I squeezed her hand, and she laughed with a shake of her head. “Don’t worry, Mom. I’m not at risk of falling in love anytime soon. The boys in my class are either self-absorbed jerks or clueless nerds. Definitely not my type.”

“Good girl. Stay away from the boy drama. It’s nothing but heartache at your age.” I stabbed a cooked carrot with my fork, saluted Aria, and popped it in my mouth.

Sure, we had our battles over curfew and chores, but Aria had always been my miracle, in more ways than one. My miracle child after I found out I had polycystic ovarian syndrome; my miracle angel because of how perfect she was. While other teenagers rebelled, my Aria remained my Aria. My devoted sidekick, shopping companion, pedicure lover, partner in crime. I could never figure out what exactly I had done right to end up with a teenager who enjoyed my company and laughed at my jokes and watched romantic comedies with me on Saturday nights, but I didn’t question it often. Maybe it was Owen’s divisive nature that nudged us closer. Or maybe it was her genetic code that made her a mommy-pleasing mini-me. My petite blond-haired, blue-eyed duplicate. Whatever it was, it worked for us and I loved her for it.

“Are you coming to Lily’s with me tonight to work out?” I asked her.

Owen darted his eyes at Aria, then at me. “What’s this about Lily?”

I chewed my last bite of meat, silently configuring the words in my brain. I hadn’t anticipated his sudden interest in my workout schedule with my best friend. This wouldn’t do—not at all. I had too much planned for this evening, and I couldn’t risk his interference.

“Mind if Aria and I head over to the gym to meet Lily? Lily invited me to work out with her on Friday nights—plus it’s free training so I can get in shape.” The word free usually won him over, unless it involved golf, in which case no cost was too high. “I’m still trying to lose the weight I gained over Christmas.” Sure, the holidays had been five months ago, but it took ten times longer to lose weight than it did to gain it. I pinched the flab around my waist, a nervous reflex.

“No, not tonight. I’d prefer you stay home, Mackenzie. It’s not like those exercises are going to help; you never stick to them anyway.”