Page 56 of How to Prevent a Fumble

That’s a lie.

“I think that’s fine,” I tell her finally.

“Great. I’ll see what we can do, but I just wanted to run that by you. You’ve been doing great! I’ll be in touch.”

When she finally hangs up, I hold my head in my hands, wanting to scream.

“You okay mom?” Elara asks, her little button nose to the sky as she looks up at me perched on my stool.

I nod, considering it’s the only thing I can really do. What else am I going to tell her?

“Yeah Bub. Just trying to sort out life.”

She nods, sighing as if she too has to pay bills and find a job. Grabbing her water off the counter, she holds it up to me. “Cheers to that,” she mutters before taking a sip.

“Where did you hear that?” I ask, not sure if I should be annoyed or enthused.

She shrugs just as the doorbell rings.

“Is that Heidi?” Elara asks, a large grin stretching across her face.

I smile back, nodding.

Elara has taken quite the liking to Heidi, and over the last few days they’ve become quite close.

Of course, Heidi was made to sign an NDA and knows about everything going on here. All our close friends and family do. But the keyword is close. My parents still don’t know, and I’m not sure if they pay close enough attention to the media to really know about it at all.

“I brought snacks!” Heidi yells as she walks in holding a large bag of every kind of snack you can possibly imagine.

Elara looks like she’s in heaven.

“Great,” I mutter, but in reality I’m thankful for her.

“Is Isla coming over too?” I ask her.

She shakes her head. “She’s coming over later tonight. She has some business she’s doing right now. But she’s going to bring a movie.”

“Great. Well, there’s dinner in the fridge but I assume you may want to get takeout, so there’s also money on the counter. I’ll just have what I made for lunches if that’s what you guys do. Um,” I look around, trying to think of anything I may have forgotten. “Champ needs to go out a couple oftimes, obviously. He’s still a puppy. Other than that there’s nothing else I don’t think.”

“If I have questions are you going to be able to text?” Heidi asks, twisting her hair up and fastening it with a claw clip.

I nod. “I should be. And if I don’t answer, Isla knows us well enough to know whatever you need.”

“Great,” Heidi flashes me her teeth as she smiles at my daughter, bending over to give her a hug.

“If we’re out really late, you’re more than welcome to crash in my bed or in one of the guest rooms. I don’t mind.”

“Are you sure?”

I nod. “It’s more than okay. Make yourself at home.”

Isla’s friends have been more than friendly with me since I first met them. I would trust any of them with Elara, and I’m so happy they were in that coffee shop that day.

I still need to take Amara out for lunch to thank her for helping me.

And for not immediately telling Isla.

My brother still doesn’t know the extent of my predicament. In his mind this is just something I thought I should do. Maybe to get out of doing a real job, I’m not so sure.

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