Page 68 of Bleeding Hearts

“Fine.” She huffs and then does what Jodi does best. “Now tell me the real reason you don’t want to come to our annual New Year’s Eve party. It’s because of that hot firefighter, isn’t it? You still haven’t figured out how to apologize to him, have you?”

“Maybe.” I rub my forehead, hoping to ease the headache building. “He told me he wasn’t taking down my lights, then today he shows up with his damn ladder and takes them down. Of course, I had to punish myself by going out there and helping. Listening to his grumpy ass bark orders while looking sexy as all hell.”

“You should’ve called me. I’d have brought over my lounge chair and a bowl of popcorn, camped out on your lawn to watch the show.” Jodi laughs. “Maybe we could’ve caused a disturbance. Forced Officer Wade to come down and assess the situation. How has that man lived down the street from you for three years and gone unnoticed? It makes me want to go door-to-door in your half of the neighborhood and see what other hot, single men you’re hiding.”

“He’s looking to sell his home now that his divorce is final. You could see if he’s found a realtor yet?” I tease, knowing there is no way in hell Jodi would do that. Due to a past incident that cost her a sale and commission, she maintains a strict “no dating clients” policy.

“Not gonna happen. His price range is probably lower than my bottom-line. But I could refer him to one of our male realtors.”

“Or Sandy.”

“Hell no. That cunt face is not coming near him. I’d take him on before I’d let her sink her claws into him.” The line makes a clicking noise and Jodi whistles. “Sorry, babe. Gotta take this. Looks like the offer I just submitted got a counter, and I need to check in with my clients to see if they want to take it or moveon. I’ll miss you tonight. Won’t be the same. If you change your mind, you know you’re always welcome.”

“I know. Tell everyone I said hi and that I promise to be at the next one.”

Jodi hangs up, and I close my eyes, hoping to catch a nice nap after a grueling morning of dealing with a grumpy man. If he’d given me a few more days, I’d have had it all taken down. I’d taken down what I could. Dillon was planning to take down the rest as soon as he and Alicia returned from their trip to visit his family. But I guess that wasn’t soon enough for Nolan, and that’s not my problem.

Just as I’m about to doze off, the doorbell rings. The stampede down the stairs tells me the boys have it. Meaning it’s probably Davis. I should get up, but I don’t want to.

A few moments later, I feel a tap on my arm and startle awake. Kellie’s standing there looking a little freaked out and embarrassed at the same time.

I sit up. “Everything okay?”

She nods, looks over her shoulder at the boys watching us closely, and then shrugs. “Can I talk to you about something in private?”

Finn and Felix look at each other and then bolt and say in unison, “Good luck.”

“You can talk to me about anything.” I pat the couch for her to sit but she just stares at it.

“I need to go to the store.” Kellie won’t look at me, her hands fidget in front of her, and then she grabs her stomach.

“Oh.” I stand and motion for her to follow. “I was wondering when that was going to happen.”

“So, you know what I need?” Surprise is written all over her face. “Because when I said that to Dad, he just said he’d take me later.”

I lead her to my bedroom and shut the door behind us. “Has Cora talked to you about this yet?”

She shakes her head. “Just school, mostly, and a few of my friends who have started.”

I’m not really surprised. Cora’s been preoccupied with her own problems. Kellie’s at that age where girls start, but not all girls. Twelve or thirteen is the average age for most preteens. Her body was developing. She could no longer hide that behind a baggy shirt, which told me that her time was quickly approaching. Which is when I decided it would be a good idea to be prepared.

“Let me grab the bag.” Walking into my bathroom, I open the closet where I stored various choices for a young girl transitioning into womanhood.

Kellie is standing where I left her, her hands covering her face when I re-enter the room. Her shoulders shake as she cries. Hormone’s suck.

Dropping the bag on the bed, I approach her cautiously, my hand gently resting on her shoulder. The moment she leans into me, I pull her in for a hug. “First, welcome to womanhood.”

She tilts her head up at me and glares. “It sucks.”

That makes me laugh. “Not always but it can. Do you have cramps?”

“I thought it was something else. And Dad says I’m moody. Not sure how he noticed since he’s way moodier than me. Do men have periods, too? I mean, I know they don’t, but do they have a cycle or something like that?”

“Honey, if you ever figure that one out, then you’ll make millions.” I squeeze her tighter. “But no. They’re just moody.”

Kellie points at the bag. “So, what’s in there?”

I release her and walk over to the bed. “So much has changed since I was your age. Did you know they now have period underwear?”

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