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)
It was cute. It had a cartoon of a cat with a thick Freddie Mercury mustache on it, wearing tight pants and a yellow jacket, one paw in the air, one holding a mic stand. Beneath the drawing it said Don’t stop meow. But I couldn’t even smile. “Yeah.”
“It’s so that she won’t forget us,” said Luna excitedly, bouncing around and knocking into things on the shelves. “Every day she can use her mug and think of us.”
I cleared my throat. “She’ll love it. Come on, before you break something.”
We paid for the mug and left the shop, wandering down the block toward the car. My feet felt heavy and slow as I dragged them through the fallen leaves on the sidewalk. A small moving truck had been parked in Winnie’s driveway all morning, and I’d been fucking miserable watching all her furniture disappear inside it.
“Can we bring it over to her when we get home, Daddy?” Luna asked, scuffing her heels through the crunchy brown and yellow leaves.
“If she’s there.”
“I hope she is!” Hallie hurried ahead to the car and tugged at the door handle. “Let’s hurry.”
When we pulled into the complex, we saw that Winnie’s garage door was open, and she was loading a suitcase into her trunk.
At the sight of her, my heart caromed in my chest and I nearly side-swiped another vehicle—I couldn’t take my eyes off her. She wore jeans and a fuzzy white sweater that looked soft and cozy. Her hair was tucked into a nest on the top of her head. I wanted to wrap my arms around her and hold her close, bury my face in her neck and beg her not to go. Tearing my eyes away, I pulled into our garage and turned off the car. Took a deep breath.
“Can we give it to her now, Daddy?” Hallie was already unbuckling her seatbelt.
“I guess so.” Steeling myself, I helped Luna out of the car. They grabbed the gift shop bag and went racing out of the garage.
Slowly, I collected their backpacks from the back seat, stuck them inside the back hallway, and made my way out of the garage. As I walked across to Winnie’s driveway, I could hear a delighted squeal of surprise—Winnie’s—and childish laughter.
“Oh my goodness, I love it!” Winnie’s entire face was lit up as she looked at the mug. “Thank you so much.”
I watched as she gave them each a hug, feeling jealous and hating myself for it. She noticed me approaching over Hallie’s shoulder, and her face changed immediately, the smile fading into nothing.
“Hey, Dex,” she said coolly, placing the mug back in the bag.
“Hey, Win.” I stuck my hands in my pockets. “You like your gift?”
“I love it.” She looked at the girls before smiling again and holding the bag to her chest. “I promise to use it every day. And I’m so happy you came by, because I have something for you too.”
Hallie and Luna exchanged an excited glance. “You do?”
“Yes. Want to come inside?”
They looked at me. “Can we, Daddy?” Hallie asked.
“Sure. I can wait out here.”
Winnie met my eyes, hers carefully neutral. “You can come in too.” She shrugged. “If you want.”
Her icy demeanor was making me angry—I wanted to take her by the shoulders and kiss her until she loved me again—but I nodded and followed them through the garage into her condo.
The place was almost completely empty.
“Your stuff is all gone!” Luna said.
“Yeah, the moving guys were here this morning and got it all loaded up.” Winnie sounded a little wistful.
“But where’s Piglet?” Hallie sounded worried.
“She’s here.” Winnie smiled. “She’s been hiding out in the pantry all day because of all the commotion. You know how she is with strangers.”
“But we’re not strangers,” Luna said adamantly. “We’re friends.”
“Maybe she’ll come out if you ask her.”
Luna went over to the pantry and got down on her knees, while Hallie continued to look around. “Is your bed still here?”
“Nope. My bed is on its way to Rhode Island.” She smiled ruefully. “I have to sleep at my parents’ house tonight.”
“You could sleep at our house,” Hallie offered. “Daddy can sleep on the couch. You might not even hear him snoring down there.”
Winnie and I exchanged a glance—did I imagine the flicker of warmth?
“Thanks,” Winnie said, “but I’ll be good in my old room. Since it’s my last night here, my family wants to be with me.”
I wanted to be with her on her last night here—I wanted it so badly I had to press my tongue to the roof of my mouth or I was going to say it aloud.
Luna came out of the pantry holding Piglet. “She let me pick her up,” she said softly.
“Good job.” Winnie smiled at Luna. “She knows you now.”
“Do you think she’ll miss us?”
“Definitely. So you better be sure to email me, okay? I’ll read your messages out loud to her. And send pictures too, so I can show her.” Winnie went over to the counter and picked up two little white plastic bags. “Here. I have something for each of you.”