Page 139 of The Trouble with Flings

“They’re looking forward to meeting you, too.”

A call buzzes through as I round the corner onto my street. “Hold on, Mom, I have another call coming through.” Mia’s name flashes on the screen. “It’s Mia.”

“Go talk to her. I’ll see you girls tonight. Love you.”

“Love you, too.” I switch over to Mia. “Hi.”

“Hey, did you decide on a dress for tonight?” Mia asks.

“No. I’m debating between the green, the black, and the color block, but none are great. I swear my body changes every fricking day. Two weeks ago, the dresses all looked fine, but now I’m drifting dangerously close to stuffed-sausage territory.”

Mia snorts. “You’re pregnant.”

“I know, and I love that my body can do something as amazing as grow a tiny human,” I clarify. “But that doesn’t mean I won’t feel like a stuffed sausage.”

“Your body looks fantastic, and Fitz is going to spend the entire night staring at you like he wants to tear your dress off. Besides, I told you to come shopping in the closet at work, so I don’t want to hear you bitch about not having anything to wear.”

“When exactly could I have done that? I’ve been slammed at work. By the time I get home, I’m wiped out, and last weekend I was on Silver Island.”

“Yeah, yeah,” she teases. “What’s going on with that, anyway?”

“I met with the directors of the assisted living facility and the community center. They were great and interested in helping. The assisted living facility has some red tape to go through, and the community center is an option, but I got such a good feeling from Roddy last time that I went back to talk to him. He was really excited about doing something to help Holden, and it felt like the right place for him. So I discussed it with Holden, and we went to talk with Roddy together. We all agreed to give it a try.”

“That’s great. And Holden is good with this whole thing?”

“He’s not exactly jumping up and down for joy, but Erin said he’s not quite as sullen and he’s spending more time drawing again. He and I have been texting about the project all week. His ideas are a bit more urban than small-town, but we’re working on finding a way to bring the two together.”

“That’s got to be hard.”

“It is, but this isn’t just the community’s mural. It’s his, too, and it has to mean something to him. I don’t want to take his love for urban life out of him. I think we can find a way to make it work. He said he hasn’t seen much of the island, so Fitz and I are going to show him around next weekend.”

“Fitz, too? You guys are really invested.”

“Holden’s a kid. We can’t just turn our backs on him. Besides, the island has so much to offer, I’m hoping the more he gets to see of it, the more he’ll like it.”

“I’m sure he will, with time. Have you made a decision about spending the summer there?”

“I’ve been thinking about it a lot, and I think I’m going to do it. It’ll be a lot of back-and-forth, but I can do online meetings, too. If I plan things right, I can spend most of each week and weekends on the island. It would give me more time with Fitz, and I can work with Holden the days I’m there. I’m enjoying working with him and being involved with the decision-making process. It’s another way to learn more about who he is and what he needs to feel good about himself. Unless you think it’s a mistake? Does it make me too dependent on Fitz if I live there?”

“No. I think it’s a great idea. I told you that when you first mentioned it. By the way, I love Keira and Bellamy and Daphne and Jules. I can’t wait to meet them in person. We’ve been texting about the gender reveal, and they’re freaking hilarious. Bellamy keeps trying to make it into the event of the year, and we keep reining her in.”

I backed out of being involved in the planning process. It turns out that planning drama isn’t my cup of tea even if the girls are, but they didn’t seem to mind.

“I’m so glad. I love them, too. Bellamy’s an influencer, so that kind of goes hand in hand with wanting bells and whistles. Thanks for not letting it turn into that.” I come to my apartment building, and as I dig out my keys and unlock the front door, I bring up the worries that have been nagging at me. “What if I don’t love living on the island this summer? I’ll be stuck because of Holden.”

“Then you’ll do the right thing and suck it up.”

“Of course, but what if I drive Fitz batty? Or if he drives me batty? I haven’t lived with anyone since college.”

“He’s got a big house. You can move into another bedroom.”

I laugh and head inside, trekking up the stairs.

“Stop overthinking and trying to micromanage the universe,” Mia says. “You’re crazy about Fitz, and he’s crazy about you. Being there and relinquishing control of every little thing for a while is exactly what you need. You’ve spent years focusing on everyone else. It’ll be good for you to have something new to look forward to, instead of just putting out fires. Plus, you’ll be on a beautiful island with extra bedrooms, which means I can come visit.”

“Will you?” I ask, knowing how much I’ll miss seeing her.

“More than you want me to, I’m sure. I’ve got to go. I’m meeting Reggie for a drink before the opening.”