Yeah, totally normal. Nothing suspicious here.
I slap a smile on my face and head to the front door, which opens before I can even knock. April comes barreling out and throws her arms around my waist.
“Mom! We had the best time! Aunt Margo taught me how to make pizza from scratch, and we stayed up until almost midnight watching movies, and we did face masks, and?—”
“Breathe, sweetheart,” I say with a laugh, hugging her back tightly. Lord, I missed her. Even though it’s only been a couple of days, it feels a lot longer.
Margo appears in the doorway, grinning. “She’s not exaggerating. We had a blast. Although I’m pretty sure my kitchen is never going to be the same after our pizza-making adventure.”
“I’m sure it was worth it,” I say, following April inside to grab her overnight bag.
“Definitely worth it.” Margo leans against the door frame, studying me with a look I know all too well. She knows something is up, and she’s trying like hell to pinpoint it. “You must have had a good ‘me weekend.’ You’re literally glowing.”
My stomach flips, but I’m doing my best to play it cool. “Really? I just caught up on some sleep and took a couple of nice, long baths. Super exciting stuff, I know.”
“Uh-huh.” She’s still giving me that knowing, appraising look. “Well, whatever you did, it agrees with you. You look good. Very relaxed.”
“Thanks.” I turn and busy myself with checking April’s bag, partly to make sure she’s leaving with everything she brought, and partly because I’m desperate to change the subject. “I appreciate you taking her for the weekend. I know you’re busy with the baby coming and everything.”
“Oh, please. I loved every second of it.” Margo ruffles April’s hair. “And my favorite niece is welcome here anytime, right?”
April nods enthusiastically. “Do you think I can come back next weekend?”
Margo and I both laugh. “Let’s not get ahead of ourselves,” I say. “We haven’t even left yet. Let’s give Aunt Margo time to catch her breath.”
We chat for a few more minutes. Margo tells me about the pizza dough incident, and April demonstrates the fancy braid Margo taught her. It’s easy and comfortable, but I can feel Margo’s eyes on me every so often, like she’s still trying to figure out what I’m not telling her.
Or maybe I’m just being paranoid. There’s no way she could possibly know anything about me and Grant, even if she might have a few suspicions.
“Anyway,” I say once there’s a lull in the conversation, “we should get going. I have some work stuff to catch up on tonight. Another event at the shelter I’m trying to plan.”
“You’re always working so hard,” Margo says, pulling me into a hug. “But seriously, whatever you did this weekend, keep doing it. You look happier than I’ve seen you in a long time.”
“Thanks, sis,” I manage, returning the hug. “Love you.”
“Love you too.” She bends down to give April a squeeze. “And you come back and see me anytime you want, okay? I mean it.”
“Okay!” April lights up, and I have a feeling we’ll be doing this all over again sooner rather than later. “Thank you, Aunt Margo!”
We make our way back to the car, with April chattering the entire time about everything else she did with Margo. I’m doing my best to keep up and stay attentive, but my mind is already racing ahead to what is going to happen when we get back to Grant’s house.
Back to acting normal. Back to pretending nothing has changed.
Once we’re buckled in and pulling out of the driveway, April’s excitement somehow kicks up another notch.
“Oh, Mom, I forgot to tell you the coolest part!” She’s practically bouncing in her seat. “When I was with Aunt Margo at work the other day, she showed me all the stuff she does. Like taking pictures during the games and making posts for the team. There’s so much that goes into it!”
Her enthusiasm is off the charts, and her smile is so wide that I can’t help but mirror it. “That sounds amazing, sweetheart! It’s pretty cool getting to see what Aunt Margo does, isn’t it?”
“So cool! And she said next time we go to a game, she’s going to show me even more.” She pauses for a big breath, as if she just realized she’s been getting low on oxygen. “Oh, and Sophie frommy reading club said her dad has a job kind of like that, too. For a basketball team, though, not hockey.”
“Oh yeah? How’s reading club going, by the way?” I ask, happy that she brought it up. She was so nervous about joining at first.
“It’s good! Sophie’s really nice, and we’re reading this fantasy story about dragons. It’s cool.” She’s quiet for a second, then adds, “Some of the other kids in the club play hockey. Like, on actual teams.”
Something in her tone makes me glance over at her. “Yeah?”
“Yeah. They were talking about their games and stuff, and it sounded really fun.” She fidgets with her seatbelt strap. “Do you think... I mean, would it be weird if I wanted to try it sometime? Playing, I mean. Not just watching.”
