Page 18 of The Haunting Plot

Two hours later, Bella, Lucy, and Summer are crowded in my tiny ER room. I’ve already answered a barrage of questions, and I sigh as I try to get comfortable on the rock-hard bed.

“Seriously, I’m fine. You can head out.”

“Nope, I know that face,” Summer says.

Bella leans closer to me. “Yeah, your brows are all pinched together. You only do that when you worry.”

“Well, of course I’m worried. My kids are at home with an idiot and a moron.”

They all look at each other and then break into a mixture of squeals and laughter. I cover my ears until I’m sure they’ve quieted.

“What am I missing?”

“You called him a moron,” Lucy says, like it’s obvious.

“And?” I ask, unsure of where she’s going.

“That’s a nickname. You only give out nicknames to people you like,” Summer says.

“I don’t like him. I barely tolerate him,” I say.

Lucy laughs. “You barely tolerated us at first.”

Bella nods. “Some days I’m not sure you’ll ever tolerate me.”

“Well, not with that attitude,” I scoff. I love these women. They’ve always been supportive of me exactly as I am. They’ve been patient with me when I didn’t deserve it. And they’ve never tried to change me, instead making room for me and my kids in their circle.

“Wait, no one asked Raven the most important questions!”

I drag a hand down my face as I prepare myself for the perverted nonsense I know is about to come out of Bella’s mouth.

“Did the firefighter see your boobs? Did he call you a good girl?” Bella asks, practically bouncing off her seat.

They break out into a fit of laughter, and I hold up a hand to stop her before she can launch into her story about the time she met her fiancé Hardy on a 911 call and accidentally flashed him her boob. “Don’t be ridiculous. He put me in the ambulance and stayed behind. And now who knows what kind of chaos is ensuing at my house without me.”

Summer holds up her phone. “I texted RJ. He said they’re hanging curtains in Jonah’s room.”

“That’s… He didn’t have to do that.” Something flutters in my gut at her words. The feeling is foreign, and I rub my stomach, hoping it’ll pass quickly.

“RJ said he asked Sawyer to help you with the renovation. And you’ve been ghosting Sawyer.”

“It’s been three days. I’d hardly call that ghosting.”

“This is the peak season for contractors,” Summer says. “Everyone’s trying to get work done to their rentals before the skiing season starts. If you have someone willing to do the work when everyone else is booked, why wouldn’t you jump on that?”

“Because he told me he liked me.” I have no clue why I’m admitting this, but it feels like something they’d want to know.

Three sets of eyes turn in my direction, and then they speak in rapid succession.

“Do you like him too?” Lucy asks.

“You should hump him,” Bella says.

“That’s so romantic,” Summer squeals, then looks at Bella. “Not the humping part.”

I look down at my lap as I pick at my nails. “My feelings are irrelevant. I need to hire someone to do a job for me. He told me he likes me. That complicates things, and my life is complicated enough. I feel like I’m drowning. Jonah is having more meltdowns, and poor McKenna is getting overshadowed because of it. This was so much easier when I had Kris.”

Summer clears her throat, getting my attention. When she smiles encouragingly, it gives me the strength to continue. She knows the truth about Kris. “I haven’t been completely honest with you all.” They look at me expectantly, not a hint of judgment on their faces. These women are the most supportive friends I could ever ask for. That’s what makes this so difficult. Letting people in is hard for me, and even though we’re close, I still hide pieces of myself from them. Kris was the only one I let all the way in, and losing him hurt more than anything I’ve experienced. I’m not sure I could handle it if I lost one of these women. So I hold back, keeping things to myself, because if I let someone all the way in and they leave, I don’t think I could recover again.