Page 49 of My Best Bet

That had me pausing. Was my mom not letting her call me whenever she wanted? I made a mental note to get an extra phone so Lucy had one when I left for road trips.

“Can I invite Charlotte and Sophia to my birthday party?” she asked suddenly.

My neck snapped to look over at JP and Kappy– the only two people who knew the trouble Lucy was going through with friends.

Kappy pumped his fist and mouthed,Let’s go!

This was huge. She actuallywanteda party.

JP made a calm down sign with his hand. He was right. I had to keep it calm and not make it a big deal.

“Sure, honey,” I said, trying to keep a lid on my relief. “You wanna have a party?” Her birthday, November 8th, was only a few weeks away, which didn’t leave a lot of time to plan, but I was sure we could figure it out.

“Yes! Can it be a princess party? Sophia likes Frozen like me and Charlotte likes Moana. And maybe we can have Taylor Swift music?”

“Sure, honey,” I laughed, “that sounds great.”

“Blank space, babay!” Kappy yelled out with a clap.

“Shake it off!” JP chimed in, making Lucy giggle into the phone.

“Oh!” she said suddenly, “And can we invite Coach Mer, too?

My body pretty much malfunctioned. I sat there blinking, wondering if she really just said that or if I imagined it.

“She’s my friend, too,” Lucy pushed. “And she’ssoonice, and she’s so pretty! Don’t you think she’s pretty, guys?”

My mouth opened, but no words came out. I just stared at my kid who didn’t have all the pieces to connect that she was talking about my ex.

“Yeah, isn’t shesopretty?” Kappy laughed, then coughed into his fist when I shot him a death glare.

“But she’s an adult, honey,” I said gently, not wanting to ruin this for her. Mer and I…it felt like we were walking on a tightrope. We hadn’t spoken to each other since that first interaction, but it’s almost like a silent agreement for peace had passed between us.

I saw her on the ice one morning about a week ago, and I couldn’t help but watch. She was still so beautiful, so graceful, on the ice. An angel. My chest swelled with pride for her each time she landed a jump with such power. I actually clapped for her, like a total idiot. But other than that, we kept our communication to tight nods after Lucy’s lessons. Lucy was enjoying skating and it seemed like she was making good friends out there. I didn’t want to do anything to disrupt that for her. Her happiness was more important than any old resentment or lingering feelings I had.

And… secretly, I didn’t want to do or say anything that would make Mer run. She seemed at ease at the Coliseum. Mer deserved peace, and I wouldn’t be the one to steal it from her, even if deep down it kind of killed me that I wasn’t a part of it.

So, the two of us would have to stay balancing on this tightrope.

Lucy stopped twirling around and blinked at me. “Yeah but… But Kappy’s an adult,” she pointed out.

“Debatable,” JP muttered under his breath, making Kappy elbow him in the gut.

“And so is JP,” she said, cocking her head to the side. Her eyes scrunched. “They can’t count as my friends because they’re… adults?”

“No, they do!” I said quickly. “I was just being weird. Sorry, honey.”

Her brows furrowed and she nodded, looking deep in thought.

“You’re my best friend, Lu!” Kappy shouted.

“No, she’smybest friend,” JP argued back.

She laughed into the screen and my anxiety eased. I shot them a look of thanks.

“Okay,” I scratched my chest, unsure of how to handle this. “I guess you could–”

“Yay!” she yelled, cutting me off. “I’ll go make the invitations!” The phone screen bounced like crazy while she dashed up the stairs. She yelled goodbye right as she slammed the door, making me wince.

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