Page 10 of Ice Cold Chemistry
Three dots appear and disappear. Appear again.
Tori:Okay. We’re figuring this out tonight. My place. Wine. Brainstorming.
Me:Yes! What time?
Tori:7. Bring snacks. I’ll bring solutions.
Me:That’s a lot of pressure on the solutions.
Tori:I thrive under pressure. See you tonight.
I pocket my phone and take another breath. Then I push myself to my feet, check my reflection in the tiny mirror on the back of the door—yep, mascara smudged, just as I suspected—and clean myself up as best I can.
I square my shoulders, paste on a smile, andwalk back out into the facility.
Tonight. Wine and solutions. I just have to make it to tonight.
Chapter Four
Wine and Bad Ideas
Winnie
Tori and Zayden’s townhome is the kind of place that makes you want to throw out all your furniture and start over.
Exposed brick walls, hardwood floors that gleam under warm pendant lighting, and a kitchen island big enough to land a small plane on. The whole place is tasteful, gorgeous, and impossibly expensive.
I try not to feel weird about it as I knock on the door, a wine bottle in one hand and a block of fancy cheese in the other. Tori grew up middle-class, just like me. She just happened to fall in love with a professional athlete who treats her like a queen and has the salary to match.
Good for her. Really.
The door swings open, and I’m immediately tackled by a six-year-old blur of dark hair and sparkly pajamas.
“Winnie!”
“Hey, Maisie!” I crouch down to catch her, somehow managing not to drop the wine. “Look atyou! Are those dinosaur slippers?”
“They’re T-Rexes.” She holds up one foot proudly. “Daddy got them for me. They roar when you stomp.”
She demonstrates, stomping her foot on the hardwood. A tinny roar echoes from the slipper.
“That’s the coolest thing I’ve ever seen.”
“I know.” She grabs my free hand and tugs me inside. “Come on, Tori said you were coming over for girls’ night, but I told her I’m a girl too, so I should get to stay up.”
“Nice try, little shadow.” Zayden appears from the living room, scooping Maisie up and tossing her over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes. She shrieks with laughter. “Bedtime was fifteen minutes ago.”
“But Winnie just got here!”
“And Winnie and Tori are going to have friend time.” He glances at me, grinning. “Hey, Winnie. Good to see you.”
“You too. Love the dad moves.”
“I’ve been practicing.” He shifts Maisie to his hip. “Say goodnight.”
Maisie pouts but knows a losing battle when she sees one. “Goodnight, Winnie. Will you come back soon?”
“Absolutely. Pinky promise.”
