Page 67 of Stick Move

“Are you going to have a play date with Ms. Julie?” Camryn asks pulling my attention back to her as I drive through the city, my phone’s guidance system telling me to turn left at the next light. While I would have preferred a quiet Saturday with Camryn, with Noah out of town until late tonight, I agreed to take Camryn to see her friend, Becky. Not that I’m looking forward to hanging out with Julie or eating dinner with her, but this is about Camryn and I want to do right by her.

I glance at the ring on my finger, and half debate about taking it off. Noah wants to keep this a secret from his team. He never said anything about Julie or Gemma. I don’t want to upset Julie by flashing the diamond in her face—not that I’d actually do that. I’m just well aware that she wanted Noah for herself—wanted to be Camryn’s new mommy.

My stomach knots so tight, a little sound escapes my throat and I glance at Camryn in the rearview mirror to find her excitedly looking out the window. This is a fun day for her and I don’t want her picking up on my nervousness. I glance at the ring again and nibble my lip.

Do I take it off or not? They’re going to find out soon enough.

My phone lets me know our destination is just up to the left, and I note the cute white bungalow in an older area of town. I park on the street, not wanting to take up space in the driveway, and as soon as I get out of the car, the front door opens and Becky comes running out.

I circle the car and take Camryn’s hand, not wanting her to dart across the street, even though it’s quiet. I grab the pasta salad I made, and we look both ways before crossing. Just as we reach the walkway, a car pulls into the driveway, and I turn to see it’s Gemma and her daughter. At the sight of her, Camryn lets go of my hand and starts jumping up and down and I slide that hand into my pocket.

Olivia unbuckles from the back seat and dashes past me, and I offer Gemma a big smile as she approaches.

“Nice to see you again, Gemma. What a surprise. I didn’t know you’d be joining us.”

Gemma grabs a casserole dish from the backseat. “Olivia misses Camryn. It’s a shame she moved so far away.”

“I know Camryn would love it if you all came for a visit. Things have just been busy with them settling in, and now Noah is back on the road. Maybe next weekend?”

She gives me a genuine smile. “I think we can make that happen.”

“The pool will still be open and I’m sure the girls will love it.”

“Yes, we should get out there and enjoy it while we can.”

I frown, not sure what she means by that. She eyes me, then goes on to explain. “I can’t imagine Noah will want to live at the resort with Camryn forever. Right now, he’s just…”

She lets her words fall off. “He’s just what?” I ask.

“I’m just saying, a resort is not really a place to raise kids. Not if you want…”

Not if you want what? “I was raised there,” I blurt out.

“Right,” she says and with that, looks past my shoulder, but that one word speaks volumes. This woman does not like me. “Honestly, I’m surprised Noah would want his daughter in the school system where we all grew up, considering…”

Ouch.

She sighs. “I guess kindergarten isn’t so bad. But high school. Forget it. I couldn’t wait to get away from Sparrow Springs and the people there. That’s why Julie and I both moved to the city as soon as we graduated.” She offers me a bright smile. “I need to get this casserole in the oven.”

As she walks around me, my heart thuds in my chest. Okay, maybe I deserved that. I wasn’t nice to them back in high school and she assumes I was a pampered princess, born with a silver spoon in my mouth, and while that might be true, life wasn’t as glamours as they think it was.

I fight back the tears pricking my eyes and fight my flight instincts to scoop Camryn up and get the hell out of here. I swallow against a tight throat and square my shoulders. No, I’ll stay, for Camryn’s sake. I’m a big girl, I can handle what they throw at me, right? Hopefully Gemma said what she wanted to say to me, and now that it’s out of her system, we can simply move forward and find common ground.

I follow behind her, and Julie gives me a welcoming smile, and I breathe a sigh of relief. At least she seems like she wants to play nice.

She takes the bowl from me and shakes her head. “I told you, you didn’t have to bring anything. It’s just a simple barbecue of hotdogs and hamburgers.”

“I didn’t mind at all. Besides, this is Camryn’s favorite, so I’m sure the other girls will like it.” I step into her cozy home and the warm scent of vanilla reaches my nostrils. She guides me down the hall to the kitchen. “Your home is lovely.”

“It’s small, but it’s all ours,” she tells me.

“Casserole should be ready in about thirty minutes,” Gemma announces as she closes the oven door and turns the dials. Obviously these two women spend a lot of time together. Until Noah introduced me to his teammate’s wives, I was definitely lacking in female friendships.

“Wine time,” Julie announces and holds up a bottle.

I hold my hand up. “I’m driving.”

“One little glass before dinner won’t hurt,” she says and pours me one anyway. “We need to loosen you up so you’ll give us all the dirty details on what it’s like to live with Noah.”

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