Total pages in book: 105
Estimated words: 103061 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 515(@200wpm)___ 412(@250wpm)___ 344(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 103061 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 515(@200wpm)___ 412(@250wpm)___ 344(@300wpm)
As I stuck the cupcake box in the fridge, my phone vibrated in my back pocket. I pulled it out.
“Speaking of rash decisions,” I muttered.
Naomi and I had been high school sweethearts who’d broken up after graduation, but we’d hooked up again a few years later when I’d been home between tours. Getting married had been an impulsive move fueled mostly by nostalgia and beer.
I debated letting her go to voicemail, but since I had the girls, I took the call. When she had them, she was pretty good about letting me call and say goodnight.
“Hello.”
“Hey. How was the move?” she asked breezily.
“Fine.”
“You’re all settled in?”
“Yep.”
“Because if there’s nowhere for them to sleep tonight, you can always bring them back here. I’m sure you have a lot to do.”
“Their beds are all put together, Naomi. They even have clean sheets on them.”
“Look at you.” She laughed. “What are you doing for dinner? Do you have a kitchen together yet?”
“Actually, we have Chip’s engagement party tonight.”
“You’re taking them to a party?” The pitch of her voice rose dramatically, as if I’d said I was taking them to a strip club. “You don’t want to do that. Why not bring them here?”
“Because it’s my time with them, Naomi. And they want to go.”
“Will they have dinner there?”
My headache returned with a vengeance, and I started hunting around a kitchen box for the ibuprofen. “I’m sure there will be food. It’s a party.”
“Make sure Luna doesn’t eat anything with nuts.”
“She won’t. They won’t be hungry for a while anyway, they just ate cupcakes.”
“Before dinner?”
“Is there something you want, Naomi?” I asked through clenched teeth. “Otherwise, I need to go up and get them in the shower. I don’t want to be late.”
“Are you okay? You sound stressed.”
“I have a fucking headache, and I can’t find the ibuprofen. Now what do you want?”
“I was going to ask to talk to them, but never mind,” she said. “I can tell you’re overwhelmed, and I know how you get when you can’t handle things.”
“I’m not overwhelmed, I have a headache!” I barked. “And I can fucking handle anything right now except you trying to barge in on my time with the girls! I’ll bring them back to you tomorrow, and don’t fucking call me before then!” I ended the call and shoved my phone into my back pocket as I stormed toward the stairs.
“Um, excuse me?”
Startled, I glanced to my left, and through the screen door, I saw Winnie on the porch.
Fuck. She’d probably just heard me yelling at Naomi. Exhaling, I moved toward the door and opened it.
“Can I help you?” I asked, more tersely than intended.
She looked a little nervous, not that I blamed her, as she held out a small pink box of Band-Aids. “I had these lying around and thought Luna might want them for her knee. Band-Aids sometimes come off in the shower, so . . .”
I reached out and took them from her, noticing she was careful not to let our fingers touch this time. “Thanks.”
“That’s it—I just wanted to—um, okay, have a good night.” She turned to leave, and I probably should have let her.
“Wait a second.”
She faced me again, her expression still wary.
“I’m sorry about that.” I gestured over my shoulder with the pink box. “My ex-wife—the girls’ mom—knows how to get a rise out of me.”
“Oh, that’s okay. It’s none of my business, and I didn’t really hear anything.” It was obvious she’d heard everything.
I nodded slowly. “Well, thanks for the Band-Aids. Luna will appreciate it.”
Her smile was back, along with that stutter in my chest. “Good. Enjoy your night.”
“You too.”
She turned around and went down the steps, cutting across the lawn to her place with that same youthful bounce in her step. Glancing down at the box, I shook my head—of course she had a whole thing of pink princess Band-Aids. I shut the door and trudged up the stairs to get the kids cleaned up.
Hallie went first, after a brief attempt to get me to let her wear socks in the shower. As usual, I refused, explaining again that the entire house had been thoroughly cleaned before we moved in, and I’d been here yesterday to make sure of it.
While she was getting dressed, I made sure Luna washed her hair and used soap, then helped her get dried off. After hanging up their towels, I double-checked that they’d chosen appropriate clothing and was just about to get in my own shower when I heard a series of high-pitched beeps.
“What’s that?” Hallie said, scrunching up her face.
Instantly on high alert, I put my hand up. “Shh.”
I heard it again, and recognized it as a smoke detector going off, but not in our house—we were hearing it through the walls. “Stay here.”
I raced out of their room and took the stairs down three at a time, jumping to the bottom with five to go. Barreling out my front door, I ran over to Winnie’s and knocked. The alarm was clearly coming from inside her unit, and when she didn’t answer the door, I made a split-second decision to bust in.