Audrey:How’s it going today? Robert was asking about you at pilates. He invited us to his and Dave’s xmas party, but I told him you’re out of town :(
I set down the dryer, typing out a response.
Penny:Damn, I really need to sweat out this rage inside me. Instead I’m dealing with the aftermath of my sister crying over a burnt bagel.
Audrey:I hear those pregnancy hormones are no joke. How’s the ex situation?
Penny:He’s made himself scarce. I’m hoping he gets the hint and just leaves. I need Fia to focus on her life, not be distracted by her estranged “brother” showing back up.
Audrey:It’s really messing with my brain when you refer to your ex-boyfriend as a brother. Do you really think he’ll leave?
Penny:Sorry, it’s just she acts like he’s family but he is NOT. He doesn’t belong here, not in this house, not in this town. Nowhere near me. I don’t care if he paid rent. I’m making him leave.
Audrey:Well it sounds like you have quite the day ahead of you.
Penny:HA. Thanks for the moral support.
I swipe on some matte-pink lipstick and fluff my hair in the small medicine cabinet mirror, the light yellow and harsh. Another text lights up my screen.
Audrey:Just play nice…maybe he’s changed. Also, still waiting for that pic of Jesse. How can I hate him with you if I don’t even know what he looks like?
Penny:Seeing him won’t help. Trust me.
Heat rises in my cheeks. Do I really think that? I meanfine, he is attractive. But my best friend having that knowledge won’t help my case.
I need to keep my eyes on the prize, not have Audrey reminding me that the guy renting a room in my family home was the center of my universe once upon a time.
“Want to walk on the beach?” Fia asks after taking the last bite of her asiago bagel. The color has returned to her face, and her green eyes are no longer filled with tears now that she’s eaten.
I agree to the beach, because even if it’s cold, the beach has always been our happy place. Maybe that’ll make what I need to discuss with her easier.
Sinewy clouds linger in the blue sky. We walk over to the public beach access, and the moment I hear the waves, the tension in my shoulders slowly melts. Fia pulls her hood up; the baby bump is barely noticeable under all her layers.
The ocean is dark today, with only a few seagulls scattered along the stretch of sand. The wind whips my hair across my face, and I brush it back, eager to enjoy this walk, eager to hold on to the peace it brings me.
Fia turns to face me as we walk along the cold sand, a shy smile playing on her lips. “I can’t wait to bring my baby here one day. Hopefully they’ll love the water just as much as we did as kids.”
“Of course they will, it’s part of our DNA,” I say, still fighting the surreal feeling around Fia being pregnant. “Hey, have you talked to your school to figure out how to finish your last semester?”
Fia nods. “I’m going to finish school online next semester and probably take some classes over the summer. Then, when the baby is old enough for daycare, I can work full-time.”
“Isn’t daycare pretty expensive?”
“I’ll figure it out. I have some time.” She shrugs, and my shoulders tense.
I can’t figure out why she isn’t taking this more seriously.
“Nan raised three of us on a nurse’s salary.” She smiles, walking wistfully beside me.
This feels impossible. I know Fia’s resourceful, and she’s wicked smart, but she’s not thinking clearly. She can’t raise a baby with no family around, in an old house, on minimum wage,andfinish college. Something has got to give.
We come across a patch of sand filled with shells, and I bite my lip, my lungs tightening. Two fishermen with long poles walk by, nodding at us, and I muster up a smile before turning to see Fia squatting down, sifting through the shells. She picks up a large one with orange striping. “A treasure,” we would’ve thought as kids.
“For the baby’s room.” She shoves the shell in her pocket. “I’m going to do a bohemian beach theme.”
I nod, my list of worries growing longer in my head. “Which room are you going to turn into a nursery?”
“I was thinking about your room.” We both stop, and her lashes blink rapidly. “If that’s okay with you? It’s next to mine and has good lighting.”
