“What are you up to?"
“We are headed to brunch with some of the other families from church,” he says, completely unaware of the guilt toiling in my gut or the way my traitorous heart pounds in my chest. “I’ve got the twins in the car, and they are dying to talk to you. Mind if I put you on speaker?”
Talking to them is what I need right now. Nothing beats the sound of their voices on a shitty day. Those girls are a balm to my soul, two pieces of my heart that are always missing.
“Yes, please. I miss them so much.” Something clicks on his end, and my ears are filled with the excited squeals of “Ophie.”
“Hi, girls. I love y’all. How has school been? Tell me all about it.”
“It’s so good,” Kinsley starts to gush, “I thought Mrs. B was gonna be scary, but she’s actually kind of cool. She has a reading corner and lets us go there if we don’t have any homework, and it has so many books.” She draws out theOsound to emphasize her point. “Maya is in my class, and we made friends with a new boy named Jack. We all play together at recess, and Mrs. B lets us do group work together.”
“That’s great, Kins. What about you, Rae?”
“School is okay,” she says in a dejected tone. It’s a stark contrast to her twin’s enthusiasm.
“Just okay?” I ask, pressing further. It isn’t like her to be sullen. She’s always been my little Rae of sunshine. “Do you not like Mrs. B?”
“She’s in Ms. Mckenzie’s class,” Kinsley says, answering for her.
“Oh.” The girls have never had different teachers before. Raelyn has always been the quiet one, the one who follows, happy to support her sister in all her schemes with a smile on her face. This must be rough for her, but it will be goodfor her to learn how to do things on her own. “Tell me one thing you like about Ms. Mckenzie’s class.”
“She has a class bunny named Fish,” she tells me after thinking it over for a moment, then lets out a small giggle. “It’s a silly name.”
“That it is.” I laugh with her.
“All right,” Tanner interrupts. “As much as I love talking to my three favorite girls, we just parked, and Mom is already waving us inside. Girls, go inside with Mom, and I’ll meet you in a few minutes.” Their disappointed grumbling is masked by the sound of car doors opening and closing.
“How is Raelyn handling everything? No bullshit,” I ask when the car is quiet again. He lets out a sigh, and I can picture him slumping down in his seat the way he always does when he doesn’t know how to fix something.
“It’s been rough. Dad said she hasn’t been herself. I’m worried about her, but I know this is a part of watching them grow up. I’ve been trying to make a point of doing something special with her, separate from combined twin activities, when I find the time.”
“They are lucky to have a brother like you.”
“They are lucky to have you too, Ophie. We miss you.”
“I miss y’all too. Only two weeksuntil I’ll be home for the fundraiser.”
“I can’t wait. Shoot, Mom is summoning me. I’ve got to go before she drags me out of this car. Love you, talk soon.”
“I love you too.”
Chapter 16
James
The heels of my shoes catch in the cracks of the cobblestone streets, making it impossible to walk without stumbling. I have to hold Tanner’s elbow to stay upright, but he isn’t complaining, as having me cling to his arm only improves our image. Our love is something straight out of a storybook, and tonight, more than ever, we look the part of a prince escorting his princess to the ball.
“You’re late,” Tanner’s mom chastises as we walk into the historic hotel’s lobby. Despite the biting tone of her words, the warm, welcoming smile never falters. Unless you heard her speak, you wouldn’t be able to tell she was upset; Mrs. Nicholson’s mask is that flawless.
“Sorry, Mom. Time may have gotten away from us a bit.” He pulls her into a hug and places a respectful kiss on her cheek.
Once he lets her go, she grabs both of my hands and gives me an appraising once-over.
“You look lovely, Ophelia.” She would think that; she picked out the dress. Not that I’m complaining. The burgundy trumpet gown is beautiful.
“Thank you, ma’am. My stylist is quite talented,” I tease. Mrs. Nicholson laughs and pulls me in for a quick embrace as well.
“Go mingle while you can. Dinner will be starting soon.” She shoos us into the ballroom.
