Page 142 of As They Are
I grabbed them and put them in my ears in case Mom was waiting for me. I shaved and got ready for the day.
As I walked down the short hallway, I heard Mom’s voice. “Good grief, you’re strong! How are you managing that?”
“Years of practice,” Wren said, her voice tight. “There, is that what you were hoping for?”
“This is incredible!” Mom clapped, a sound that would usually set me on edge. I came around the corner, jaw dropping when I saw the scene before me.
Nothing was where it was before. The love seat was on the other side of the room, and the TV was on the wall. Mom’s bookshelf had been shoved in a new location and Wren was in front of it.
“Hi!” she said when she saw me. “What do you think?”
“I think you’ve been busy. How’s your ankle holding up?”
She rolled her eyes. “I’ve done more on worse.”
“Do I need to once again remind you of how that’s a terrible idea?”
Wren laughed. “Nope. But it’s seriously fine. This is nothing for me.”
“What a woman she is. I only asked if Wren had any ideas on how to set up the living room better so I could get another couch, and here we are.” The look on Mom’s face was one of pure joy.
“Using the space wisely is key in smaller homes,” Wren said. “And it’s better to see it too.”
“Now we’ll all have space to sit when you bring this one back.”
Guilt clogged my throat at the sight of them getting along so well. I would have loved to have Wren back here, but I didn’t know if it would happen before our arrangement was over.
Mom was completely oblivious to the silence that stretched between us.
“Oh! And Wren offered to go to breakfast with me! I know you always have a hard time with brunch on a Sunday. She’s so good at explaining things.” Mom threw an arm around her.
“I-I’m fine,” I said. “I’m well rested and I have the earplugs.”
Mom gasped. “So, you’ll go?”
“Yeah.”
Wren’s eyes narrowed on me, and I knew she would notice if it were too much, but I laced my fingers through hers and walked out the door.
“Are we taking your car?” Mom asked. “The back seat is bigger.”
“Yeah, I’ll—” I paused when I saw a couple walking down the road hand in hand.
Ace and Norah hadn’t changed that much since graduation. He still worked out every day, and she was as slight as ever.
I paused, waiting for the usual pain to hit.
It didn’t.
“Is that—” Wren began, but was interrupted.
“Oh! Ace! Norah!” Mom waved at them. “Nice morning, isn’t it?”
They both paused and waved.
Norah saw me first. The color on her cheeks was apparent from this far away as she tugged Ace’s hand.
I waved back, hoping it didn’t look as awkward as it felt.
