Marissa stood and grabbed London’s purple collar and took her over to the kennel.
“Where is Scott?” I opened my ice cream. He usually wasn’t far from wherever Marissa was.
“He’s in Clifton, helping his parents with some stuff with their house. He will be backtonight though.”
Rose brushed any stray hairs that might have landed on her black pants, washed her hands, and then sat at the table.
“Okay.” Marissa smiled. “Let’s unpack this Coach Peters situation.”
“It’s Adam, apparently.” I put my head in my hands.
“Ohhhh!” Both girls squealed in unison, then we all giggled.
I dug my spoon into the soft texture and took a bite. The cold sugar coated my tongue and worries. The best things in life are usually packed with sugar. My five-foot-nothing frame had some things not going for it, but a fast metabolism was a point in my favor.
My phone rang, and I silenced it without looking. It was probably spam. I didn’t allow myself to wonder if it was Mom. I had broken down and answered an unknown number over Thanksgiving break only to hear about my car warranty that didn’t exist.
Rose raised an eyebrow and nodded. “Okay, which first, mommy issues or hot daddy issues?”
I rolled my eyes. The girls knew I had a complicated relationship with my parents, namely my mother, and that she was beyond disappointed when I became a teacher and left the life that was set up for me.
I told Rose that Mom had gotten my number recently and I was trying to ignore her. I still listened to her passive aggressive voicemails, even though I should have deleted them.
I shouldn’t keep my past from Rose and Marissa, but my past was complicated, and honestly, I wanted to start over, without carrying it around with me.
“There is not enough ice cream in this town to talk about mommy issues. Let’s stick to Adam.” I took another bite.
“So why does he want to volunteer?” Rose took a large bite. “Does he feel bad or something?” The frigid ice cream made her mouth pronounce the words as if she had a cold.
“He says Danny loves the fair and wants to be involved insomething he enjoys, and yes, he apologized for how he acted in the meeting, even though I’m as much to blame.”
“Awww…I love that.” Marissa said.
“I bet he is a great kisser, and he could definitely lift you off your feet with those biceps.” Rose wiggled her eyebrows.
The image instantly played in my mind, and I enjoyed the daydream more than I should have. “Rose! Not helping. And not interested.” My cheeks heated. Okay, maybe some interested.
Rose pointed her spoon at me. “Umm, girl, everyone with a pulse is interested.”
“I’m not.” Marissa fluttered her fingers in the air, showing off her wedding ring.
“Is Scott already forgiven for the cookies then?” I asked, with a raised brow.
She was so happy she practically glowed. It was inspiring the way she adored her husband, and he obviously returned the sentiment. I wondered if my parents had ever been that way. It seemed more like they sprouted from an ancient business transaction rather than anything resembling affection. They often slept in different rooms and barely seemed to acknowledge each other’s existence.
“Well, he bought them, and I ate four of the six, so…” She shrugged.
I chuckled. “Fair.”
“But, back to Adam.” Marissa raised her eyebrows.
I set down my spoon inside the lid. “Admittedly, he is gorgeous. But he also seems very extroverted.” I shuddered. “Besides, everyone has said he isn’t interested in dating.” I shrugged. “Not that I have thought about dating him or anything.” My cheeks heated.
“Riiight.” Rose quirked an eyebrow.
Marissa lifted her spoon in the air. “People saying they aren’t dating isn’t always the barrier you think it would be.” She gestured around the room, grinned, and scooped another bite.
“Facts.” Rose pointed her long acrylic nails at Marissa.
