Page 67 of Lyrical

I thought about Chase, wishing he were the best man so I could stand up with him, but Alex had been a close friend of Stephen’s for as long as I could remember. They also worked at the same company. I knew Alex’s older brother, Jeff, would be at the wedding, but I hoped he wouldn’t be at the bachelor party. After me making a “nondate” with Jeff right in front of Chase at the engagement party, spurring our breakup last September, I didn’t want Chase to have to deal with him alone.

The rest of the game flew by quickly, and even though the final was 7-2 Brewers, I just wasn’t that into it. I wasn’t sure when Daniel and Cassie left, but they were definitely gone before the seventh inning stretch when I’d gone back inside to grab another water.

It was still raining hard when we went back to the parking lot. Perry left in Stephen’s truck, and I hopped in my car alone and headed for home. All I was thinking about was a hot shower and a comfy change of clothes.

It was almost five when I pulled into the driveway, noting Mike’s car in the garage when I popped the opener. I pulled over and parked on the side. Daniel didn’t usually park in the garage anymore since the car had supposedly been fixed, but it didn’t matter. I was just pleased to see him home already since we planned to do dinner. I could go for an early one; I never was able to get any more food down at the ballpark.

I shut the door and tromped up the stairs, my muscles heavy and my bones feeling damp. I could taste that hot shower already.

Giggle, giggle.

Fuck. Me.

I rounded the corner into the kitchen and spotted the source of the irritating-as-shit squeaking noises sitting at my dining room table. As if I didn’t already know that voice anywhere. When I saw the car home, never once did I think she was here too; he hadn’t brought her here since the party, meeting her elsewhere instead. Fine by me.

I edged closer and saw Daniel by her side, head down in a plate of food. Her back was towards me and…What the fuck is she wearing?Another couple steps and…What the fuck is she eating?

“Oh, hey, Mom.” Daniel looked up, and Cassie whipped her head around and smiled. “Sorry about taking up the garage space, but Cassie was so wet and cold, I didn’t want her to get even more chilled.”

I just bobbed my head up and down slowly. I was too busy surveying what was going on around me in my own house.

“I gave her one of your robes. I hope that’s fine. We left the game early, and I just brought her back here for a while to warm up.”

I clenched my fists, relaxing them before speaking. “Weren’t you having a good time?”

“Oh, yeah. It was a great time, but we left when Dad did. Candace wasn’t feeling well.”

“Right after the sausage races,” Cassie said. “Those were so fun. And I won too. Didn’t I, Daniel?” He nodded. “I picked bratwurst because I know you have German in you, and I just couldn’t go wrong with that sausage.”

Are you fucking kidding me?Daniel seemed oblivious as he shoveled food into his mouth.

I managed a tiny smile. “I see you’re already eating.”

“Just a snack. I figured we wouldn’t do dinner until later, anyway.” He took a big bite off a tortilla. “I’ll be hungry again soon. But they’re really good, Mom. We should have these for dinner sometime.”

“It was a bit too spicy for me so I couldn’t eat them, but Daniel made me something else,” Cassie said. “Thank you for raising such a considerate man, Jillian. I owe you one.”

I peeled my eyes off her barely touched plate ofmyfajitas and brought them tomyfavorite soft-as-silk robe that would be going straight into the donation pile. I had absolutely nothing to say, so I pivoted and went down the hall to the shower.

That woman had to go.

Hazel’s eyes were squeezed so tight I could barely see them anymore. Her grip could put an arm wrestler to shame. She buried her head against my shoulder. I prayed she wouldn’t cry. I couldn’t take it.

“You’re being a trooper, Hazelnut. Almost finished now.”

The phlebotomist was starting the third and last vial. Just a routine blood draw but Hazel was deathly afraid, even after everything she’d already endured with her kidney disease. I suspected it wasn’t as much painful as it was the idea of having your blood sucked out with a needle.

“Just think of it as a really hungry momma mosquito,” I whispered, “and she has a whole bunch of hungry babies at home she needs to feed too.” I heard a soft giggle, so I kept going. “This is their family night, so she wanted to bring home something really special as a treat. That’s why she found the sweetest girl around. What kind of movies do you think mosquitoes watch?” Her giggles got harder. I loved that sound, and it was highly appropriate for her age. “Or how about board games? Do you think they play Mosquitopoly?”

“Oh, Jillian.” She was in full-out laughter mode now and probably didn’t even realize the wad of cotton already taped to her skin.

I glanced at Chase, who squeezed my other hand a couple times. He stood up, and Hazel darted her eyes to her right.

He smiled. “All done.”

“Yay. That wasn’t so bad.” She hopped out of the chair, bringing me up with her.

“No, you were very brave,” I said.

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