Page 43 of Fight For Us
“For the holidays?” Mia asked.
“For the holidays and all the days after,” Kendahl said, while snuggling against Coby’s shoulder.
Mia jumped from her chair and screeched. I knew how much she missed her best friend. I missed her too, it wasn’t the same here without Kendahl and her bubbly personality. While they chatted about details, I excused myself to check on Alex and get a refill.
Alex was sitting in the kitchen with Shawn, talking about video games like old buddies. I joined them, helping peel potatoes and dice veggies, until Mia came in and relieved me of my duties.
Her and Shawn were so obviously in love. The way they looked at each other and their subtle flirtatious banter and gestures made it clear as day. I couldn’t help but feel a pang of jealousy watching them together. Even if love was off the table for me, I guess I still craved that connection. I’d never felt something like that before. Never had a person who looked at me the way Shawn looked at Mia.
Back home I was used to getting wide-eyed looks of pity from everyone I knew. I was the pathetic single mother, knocked up as a teen. The daughter my parents paraded around to their friends to show how caring and charitable they were. The damaged one.
I could move 2,000 miles away and start fresh, where no one knew me, but I knew myself. I was still that girl on the inside.Still unloveable. Still helpless. Still capable of breaking at the drop of a hat. Who could love a girl like that?
“Should we play a couple rounds of Uno while we wait for the turkey?” Mia asked as she wiped down scraps of potato skins from the counter.
I blinked and cleared my throat. “Yeah, sounds fun.”
Mia came across the counter to where I sat perched on a stool and slung her arm around my shoulder. “You okay, sis?”
I forced my lips into a grin. “Yup, all good. I think the wine’s getting to my head. I’m going to grab some cheese and crackers.”
“Good idea. I’ll start shuffling,” she said.
As I loaded a plate with cheese and crackers in the living room, I spotted my phone sitting there next to the platter where I’d left it earlier. The screen lit up with a message, so I grabbed it, seeing Wes’s name on the banner.
Wes:Hey, Tiger. Yes, your eyes are working, this is me, Wes, texting you from the abomination that is my new iPhone.
I laughed at the drama that poured from this man while I typed out a response.
Me:Welcome to the cool kids club, old man. How’s Betty feeling about being replaced?
Alex giggled in the kitchen and I felt my mood lift. Wes may have had something to do with it, too.
Wes:I’m in mourning and halfway afraid Betty might become sentient and exact her revenge.Can this phone Google what to do if your old tech becomes deadly?
Me:It can. But you might want to start by Googling, “What to do if I have an unhealthy obsession with a flip phone?”
Wes:It’s showing me a list of therapists in the area… saving for later
Was I actually laughing and twirling my hair while texting with my boss?I had to admit, he could be witty when he wasn’t being an annoying man-child.
Me:Good plan. Maybe find one who enjoys a challenge :)
Wes:Don’t worry, I’ll share their contact info with you too, sweetheart
And there’s the man-child again. Mia came into the room as I was shaking my head and huffing a laugh.
“What’s got you blushing, sis? Or should I say, who?”
She tried to get a peek at my screen, but I swiped away quickly. “Nothing.”
“I bet I know who,” she hummed.
“It was Kelly from work,” I lied.
“Liar! It was Wes, wasn’t it? You like him… You like your boss.” She chanted the tune like a five year old.
“I do not.” I hid my screen as another text from him flashed. “He drives me crazy.”
