Page 29 of Lucky Penny
“What are you and Jesse going to do tonight?” Fia’s way too chipper as she grabs her puffy winter jacket off the hook.
She got called into work at the coffee shop a few hours earlier than expected, which means the house will be empty, giving me alone time before Jesse returns from work. And I intend to use that time exactly how I want.
I shrug, feeling my heart rate rise again. “I don’t know. Why are you so obsessed with us being best friends anyway?”
I was hoping Fia forgot about the conversation over dinner last night—the one that keeps replaying in my head. You know, pregnancy brain and all that. But apparently that’s not how it works.
She pulls a hat with a fluffy pom-pom over her bright-red hair and exhales likeI’mthe difficult one here. “Because I know you’re jaded when it comes to men. But Jesse’s going to be here for the next six months, maybe longer. Every time you come to visit me and the baby, he’ll be here.”
Not if I can help it. He’ll be gone.
She pauses, then softens her tone. “For my sake, and for yours, it’d be nice if you two could at least get along.”
I shift, leaning against the staircase banister in the foyer. “I’m notjadedby men. I just don’t do relationships. And how can you be so sure he’ll be here in six months?”
Fia zips up her coat. “I never said you had to be in arelationshipwith him.” Her eyes lock on mine, and I pretend to gag.
“And he paid me six months’ rent up front, that’s how I know. People don’t do that unless they are committed.”
Six months?I choke on my saliva.
“I just don’t want you to be disappointed or anything, Fi. That’s all.”
She stops fidgeting with the zipper and pauses by the front door. “You’re beginning to sound like a broken record, you know that?” she says flatly.
My defenses simmer as she wraps a scarf that looks homemade around her neck.
I want to be mad at her, but when I watch her bundle up for her walk to work, sadness pulls at my core. I’ve missed a lot since leaving Wilmington, and I didn’t worry about Fia much because she had Nan and friends and a busy life with college, but now she just has me. The last thing I want is for Jesse’s sudden arrival to drive a wedge between us.
“Okay.” I shut my eyes, knowing I’m going to regret this. “Fine. I will try with Jesse.”
“Oh, thank you!” she exclaims a bit dramatically. “You two used to be so close, I honestly don’t understand how you could still be mad at him. Whatever happened, let it go and just show him the fun version of PennyIknow.”
It’s completely innocent,I think, but I quickly pull her into a hug so she doesn’t see my reddened cheeks.
“Well, I sure hope he likes sushi and true crime docuseries, because that’s on my agenda tonight.”
My sister rolls her eyes, hand already on the front door. “Okay, love you, I’ll be done around nine.”
“You sure you don’t want me to drive you?” I ask again, but Fia shakes her head.
“It’s a fifteen-minute walk, and I read that walking is good when you’re expecting.”
Huh.
“Okay, well text me, I’ll pick you up at nine.” I smile and lock the front door behind her.
What the hell did I just agree to?
The stack of firewood falls over again. Apparently, there’s a right way to build a fire, but I was never a Girl Scout. This was Danny’s job growing up. I also can’t get anything to catch on fire, and I’m not trying to burn this place down, so I step back and shut the screen, pulling my cardigan closer around me.
I miss my condo and the little light switch next to the fireplace that turns on the modern blue flame. I’m not built for a pioneering lifestyle, and this hundred-year-old house was not built for me.
Back when I was in high school, Nan used to grumble to the neighbors that one day she’d have to bite the bullet and replace all the windows in this house. I’m not sure how that job somehow ended up falling to me, but…here we are.
Out of morbid curiosity, I pull out my phone and look up what that might cost for a house like this.
The moment I see the estimated price range, a startled squawk escapes my lips.
