The Space Between Sisters Read Free

glance at Everett. “Um, Poppy, can I see you in the kitchen?” she asked, pointedly.
    â€œOkay. We’ll be right back, Everett,” Poppy said, following Win through the kitchen’s swinging door.
    But as soon as it shut behind them Win turned to her. “Pops, what’s going on?”
    â€œNothing,” she said, mystified.
    â€œI mean, who’s the guy?”
    â€œThat’s Everett. Everett West.”
    Win rolled her eyes. “No, I mean, are you dating him?”
    â€œWhat? No, ” Poppy said. “He’s a friend. Well, an acquaintance, anyway. We both get our coffee at the same place every morning. You know, that little hole in the wall near my apartment? I took you there when you came to visit at Christmas.”
    â€œSo, you hang out together there?” Win said, still trying to clarify their relationship.
    â€œNot hang out, exactly, but we’ve stood in line together a couple of times.”
    Win’s eyes widened. “And that’s the extent of your relationship?”
    â€œMore or less.”
    â€œAnd other than his first name, and where he gets his coffee, do you know anything else about him?”
    â€œWell, those things and . . . oh, and he’s a techie,” Poppy said, proud to have remembered this much about him.
    But Win shook her head in disbelief. “Poppy, am I the only one seeing a problem here? You drive up with someone you barely know, and then you invite him into my cabin. I mean, for all you know, he’s a serial killer,” she hissed.
    â€œOh, for God’s sakes,” Poppy said, “Everett is not a serial killer.He’s a web designer . And trust me, I have excellent radar when it comes to men. He is not dangerous. I would think even you could see that, Win.”
    And Win, irritated by the implication of Poppy’s “even you,” had to admit, to herself anyway, that Everett didn’t seem very dangerous. He reminded her, in fact, of a type that was popular now on television and in movies; the smart but accessible guy who worked in the lab on a police procedural, or the soft-spoken but humorous sidekick to the male lead in a romantic comedy. Geeky-cute, she decided. And there was something about his eyes, too, that was appealing, the way they drooped down, just a tiny bit, at the corners, making him look just a little bit sleepy.
    â€œIs he tired?” Win asked suddenly, glancing in the direction of the living room. “Everett, I mean. Is he tired from the drive? Or do his eyes always look like that?”
    â€œLike what?” Poppy asked, perplexed at the direction the conversation had taken.
    â€œYou know, his eyes look kind of sleepy.”
    Poppy shook her head. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. I’ve never noticed his eyes before. But I’m assuming this means it’s okay for him to be here now.”
    â€œIt’s okay,” Win said.
    â€œAnd it’s okay for me to stay here?” Poppy asked.
    â€œ Yes . You’re always welcome here, you know that,” Win said, but this was followed by an awkward pause. Win knew without having to be told that Poppy believed the cabin should belong to both of them. “But what’s, uh, what’s Everett going to do tonight?” she asked, returning to the matter at hand.
    â€œOh,” Poppy said, her blue eyes widening with surprise. “I don’t know. I hadn’t really thought about it. Drive back to the city, I guess.”
    â€œAt this time of night? He won’t get back until . . . two o’clock in the morning.”
    â€œMaybe he can get a motel room,” Poppy suggested.
    â€œAre you going to pay for it?”
    â€œNo. He’s a big boy. He can pay for it himself.”
    â€œPoppy, that’s not the point,” Win said, shaking her head.
    â€œWhat is the point?”
    â€œThe point is that he drove four and a half hours to get you here,”