I’m on it,” he says. I grab a soda from the ice chest nearby and then sit down in an empty chair, making sure I’ve got a good view of him as he puts the hamburgers on the grill. Maggie stands beside him, laughing at something he’s said and then poking him in the side as he tries to flip a burger. It’s clear how close they are.

The backyard is huge, beautifully landscaped with pavers and green grass. There is a bistro table with two chairs off in one corner and a fire pit surrounded by Adirondack chairs just outside the back sliding doors. I kick off my flip-flops and tuck my feet up underneath me.

“They were still mooing last time,” Maggie yells to me with a playful scowl. Gabe rolls his eyes and shuts the lid of the grill.

“Well, maybe I like raw burgers with undercooked potato salad.” He puts his arm around her shoulders and pulls her in so he can ruffle her hair.

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