The Absolutely True Story of Us by Melanie Marchande Read Free Book Online Page A

seeing your underwear, I hope." She examines a can of soup. "Although, of course someone else might..."
    She's referring to Jessica, of course.
    I'm not dignifying that with a response. She can think whatever she wants to think, it doesn't make a difference to me. We're done. I gave her five years of my life, and she couldn't learn to trust me.
    Never again.

CHAPTER SIX
The Gang's All Here

    Lissy

    "Hey, hey, the gang's all here!" my mom cries out, and she runs to my older sister Tabby for a hug. We're all crowded around baggage claim at LaGuardia, wishing for the floor to open up and swallow us whole. Or maybe that's just me.
    Tabby comes to me next, squeezing me tight before she pulls back to look me up and down. "I'm so happy for you," she enthuses. "Finally found the one!"
    "Guess there's hope for all of us," says little sister Stephanie, continuing the grand family tradition of the back-handed compliment.  
    My brothers all hug me, then slap Dean on the back in quick succession. He looks slightly off-balance by the end of it, which affords me a little private smile.  
    Dean's an only child, and over the years he and his parents have grown distant. He never seemed to adjust to the dynamics of a big, loud family when he spent holidays with us, and I can't believe he took the news of their visit so well. It almost seemed like he was prepared for it, which doesn't make any sense. Why would my parents have told him about it before me?
    "I heard there's this amazing undiscovered seafood place uptown," my middle brother Scott says. "Hey Dean, do you think you can leverage some of those business connections to get us in?"
    "I promise you, Scott, if you've heard of it, it's not undiscovered." I smile at him. "Also, don't you think it's a little too early to be asking for favors?"
    "Hey, he's part of the family now!" Big brother Nick slaps Dean on the back. "Seriously though, don't listen to anything Scott says."
    "Boys," my dad says, sounding bored. "Please."
    "I can get you into any restaurant you like," says Dean with a dazzling smile.
    Right. I forgot he could charm people. Even my sister Tabby, who is several magnitudes more gorgeous than I am and is married to a pilot with steel-blue eyes, can't stop staring at him.
    Not that I can really blame her. When he first walked up to me in that park, I thought it was some kind of prank. He looks like he should be on the cover of GQ, or at the very least, a Lexus ad. His deep brown hair is close-cropped and well-styled; he obviously goes to a more expensive barber now that he's managing a whole team at the ad agency. He's only mentioned that fact about ten times since he moved in.
    His eyes are this sort of inexplicable silver-gray, which I suppose I didn't fully appreciate after years of being with him. They really are pretty striking.
    Well, nobody's questioning how handsome he is. Doesn't change what he did. But I have to pretend like we're in love, so I focus on his eyes.
    Uh oh. This could get dangerous.  
    Damn it. Jack was right. I've moved on, I'm over it. I want nothing more to do with Dean romantically. He's helping me out as a friend - admittedly a friend I don't trust as far as I can throw - but I can't stop staring at those eyes .
    "So, Dean." Stephanie has managed to worm her way between us. "You're like Don Draper, huh?"
    He laughs, way too cheerfully for the situation. "Sadly, no. I deserve neither such praise, nor such censure."
    "Oh my God." Tabby elbows her way in. "Did you just quote Jane Austen? Felicity, I can't believe you kept him quiet for so long."
    "Well, I did bring him to three Christmases," I point out. "But, you know..."
    "...I've been busy the last few years," Dean cuts in. "So I've had to miss almost everything, unfortunately. But things should change, now that I'm..."
    "The head of your own team!" my mom interrupts him. "Felicity mentioned it the other day. Congratulations! You must be so excited."
    "Well, it's a lot of responsibility," he says.