“Thanks, Pat.” She turned back to Liv, her fingers tapping gently on the counter. “Lily’s doing okay. I think she’s trying to be strong more than anything and trying to be okay for Sarah and me. But when we sat her down and floated the idea of me sticking around here a little longer while Sarah goes to D.C., she said absolutely not. So Lily’s going to come out with us, stay for a month and help us get settled in the new house, and then she’s moving in with Dylan to give herself some time to figure out what she wants to do next.”
A jingle rang through the shop as the voices of Lily and Dylan carried in from outside, chatting rapidly.
“My cue to leave,” Liv said softly. “I’ll text you Tuesday about swinging by.”
“Perfect, have fun at the park.”
“Hi, Liv. Bye, Liv.” Lily giggled as Liv slipped past and out the door in a flurry of auburn hair and jingling bells.
“Got the pitas,” Lily chirped, smile firmly in place.
“Perfect timing.” Pat grinned, wiggling the last cup into the drink carrier. “Drinks are ready.”
Beth reached for the carrier. “Thanks so much. See you guys tomorrow morning? One last brunch before we go?”
Pat wiped his hands on his apron. “You know it.”
Back at the house, Lily unloaded the food on the kitchen island as Beth rummaged around for plates and napkins. She grabbed Sarah’s lunch and a bottle of sparkling water and made her way down the hall off the kitchen to her studio, which they had turned into a makeshift office for Sarah.
Sarah had put her house on the market at the end of the previous month, only for it to go under contract the same day with an extremely motivated buyer, with a sale finalized nine days later. And now, for the first time in thirteen years, Beth, Sarah, and Lily were all living under the same roof again as a family.
She knocked before entering, knowing Sarah’s busy schedule and not wanting to be disruptive.
Sarah glanced up at her over the rim of her tortoiseshell glasses. An easy smile played on her lips at the sight of Beth before she glanced back to her computer screen. “Hey, I need one more minute to finish this email.”
Beth nodded, moving around the table to where Sarah sat perched on a stool. She set the food down and stepped behind her. Bringing her hands forward, she used her thumbs to massage Sarah’s strong shoulders, delighting in the small groan that left Sarah’s lips as she started her movements.
Sarah continued typing as Beth leaned forward, her mouth hovering purposefully above the exposed skin of Sarah’s neck below her ear.
“You know,” Sarah said, voice low and slow and excited, “you’re making this take longer with all your distractions.”
Beth placed a hot, wet kiss on Sarah’s neck before pulling away. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.” She feigned innocence, leaning instead against the work table.
“While I finish this, read the last text from Nell,” Sarah said, handing her phone to Beth, who keyed in her passcode, pulling up Sarah’s conversation thread with Nell.
Nell 1:03 PM
Wanted you to be the first to know, this press release is dropping tomorrow. Been in negotiations with Pride’s management, and an agreement was finally reached. Couldn’t tell you sooner. —N
Attached to Nell’s message was a press release titled:Philadelphia Freedom Signs Forward Wren Parker.
“Why does Nell always sign her texts?” Beth asked curiously.
“No idea, but it makes her seem like she’s seventy. Thoughts on the press release?”
“None other than I’ll rock, paper, scissor you to choose who has to tell Lily.”
Sarah tapped the enter key, a whooshing noise following indicating the sent email as she turned sideways on the stool. She wrapped her arms tightly around Beth’s middle, nestling her face directly against her chest, muttering into her breasts, “I nominate you tell her, and we just skip to the scissoring part.”
“You’d like that, wouldn’t you?” Beth laughed, bringing her hand up to release the plastic claw clip holding Sarah’s long, honey brown hair in place. Soft waves tumbled over her shoulders as Beth wove her fingers into Sarah’s hair, tugging gently. “Let’s tell her together today and be done with it.”
To their surprise, Lily’s voice rang out from the doorway behind them. “Tell me what?”
Beth jumped, turning around, Sarah’s arms still loosely around her. “Oh—um, that,” she started, suddenly nervous.
Luckily, Sarah swooped in with an answer in her no-nonsense, straightforward way that Beth had never quite been able to emulate. “Wren was traded to the Philadelphia Freedom, sweetie,” Sarah said simply as Lily took a bite from the pita in her hand.
Beth watched nervously, waiting for Lily’s reaction but she didn’t say anything as she chewed thoughtfully—an unsettling occurrence considering that their daughter nearly always had some quip or witty remark to say about any topic.
