“That’s what I always say!”
“How old are you?” Ellie asked.
“I’m twenty-four.” Mariah glanced over at Chip and grinned. “People are always teasing him about robbing the cradle.”
“A ten-year gap isn’t too crazy,” Ellie said. “That’s like your dad and stepmom, right, Win?”
I nodded. “Yep. And they’ve been together for eighteen years.”
Mariah smiled. “Good to know.”
“Maybe he’ll retire and you guys could move up here,” Ellie said.
“We’ve actually talked about that.” She lowered her voice. “Although he doesn’t want me to say anything to anyone, because he hasn’t made a decision. But we want kids pretty soon after we’re married, and I’d like to be closer to home once that happens. Family is really important to me.”
Even though I was happy for Mariah and Chip, I felt a momentary twinge of envy—how exciting to be planning a future together, and thinking about a family of their own. I knew most people my age put those things off until they were closer to thirty or even older, but I’d always imagined myself as a young wife and mom. I had a lot of love and energy to give, and it made me happy to give it, so why keep it to myself? I just needed to find the right person to share it with.
After Christmas, of course.
Chip approached with a beer in his hand but no Dex by his side.
“Did you lose your friend?” Mariah asked.
“I did. He just texted me.” Chip frowned. “Apparently one of the girls is allergic to tree nuts and ate something that gave her a reaction.”
I gasped. “Oh no—it’s Luna! Was she okay?”
“He said she’s fine, but he needed to get her home and give her some medication.”
“Poor thing,” Ellie said.
“Are they coming back?” I asked.
“He said they might,” Chip replied. “He just needs to see how she’s doing in half an hour or so. I hope they do.”
I nodded, concerned for the little girl. “Me too.”
We moved out to the patio, where I said hello to my dad and Frannie, my sister Millie, and lots of other relatives and family friends. I felt sorry for Mariah as she made the rounds with Chip because I knew she was frantically trying to remember everyone’s names.
Every now and again, I scanned the crowd, looking for Dex and the girls, but they never returned. I couldn’t stop thinking about Luna and wondering if she was okay.
When Ellie dropped me off around ten-thirty that night, I wondered if it was too late to knock on their door and check in on her. I didn’t have Dex’s number or anything, or else I’d have sent a quick text.
In the end, I decided against knocking, since I didn’t see any lights on in their front windows. Instead, I waved goodbye to Ellie and let myself in, ditching my high, block-heeled sandals by the front door.
In the kitchen, Piglet came wandering out from her hiding spot seeking attention, and I bent down to give her some. “What do you think, time for bed?” I asked her, scratching behind her ears.
But I wasn’t tired yet, so I grabbed a spoon and the remains of my Frosty, and went out to the patio. I had a small table, two chairs, and a few potted plants out there, which I realized I’d forgotten to water the past few days.
Setting the cup on the table, I lit my citronella candle to keep the mosquitoes away and went back inside to fill the plastic pitcher under my sink. Back on the patio again, I began pouring water into one of the pots. “I’m sorry, kids,” I said to my plants. “I forgot to feed you, didn’t I?”
“Happens to me all the time,” said a deep voice to my left.
Six
Dex
“Oh!” Startled, Winnie spilled water over the side of the flowerpot and touched a hand to her chest. “I didn’t see you there.”
“Sorry,” I said, rising from the cement. I’d been sitting there for the last half an hour, leaning back against the brick, nursing a beer and enjoying the silence. “Didn’t mean to scare you. I don’t have any furniture out here yet. Or candles.”
“Then you’re probably being eaten alive,” she said. “The mosquitoes are awful out here at night.”
I shrugged. “I have all the lights off, so they haven’t bothered me much.”
“How’s Luna?”
“She’s fine. It was a very mild reaction—she just needed an antihistamine.”
“Oh, good,” she said, sounding relieved. “I was worried when you didn’t come back.”
“The antihistamine makes her sleepy, so we ended up just ordering pizza and watching a movie. They both fell asleep on the couch without brushing their teeth—don’t tell their mother—and I had to carry them both to bed.”
She mimed zipping her lips.
“But they were sad about missing the party. I had to promise them we’d go swimming right after church tomorrow.”
“Sounds like fun. Would you like to sit over here?” she asked, gesturing toward the chairs on her patio.
My first instinct was to say no—as much as I wanted to deny it, I was attracted to her, and spending time together out here in the dark seemed like a bad idea.
But then I reconsidered—maybe by getting to know her better, I could defuse the tension, stomp out the spark. Every word out of her mouth would remind me of how young she was, right? For fuck’s sake, she was out here drinking a chocolate milkshake. And I didn’t want her to think I was an asshole, especially after she’d heard me yelling at Naomi on the phone. We’d have to live next door to each other for a while. Better to be friendly.
I glanced behind me—I’d be able to hear the girls through the screen if they called out. Their bedroom window was also open above us. “Sure. I’m going to grab another beer. Can I bring you one?”
She hesitated, and for a second I panicked.
“Wait—you’re old enough to drink, right?”
She laughed. “Yes.”
“I saw the milkshake and I wasn’t sure.”
“Nope—that’s just my chocolate Frosty from yesterday. Those things are my favorite, but this one is definitely past its prime. I’ll take you up on the beer, thanks. And no worries, I’m twenty-two.”
Fuck. Twenty-two.
“Be right back.” Feeling like I was contributing to the delinquency of a minor anyway, I went through the sliding door into my house, set my empty bottle on the counter, and swiped two cold ones from the fridge. My sister had brought a six-pack over for Justin and me earlier, but we hadn’t touched it.
Before going back outside, I set the bottles down and crept up the stairs to peek into the girls’ bedroom—both of them were sound asleep. After a quick check to make sure they were both still breathing, I snuck back down the stairs as silently as I could.
But before I went back to the patio, I ducked into the downstairs bathroom, switched on the light, and checked my reflection. Immediately I sort of wished I hadn’t, because my hair looked grayer and my forehead more wrinkled than I remembered. I tried to relax my facial muscles. I fussed with my hair. I tucked in my plain white T-shirt.