“Wait, how long are you going to be gone?” There’s way more here than for just a couple of nights. I mean, we’ve got quite a bit at our place, but there’s a large suitcase and several plastic grocery bags full of clothes, toys, a few favorite stuffed animals, and other items.
“I don’t know. At least a week, maybe two.”
“Must be something bad, huh?”
“What? Oh, yeah. It’s a clusterfuck.” She grabs another suitcase from her trunk and hands it over.
“What if we need something for her from your place while you’re gone? Does someone have a key to let us in?”
She winces. “Good point. Here.”
And she starts removing her key from her keyring and handsthatto me.
I force myself to take it. Thelastthing I want is a key to our boyfriend’s ex-wife’s condo.
Not that sheknowshe’s our boyfriend. That’s totally beside the point. Life is, in fact, infinitely easier forallof us if she doesn’t know he’s our boyfriend.
“Thanks!” she says. Then, with a hug I’m still trying to process, she practically dives into her car and heads out.
Well, shit.
In all the years I’ve been forced to interact with Jerilyn, I think I can count on both hands with fingers to spare the number of times she’s hugged me.
I take a moment to rearrange everything in my car. Then I move my car, parking closer to the store, and go inside. I’m going to need caffeine and Excedrin to help knock this headache back into functioning range. I grab a bag of cheese sticks, too, hoping the protein will help keep my stomach settled so I don’t have to pull over and puke.
I make it to Katie’s school on time, fortunately, but I’m nowhere near the front of the pick-up line. She spots me immediately and runs to my car, yanking the back passenger-side door open. “Hi Aunt Zoey!”
“Hello, sweetheart. Surprise.”
She leans over the back of my seat to hug me before buckling her seat belt. “Why are you picking me up today?”
“Your mom had to go out of town for work suddenly.” I hand her my cell phone, with her mom’s phone number already queued and ready to go. “Here, you can call her.”
After a five-minute call, Katie returns my phone and settles in. “When will Daddy get home?”
“I don’t know for sure, honey. He had to drive down to Ft. Myers for work stuff.”
We’re almost home when my phone rings from Nolan’s number. I almost hand the phone over to Katie, but then I remember Nolan won’t necessarily realize it’s Katie answering and not me, and he’s the king of X-rated greetings with us.
“Hey,” I say. “Talk to Katie.” I hand the phone back to her and she starts excitedly chattering away at him about this unexpected change of plans.
I don’t need to see Nolan’s face to know he’s now likely feeling as mixed about this as I am.
Yay, Katie time.
Boo, bye-bye adult time.
I mean, maybe I shouldn’t be greedy. We finally get to live together. We get to go to sleep next to each other every night now. That’s more than I ever thought would happen.
Katie finishes talking to him and taps me on the shoulder with my phone. “He wants to talk to you, Aunt Zoey.”
I take the phone back. “So,” I start. “Change of plans for tonight.”
He sighs. “Sorry, sweetheart. I’ll make it up to you. I’ll wrap things up as soon as I can and head home.”
I glance in the rearview mirror at my passenger. “We’re okay. I need to get rid of this headache. I’ve been fighting a migraine all day, so tonight likely would’ve been borked for me, regardless.” At least Katie sleeps like the dead. Once she’s down for the night, we’ll get to power cuddle. Or…something.
Well, Nolan and Arlo will, for sure.
