She scrunches up her nose, her glare burning me. “Gross. I’m not, like, a child. I already have friends. This is so stupid. I don’t want to live in the forest like a woodland creature. I thought this would be, like, a cute little lake house moment, not…this.” Her gaze meets Lewis’s, and she steps forward, begging. “Come on, Dad. I was supposed to spend the summer with my real friends. The ones I already have. Just because you guys hate each other now, you don’t have to ruin my whole life.”
“We don’t hate each other,” I say quickly.
At the same time, Lewis says, “Well, let’s not be dramatic.”
We exchange a glance, and, finally, I add, “I know this is tough on you, Tay, but what if your friends came here for a weekend or something? You could camp out in the woods, build a fire in the yard. I’d even let you invite some boys over for a few hours, if their parents say it’s okay.”
Lewis gives me a look, but I ignore him, too preoccupied by the horrified expression on Taylor’s face. “I don’t want to invite people here, Mom. I don’t want anyone to know I’m here, living like freaking Laura Ingalls or something. It’s not a good look. This is not a vacation spot, okay? None of my friends want to come, like, build a fire and roast s’mores. We aren’t seven.”
I huff out a breath. This would’ve been a lot easier if shewereseven.
Lewis steps in, a hand raised to calm her down. “Bug, listen, as much as I would love for you to come with me, your mom’s right. You need to stay here and get settled in. Help unpack. I’ll order you a new computer tonight and have it sent to you this week, okay?”
I want to argue. To say I’ll take care of the computer, but we both know I can’t afford to, so I don’t say anything at all. I just watch my daughter stand there, hating us both.
A knock on the door interrupts our conversation and we look around, confused.
“Expecting someone?” Lewis asks.
“The internet company, but they were supposed to text first.” I check my phone before hurrying across the room to open the door, grateful for the interruption.
Conrad stands at the door, a casserole dish in his hands. He looks almost shocked that I answered.
“Um. Sorry if I’m interrupting. I just… Here.” He shoves the casserole dish at me awkwardly. “They aren’t homemade, but I’m not supposed to tell you that.” He scratches the back of his neck. “I, uh, I wanted to make sure everything was okay after yesterday. The police came by to check on, er, well, you know. Everything.”
“Thank you,” I tell him, glancing into the side of the clear casserole dish to see a pile of assorted cookies. “You really didn’t have to do this.”
“Think of it as our welcome, um,backto the neighborhood gift.”
“Our?” I ask him. “You’re…married?”
“I am.” He smiles and twirls the simple, silver ring around his finger. “Ten years in a few months.” His eyes dart toward Taylor, then Lewis, waiting for an introduction.
“Sorry. This is Lewis, my hus—ex-husband.” Fire burns my insides at the slip-up. “And this is Taylor. Our daughter. Guys, this is Conrad. He lives nearby and has been keeping an eye on the house for Mom.”
Lewis steps closer to me, almost too close, holding out a hand to shake Conrad’s. “Nice of you to drop by with these.”
“Oh, it’s no problem. Especially since Corinne let me borrow some apples yesterday.”
“Apples?” Lewis asks, looking at me.
“Hedge apples,” I correct. “For the spiders. It’s a long story. Anyway, thank you again, Conrad. For these and for stopping by. It’s kind of you to check on us.”
“Well, force of habit, I guess. I used to walk over here every morning, just to check on things. Get my steps in.” He pats his stomach, the slight pudge there. “I’m glad you’re both okay.” His eyes shift between us again, and when he lands on Lewis, they dash uncomfortably back to me. “I won’t keep ya. But you let me know if you need anything, okay? My number’s written down there.” He gestures toward the casserole dish, and I notice a name—Mulligan—and a phone number.
With that, he steps backward and walks off the porch.
Once the door is shut, I move past Lewis and place the cookies on the counter.
Lewis follows behind me. “Who was that?”
“You heard him. It’s the neighbor.”
“I don’t like the two of you out here alone, and certainly not with a strange man lurking around.”
“Lurking?” I scoff, staring at him. “You don’t get to tell me what to do anymore, remember? It’s what you wanted.”
“Oh my god, you guys,” Taylor groans, disappearing back down the hall. A few moments later, her door slams shut.
