“Mm-hmm.”
“You don’t have to.”
“I didn’t ask because I had to. I wanted to. Do you want company, yes or no?”
“I’ll be there. If you want to come, it would be nice.”
I smile. “See you there.” I want to kiss her so badly, but kissing her in front of the other parents and her kids is not a good idea, so I squeeze her shoulder instead.
“Ten A.M. tomorrow?”
“See you then.”
Izzy runs back to her. “Ready?” she asks her as they retreat. She continues talking, “So what’s for dinner?”
27
YOU REALLY THINK I’M HOT
Do I Wanna Know? (Live At The BBC) by Hozier
Natalie
“So who watchesyour girls when you’re working?” Holden asks from the opposite side of the room as he slides a book onto the shelf. He’s been here most of the day, helping in many ways. He’s been answering questions, restocking shelves, and even reading to kids. It’s adorable to watch, and my heart has been skipping a beat every time I see how comfortable he is around here.
Saturdays—well, weekends in general—are busy. On Saturdays, I often take a half-day off since Ellie has started working, but with her kiddo sick, it's all on me.
“It depends, but today, they’re with my friends. You met them that one time.”
“Curly hair and the pregnant one? Or the one who takes Iz— um, Bella to practice?”
“You can call her Izzy if you want. It’s weird, but I’ll get used to it, and that’s Roe. But no, you were right. She’s with Allie,curly hair, and Cara, pregnant one.” I giggle at his descriptors. Very manlike.
“You’ve known them for a while? Also, is this the right place for this book?” He shows me a romance novel he’s trying to slide into the thriller area.
I shake my head. “No, that’s a romance. It goes over there.” I point to the right shelf. “And yes. All my life, practically. I met Cara in kindergarten and Allie in high school. They moved away for a while, but they’ve been back for around four years now, and we’re closer than ever.”
“It's good that you have framily.”
“Framily?"
“Yeah.” He steps down from the ladder. “Friends that become family.”
That’s the truth about who my friends are and how we love each other. It truly feels like the family we chose.
“Yeah, I guess so. Do you have a framily too?”
He laughs, taking a seat on the couch now that he’s done helping me restock the shelves. “I do. They’re obnoxious as shit, but I wouldn’t change it or trade them for anything.”
“Isn’t that how it always goes?”
“Yup.”
“What are their thoughts about your dad?”
Me and my damn mouth. I had to go and ruin this moment, especially judging by how he’s looking at me. Eyes wide, eyebrows all the way up, I can see them over his glasses as his jaw drops.
“You know what? You don’t have to answer that.”
