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“Wyatt, not everything’s about you,” Mama says before Blaire’s within earshot “Welcome, welcome, come on in!”

Ma her in

We lock eyes in passing, but she doesn’t look at me for more than a second or two

“Everyone, look who I ran into thisroom

I stay in the hall for amy head around the surrealness of this entire situation I knew Maht the world of Blaire and ether—but the fact that she invited her over withoutit to me reeks of ulterior motives

“Holy shit,” I hear my oldest brother, Hart, say “Look who it is”

“Blaire, ,” Tripp says “It’s been forever How the hell are you?”

“Cash,” Blaire says “Good to see you again So good seeing all of you again This is all kind of …”

“Serendipitous?” Marandson, McCoy McCoy, this is Miss Blaire She’s an old friend of the family What do you say, McCoy?”

“How do you do, Miss Blaire?” His tone is robotic Maybe if she were animated and could shoot laser beams from her hands he’d be a little more interested

“And this little cowgirl over here is Daisy,to the cherub-faced, pig-tailed blondie who stole our hearts approximately six years back “Daisy, tell Miss Blaire who you’ve been riding this year”

“U a horse,” Daisy says “And do you knohat her name is?”

“I don’t know, but I bet you’re going to tell arten teacher

“Her naer And she’s kind of old and slow, but my daddy says that’s why she’s perfect for me”

“You know, Daisy, Miss Blaire used to ride Ginger back in the day, when she was a little … ood learning horse now, isn’t she?”

Blaire lifts her pal “You have no idea how happy that ood horse, and I loved her dearly Sounds like she’s in very capable hands with you, Miss Daisy”

My niece bea smile

“I’ her hand “Hart’s wife”