Hold on My Heart Read Online Free PDF Page B

Marti, life isn’t a cartoon. Seth and I are grown-ups, and sometimes you have to be logical and focus on the big picture. He’s traveling all the time, and I’m saving a lot of money by living in Monroe instead of Chicago. As soon as I get a job, I’ll move back, and we’ll pick up right where we left off.”
    Libby tugged off her other sandal and chucked it in the car.
    “That is the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard. He’s just being a coward,” Marti said.
    Libby lost her balance and fell against the side of the car with a grunt. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
    “It means his M.O. is benign neglect.”
    “And again, what’s
that
supposed to mean?” Libby finally got into her other shoe and planted both feet on the ground, but this conversation was still making her dizzy.
    “It means that Seth is too much of a coward to break up with you face-to-face, so he’s going to neglect you until you finally get so frustrated that
you
break up with
him
. That way he doesn’t have to feel guilty for dumping you. Trust me. I have been broken up with by every method ever invented. This is benign neglect.”
    Libby sensed a cloud passing over, dimming the light as if the ghost of relationships past hovered near her head.
    Marti gripped her shoulder. “Did he say he wants to see other people yet? Because when he does, it means he wants to see them naked.”
    Libby shrugged her shoulder away from Marti’s grip. “No, he hasn’t asked to see other people! God, Marti.”
    Then again, how could he ask when they hadn’t actually spoken in days? Seth blamed the time difference between Illinois and California for his lack of communication, but Libby could read between the lines of all those emails he
wasn’t
sending. Marti was right. Seth’s behavior felt very much like neglect, but there was nothing benign about it.
    Irritation buzzed in her head like a fly—a fly in a happily committed relationship that wanted to mock her. Whether her relationship with Seth was over, or they were just taking a detour, Libby wasn’t certain, and until she had all her facts, she didn’t want to talk about it. Certainly not to her baby sister who thought love was so easy.
    Libby pushed away from the car and stomped toward the schoolhouse with Marti on her heels.
    “I’m sorry, Libby. I know it sucks, but I hate to see you waiting for him. You should find a better guy.”
    Libby halted in her tracks as if a railroad crossing bar had just dropped in front of her. “Find a better guy? Marti, Seth and I have been together for almost four years. I’m not just going to toss that away because things are a little rocky for us right now. You treat commitment like it’s a game of Candy Land, and that’s just irresponsible.”
    Marti eyes went round and puddled with tears. “You don’t have to be mean just because you’re jealous of me and Dante.”
    “Jealous? Of you and the boy with the dragon tattoo? Oh, yeah, that’s what this is,” Libby said, circling a finger around her own face. “This is me. Being jealous.”
    But Marti’s gaze was so earnest, Libby flushed with remorse. There was no point in snapping at her sister just for being naïve. After a pause, she tugged Marti’s braid and sighed. “I’m sorry, Marti,” she said quietly. “I’m not jealous. I’m glad you’re happy. I just think you should wait before jumping into marriage. If he’s the right one now, he’ll still be the right one in six months when you know him better. Or next year, even, after you’ve finished college. Don’t do this spontaneously just to prove it’s the real thing.”
    Marti blinked and let a tear come down her cheek. “I can’t explain it, Libby. I just know I’m right about Dante. Okay?”
    This was everyone’s fault. Marti had been coddled and snuggled and indulged her entire life. By all of them. That little smattering of freckles across her nose made her impossible to resist.
    Libby swallowed down another sigh. “Okay.