As I feed him the pumpkin loaf, my best friend, Addison, calls me. I lift the phone to my ear. “Hey, Adds.”
She responds with a sigh.
“Uh oh. What’s wrong? Is married life giving you trouble?”
“Oh, no. The married part is still amazing. But the stepmom part?” She sighs again with exasperation. “I think I’m failing.”
“What are you talking about? Your bonus kids love you.” I’ve never seen four children adore their nanny-turned-stepmom as much as I’ve seen Perry’s children fall head over heels for Addison.
“Today, when I asked Izzy to clean her room, she told me she didn’t have to listen to me because I’m not her mom.”
“Oh, Addy.”
“And then later she apologized and burst into tears, telling me she’s just scared I love baby Marina more than her and her siblings because I’m Marina’s ‘real’ mom.”
“That’s so sad. I hope you reassured her that’s not true.”
“Of course I did,” she says. “But now I’m feeling like maybe she should know more about her biological mother. Like, she should know I’m never going to abandon her like that.”
I bite my lip. “As much as I hate to admit it, I’m with Izzy. It’s hard to trust people when your situation feels too good to be true.”
The line goes silent. “Are you referring to Cole?”
“Hey, you know we don’t speak his name. But yes.”
“Cole is an idiot. Not all men are like that, Romilly.”
I want to laugh and agree with her, to tell her I’m just kidding, that I know Cole was an exception. A bad seed in a barrel of gems. But to say any of that would be a lie, because I don’t believe it.
“Um, I’ll call you later, okay? Jasper wants his outside time really bad.”
Because we’re so close, she definitely knows it’s an excuse. But like the amazing friend she is, she doesn’t call me out on it. “Okay, talk to you soon.”
I hang up and glare at Jasper when he meows at me expectantly. “I know, I know. Youdoactually want your outside time.”
He cocks his head sideways in response. I’m about to walk him to the backyard, where the fence is high enough for me to intercept any escape ideas he might have, when I notice Zara lounging on the couch in my living room, wearing my purple bathrobe and satin eye-mask. Anyone who’s never met her would probably think she’s me because of how similar we look.
“What in the world are you doing here?”
“Oh, you know. Just hanging out.”
“That’s creepy, Zara.”
She feigns offense. “You’re the one who left your back door unlocked. And you should be thanking me, because I finally decided to return those cute jeans you loaned me, but you weren’t here.” She studies me, searching my face. “You good?”
“Why wouldn’t I be?”
“Anytime you talk to Addison these days, you start moping after. I couldn’t help but observe this time was no exception.”
“Moping? I’m not moping.”
“You’re definitely moping.” She offers me a pitying smile. “It’s okay if you want to be in a relationship, you know. You can admit it.”
“That’s the last thing I want.”
“Really, Romilly.” She bites her lip, traces of humor fading. “You’ve had a weird chip on your shoulder for about a year now. And according to my calculations…that’s around the time you and Cole broke up.”
“I’d like to not talk about this anymore, Z. Please.”
