“How long is he out of town?” I ask.
“Until Tuesday.”
I look at my brother and he nods. He’s thinking the same thing I am.
“When you get home tonight,” I say to the girls, “tell Mom to call us. We want to see her tomorrow if she’s free.”
“She can’t call you,” Sonya says. “Dad checks the phone bill. He’ll see that someone called your number and will lose his mind.”
“How did you call us, then?”
“From the pay phone at 7-Eleven.”
“Then tell her to go to 7-Eleven.”
“She doesn’t go to 7-Eleven. Or use pay phones.”
“Something tells me she might in this situation. Just tell her.”
“We will,” Tonya says. “We promise.”
“Hey, you don’t get to promise for me!” Sonya tells her.
“But do you promise?”
Sonya pouts but says, “Yes.”
The rest of us laugh at her, and she glares at us.
Then Sonya turns to me. “It’s been over a month since you and Colleen broke up. When are you going to find a new woman?”
I narrow my eyes at her. “What makes you think I’m ready for a new woman so soon?”
“Because you always have a girlfriend,” Tonya answers. “I can’t remember a time when you didn’t have one.”
Her comment shouldn’t sting, but it does. “Maybe I’m trying something different.” I avoid Ash’s eyes, because I’m sure he’s giving me a look I don’t want to see.
“Why’s Ash giving you that look, then?” Sonya asks.
I sigh. If I want to have a good relationship with my almost-grown-up sisters, I should be honest with them. “There is a new woman, but we’re taking things slow,” I explain. “We’re friends right now, but there’s potential for more.” While I want to be honest, they don’t need to know all the details.
“Do we know her?” Tonya asks.
“Is it Melissa?” Sonya guesses.
“No, it’s Wendy.” The girls met her several weeks ago when Leslie and Wendy took them out for a girls’ night.
“Ooooo,” Tonya says. “She’s fun.”
“She is,” Sonya agrees. “We like her.”
Tonya points a finger at me. “Don’t screw it up.”
I school my features and then roll my eyes to try to keep them from guessing I already have. “Thanks for the vote of support.”
“That’s what little sisters are for.”
twenty-four
