“Hey there, bestie,” I said, trying to sound as if I hadn’t been crying.
“What’s wrong?” she asked, that fiery tone comforting.
“Just drawing.”
“That doesn’t actually answer my question, babe.”
“I hate that you can read me so well. I was just thinking about Mom and Dad and life. And then I was crying, and now I’m getting back to work. You know, typical Thursday.”
It wasn’t quite a lie, but it wasn’t the whole truth. Thankfully, she wasn’t in front of me, so she wasn’t able to realize that.
“I’m so sorry, hon. Do you want me to come over? We can have tea and talk about boys.”
I snorted, knowing that that was the last thing that I wanted. Not that I didn’t love my best friend, but I wasn’t about to talk about boys. Because the only boy I wanted to think about these days was the one I couldn’t and shouldn’t have.
“There aren’t any boys to speak of, my friend. Unless we talk about yours. And unlike some of the Wilders, you don’t share yours.”
One of the Wilder cousins was married to not only a woman, but a man, and the three of them were in the most adorable and sexiest poly relationship I had ever known.
“Sorry, he’s all mine. I don’t share. I’m very territorial.”
“And Wyatt isn’t territorial at all,” I teased.
“Well, there was this one time?—”
“Nope,” I cut her off. “I do not want to know. You keep your sexy stories about your man to yourself. Unless we’re drinking Wilder Wine.”
“Meanie,” she teased. I shook my head and laughed, leaving my office in my small two-bedroom apartment and heading towards the tiny rally kitchen. I’d rented it from a decent landlord, and they were nice to me, but things were getting a little shoddy. I made decent enough money that I could rent a larger place, but part of me kept waiting to find a home. One that I could buy and put down roots in.
One that would have space for Beth and her family when they visited.
Another stab to the heart.
Because they wouldn’t be visiting.
“Anyway, I’m calling because we have practice coming up and games all weekend. Are you going to be there, or are you going to take this weekend off from little kids’ soccer,” she asked.
I smiled before going to the tap to wash out my tea kettle. “Maisie is adorable in her little uniform. I should be able to make it. As long as I get caught up on work tonight and tomorrow, I’ll be on schedule, and then I can be her loudest cheering squad.”
“You could try, but we all know the Wilders are going to be louder.”
“That’s true. Damn it,” I grumbled as the faucet refused to turn off completely.
“What’s wrong?” Ava asked, alert.
“My stupid faucet keeps leaking, and I can’t fix it. And it annoys me because my landlord said he would fix it and he hasn’t, and I have a wrench. I know how to do these things. But I think it’s the actual faucet itself. And I can’t replace it since it’s not mine.”
“And the landlord’s not coming over at all?” Ava asked, annoyance in her tone.
“He said he would. But he has countless other things to do,” I griped. “It’s okay. I’ll fix it. Eventually. I’ll just put something under it so I can collect the water and not waste it.”
“I’ll send Brooks over.”
“No!” I called out and realized I screamed it into the phone.
Ava was silent for so long that I had no idea what she was thinking.
“I mean, no. You don’t need to send out one of your brother-in-laws to help me. I can handle it.”
