For what?I sputter.
A woman who makes you forget how to function.She winks over her shoulder.Can’t wait to meet her.
I stand there, mortified.
I can block slapshots at ninety miles an hour without blinking.I can bend and twist and reach with agile precision.But my sister taking pity on me because I have a crush?
Devastating.A blow that almost knocks me right on my ass.
Now, tell me everything,Dani says, a sinister look on her face.From the point Harper hurt herself, right up to the point you let this mystery woman slip through your fingers.
Knowing there’s no getting out of this, I let my head fall back and stare at the ceiling for a minute, getting myself together and trying to plot out the best course of telling her everything without telling hereverything.
It started with Harper getting on the trampoline with Heather P., who—
WHO I’M NEVER SPEAKING TO AGAIN!
I press my lips together, taking a deep breath through my nose.I thought the day was long, what with our hospital adventure.But I was wrong.Tonight is going to be the longest night of my life, trying to get this story out with Harper scream-interjecting every other sentence.
Any other night, I would have just laughed and gone with the flow, but I have an important matter to attend to: finding Eddie.
And figuring out why I was so drawn to her.
CHAPTER THREE
EDDIE
By the time I finally get my key in the lock, my spine feels like someone replaced a handful of vertebrae with dry spaghetti.The shift had been long, chaotic, and the kind of emotionally draining where you don’t even realize you skipped lunch until you’re halfway home and threatening to pull into a drive-thru like a feral raccoon.
The door clicks behind me, and I let my whole-body sag forward.
I’m home,I call out weakly.
No response.
I let out a long breath of relief.I was half expecting Joey to be glued to the TV, playing one of his video games and trying to make a dash for his room at being caught.This silence means that he actually might have gone to bed at a reasonable hour.
I’m trying to give him more responsibility.Tryingbeing the operative word.It’s been him and me, just us, for a very long time, and watching him become more independent and wanting to spread his wings has been both an absolute pleasure and a kick to the gut.
He’s a teenager now, growing every day, changing and discovering who he is, while I stay the same, watching from the sidelines…or whatever distance he finds the least embarrassing.
I kick off my shoes, ignoring the mountain of mail on the console table, and let myself fall, face first, onto the couch.My muscles sigh in relief.My bones applaud.Even my hair gives up and settles into the nearest throw pillow.It’s pure bliss being off my feet.
I close my eyes for one glorious second.
Then I hear, heavy footsteps stomp down the hallway.I take a deep inhale, preparing myself for what version of my grumpy teenager I’m about to get tonight.
Joey appears in the doorway, hair sticking up, cheeks flushed, and wearing pajamas that are too small for his growing frame.I press my lips together to stop the laugh, my heart melting at the sight of him.He looks so cute.The long-sleeve top is stretched over his chest, the hemline hovering just above his cotton pants so that you can see a section of his stomach.And oh my God, his pants!They stop mid-shin.Too short for his teenage height.
The pajamas need to be thrown out, but every time I bring it up, Joey insists they’re were fine.Every now and then, I get a peek of my once sensitive boy through the moody hormones, and my heart swells.These pajamas hold sentimental value for him.He would never admit it, but I know.So if he wants to keep them and keep looking like the Incredible Hulk expanding out of his clothes—fine.
Mom?he asks, rubbing one eye.
I melt instantly.Hey, buddy.Shouldn’t you be in bed?
Iwas,he emphasizes,but I heard the door.He shuffles toward me, climbing onto the sofa beside me but keeping enough distance that it can’t be considered cuddling.
Did you have a wild night?I ask, trying to brighten his mood.My hand reaches out, itching to brush his curls back off his face.He darts out of reach, giving me a squinty glare.
