Page 64 of When We Were Young

“Wow, that’s a lot of stuff. See, I told you we needed to rescue you,” Layla comments. “It’s final, you gotta come with us to get pet… pet”—she pauses, and looks up at Georgie, who whispers something in her ear—“pedicures.”

I smile at her, and though I love being a boy mom, for a second, I wonder what it would be like to have a daughter as well. I always wanted a big family with several kids, maybe a couple of dogs. But life got a little derailed, and I’m thinking, those things aren’t in the cards for me.

It’s okay, though, because our family of two is perfect as is, and I wouldn’t change the decisions I made when I was younger, even if I could. Letting Landon Carter dictate so much of my life over the last decade was a small price to pay to keep the people I cared about from getting hurt.

“I gotta agree with Ladybug. You definitely need to take some time for self-care. That schedule is a little off the hook,” Ruthie says.

I glance down at my shirt, and grime covers it. I didn’t shower this morning since I’d be cleaning, so I’m sure my hair is gross. Plus, I can’t afford to get off schedule.

“I don’t know. I’m a hot, dirty mess right now. I’d need to shower⁠—”

“You have to come, Lizzie,” Layla says. “You’re coming to the pool party tomorrow, and you don’t wanna be the only one with naked toes.”

I fight a smirk, trying my best not to laugh, as Layla’s face tells me she’s one hundred percent serious. I glance over at Georgie, and she's grinning. She knows I won’t be able to say no to Layla.

“All right, then, it’s settled. We’ll grab a glass of this lemonade you’ve got going over there and sit while you hop in the shower. Just be fast and focus on the high-risk areas—pits, ti⁠—”

“Don’t finish that sentence, Ruthie. I promised Tillie and Henry I wouldn’t let Layla pick up any of your more colorful phrases or word choices. I’m going upstairs with Lizzie to get a drink out of her fridge. I’ll make sure she doesn’t putz around,” Georgie says.

“Hey,” I object, “I’m definitely not a putzer. I’m like the opposite of a putzer.”

Ruthie rolls her eyes and walks over to pour lemonade for her and Layla while Georgie, laughing, herds me toward the stairs to go up to my house.

A few minutes later, I’m drying off after a power shower, and I hear Georgie talking to someone. After I throw on some yoga pants and a tank top, I head to the living room, where Georgie sits with her phone on speaker.

“I mean, I haven’t noticed anything. Can’t you get him to talk to you?” she asks.

“No, I tried but didn’t have any success.” I recognize the deep male voice on the other end as Heath’s. I’ve never met him in person, but I’ve heard enough phone conversations between them to know it’s him.

“He brushes it off. Usually, he’d open up to Hayden—you know that whole twin bond thing, but he stopped doing that a while ago because of all that Hayden’s dealing with.”

“Hmm. I’ll watch out and see if I pick up on anything. But listen, I’ve got to go for now. I’ll talk to you tomorrow, okay?” I think she and Heath, her best friend, who happens to be a star football player, talk every day.

“Yeah, sure…” He sounds distracted.

“Okay. Love you,” Georgie says.

“Love you, too, brah. Bye.” The call ends, and Georgie sighs. She closes her eyes, takes a deep breath, and opens them again.

I clear my throat, so she realizes I’m standing there, and she looks over.

“Hey, you ready?” She stands, and I nod, grabbing my wallet off the counter.

“Yep, I’m ready. Is everything okay with Heath? He sounded worried.” We walk to the door and head down the steep stairs that lead to the bakery.

“Yeah, he’s all right. Hey, have you and Holden had any run-ins lately?”

I think back to the few interactions we’ve had since that day in my house, and though there was tension and a few sharp words, there really haven’t been any major arguments.

“No. I’ve seen him for some of the construction stuff, and it got a little uncomfortable a few times, but nothing serious. Why?”

We’re at the bottom of the steps, and she stops before entering the bakery.

“Nothing concrete, but Heath is convinced something is wrong with him. Says he’s not acting like himself, but he denies anything is wrong when Heath asks.”

“Oh. Yeah, I wouldn’t know anything about that.”

Georgie nods and grasps the door handle. “Okay, just keep an eye out when he’s here, if you would. And we should stop talking about it, so Ruthie doesn’t overhear. That woman loves a good morsel of gossip.” Georgie says it lightheartedly and without malice.