Page 37 of Between the Lines

I’ve expertly fended off my sister all week. Luckily, Danny works sixty-hour weeks, so hounding me is the last thing on his to-do list.

It seems to be number one on my sister’s though.

“Actually, I’m hanging out with Halle tonight.” I suck in my lips, turning to make a face at my best friend. “I’m sorry!”

Penny sighs. The sound of a television plays in the background. “Shoot. Okay, no problem. I’m leaving tomorrow morning for a conference in Nashville, then I’m only back for one day next week before leaving again for Audrey’s bachelorette week.”

Relief floods through me like cold water. I totally blanked on Penny’s back-to-back upcoming trips.

An easy smile crosses my face. One less person to worry about seeing the house.

Turns out they didn’t have to tent it—Caden assured me they wouldn’t—but there will be a dumpster in the driveway for the next few weeks. Which isn’t much better, to be honest.

“I’ll miss you!” I say, hoping to appease her. “When you get back, let’s have a beach day with Daisy.”

I have to plan something to keep her suspicions at bay. At least at the beach, there’s a million distractions. Penny will focus on Daisy, and I really need a beach day.

“Okay, yeah, I’d love that,” Penny says, and I can hear her smile through the phone. It almost makes me feel bad. But then she has to open her mouth again. “Oh! Did you get new tires, because I've been super concerned since Danny brought it up.”

“Yes.” This time I don’t have to lie. “I am actually taking the car for an inspection and new tires tomorrow. You all can relax now.”

I say it with a little too much edge, but she doesn’t seem to notice.

“Thank god, you were pushing your luck.”

I pinch my lips together, “Okay, well safe travels tomorrow, love you!” I reply and hang up before she can pry further.

Halle lives in a big house outside of campus with three other girls—all who left for the weekend. As she puts it—a real freakin’ miracle.

“I can’t believe how long it’s been since we got to do this,” she says, grabbing another slice of pizza as we sit sprawled out on a teal rug in her living room. A tie-dye tapestry hangs over the window as a curtain, and it always smells like incense and coffee in here. I love it.

An old season of Bridgerton plays on the TV, but we aren’t really paying attention to it.

“It’s a crime,” I agree, handing Daisy a tube of lip gloss from my purse to occupy her.

Halle smiles at her, reaching out her arms. Daisy toddles her way, fingers tightly gripping my lip gloss. “I can’t believe she is walking. Please stop growing up so fast, you precious little gremlin.”

Daisy giggles as my best friend lifts her in the air, kissing her chubby cheeks.

It’s moments like this that repair little pieces of me.

When I got pregnant, most of my friends slipped away—busy with college, moving for jobs, or just being young. I couldn’t blame them, though I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t incredibly lonely.

But then Halle started working at Good Grinds and fully embraced me for me. She was there for me when Daisy was born, never expecting much from a tired new mom but always offering support however she could.

“Hey, did I tell you”—Halle blows a kiss on Daisy’s belly—“I think I’m actually going to graduate this semester.”

I shove her knee, warmth blooming in my chest. “That’s amazing. What a relief.”

Her eyes shift back to Daisy, who’s playing with the gold necklaces around Halle’s neck. She swallows hard, blinking rapidly. “I also talked to my uncle yesterday. He still desperately needs a teacher for the fall semester.”

“Oh.” My chest sinks. She told me about her uncle, the principal of a charter school outside of Charlotte. Four hours from here. From me. But Halle dreams of teaching third grade, and her family all reside on that side of the state.

“That’s good news though, right?” I ask.

She shrugs, a sad smile on her lips. “Yeah, it is.” Tears well in her eyes.

I shake my head. “Nope, we aren’t talking about this yet. We still have the rest of the summer.”