Page 97 of Smooth Sailing

So he called Tack.

11

WORTH THE WAIT

Diana

“Come in.”

Early afternoon, I opened Madison’s door to see her still in bed, curled around a pillow, but this time she was on her side, and instead of a self-comforting-because-I’m-terrified pose, it just seemed to be a self-comforting-because-my-shit-is-real pose.

But when I walked in, she moved, scooching and pushing up with some difficulty due to her arm still in a sling, so she was sitting against one side of the headboard, an invitation for me to take the other.

I did, curling onto a hip toward her.

She curled toward me.

“Hanging in there?” I asked.

She nodded.

“Just so you know, I told Big Petey there’s an Apple store essentially across the street. I also let slip you wanted a phone. Therefore, I think we both aren’t all that surprised he went right out to jump on his bike to go get you a phone. So, warning, it’ll probably have all the bells and whistles.”

Her face got soft and her lips curled up just a little.

“He’s a nice man,” she whispered.

I thought about everything I’d learned about Big Petey in our short acquaintance, particularly our conversation about my mom.

Then I responded with feeling, “Yes, he is.”

Her face changed when she noted, “Hugger’s nice too.”

Oh crap.

Did she notice?

Right, how could she not notice, we were cuddled up for two movies.

“Yeah, they all are,” I replied, going for blithe.

I knew I failed at blithe with what she said next.

“But I think you think he’s the nicest of all of them,” she stated, and it took me a second, but then I realized she might be teasing me.

Or it might be something else.

To be safe, I went with the something else.

“We were just sitting close together because there wasn’t a lot of room.”

It was then, Madison shocked the heck out of me when she laughed, just a little, and returned, “No you weren’t. I see how you look at him.”

Oh crap!

Was I that obvious?

Oh crap again, was that upsetting for her?

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