Page 16 of Teasing

But she is still a kid. Life hasn’t kicked her ass yet. She still thinks she’s invincible.

“Yeah . . . Not gonna happen. What’s going on?”

The silence on the other end of the line speaks volumes.

Loud ones. Ones I don’t want to hear.

Pretty sure I’m not going to like this.

“Spit it out, Rory.” The words are clipped, but I’ve got a sinking feeling I’m about to get screwed.

“My friend invited me to go with her to Italy for a month...” she says quickly, like she’s ripping off a Band-Aid.

And there it is. “When?”

The squeak of her voice and the look on Dad’s face both warn me that word came out as harsh as I thought it might have, but—fuck—she’s got no clue how badly this screws me.

“I’m flying out tomorrow,” she whispers. “I’msosorry. But it’s a month in Italy, Mav. Her family has a villa in Malta.Malta,” she emphasizes like I didn’t hear her the first time, and I can’t even be mad. She’s barely twenty, and it’s her summer break.Butfuck me, camp starts in just a few days. “Please don’t hate me.”

I crack my neck and look up at the darkening sky.

What the hell am I going to do now?

I can’t take Rosie with me to practice.

Or can I . . . ?

“I don’t hate you, kid. Have fun and be smart while you’re there, okay? Don’t get in a car with any guys. Don’t go anywhere by yourself. Don’t take a drink from anyone you don’t know,” I warn her.

“You sound just like my dad,” she grumbles.

“There are worse ways to sound,” I tease.

“Love you, Mav.”

“Yeah. You too. Have fun.” I disconnect the call as the first crack of thunder booms overhead, and Rosie comes running, followed by Butters and Mom.

“Son of a bitch,” I groan.

“Language, Daddy.” Rosie side-eyes me as we all gather under the roof for shelter from the incoming storm as the first drops fall.

I lift her up on my hip and kiss her forehead. “Sorry, sweets.”

She leans her forehead to mine. “It’s okay, Daddy. You’ll do better.”

“I’ll try,” I promise her, not for the first or the last time.

EMMIE

Women do not stalk.

We investigate with enthusiasm.

—Emmie’s Secret Thoughts

Ipad outside as the sun goes down and drop my book and my blanket on the porch swing, so I can light the citronella candle on the corner table to keep all the bugs away. I love these late evening sunsets and hate knowing by this time next month, the sun will drop down beyond the edge of the creek nearly an hour earlier. Give me all the daylight full of life.

This, right now, is my favorite time of day. The world around me is quiet and sleepy. Slow moving. Everyone has scattered to their own homes and their own lives, and for some reason, the fact everyone has retreated inside makes me feel a little less alone. It doesn’t make sense, but some days I feel like nothing about my life makes sense.

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