Page 95 of Test the Ice
“Him?”
“God, not you too.” Zoe sighs. “You and Malaki are two peas in a pod.”
I take a bite of my bacon. “What does that mean?”
With her hand on the doorknob, she turns and sends me a deadpan look. “He saw Micha drop me off yesterday and quickly began questioning everything there is to know about him.”
I slow my chewing. “He did?”
Zoe opens the door. “Yeah. I told him not to worry because I know how to use condoms…unlike my sister.”
My mouth falls open, bacon still half-chewed inside.
Zoe laughs loudly. “Oh my god, I’m kidding.”
“You better be!” I snap.
She’s halfway out the kitchen door when she smiles deviously. “But seriously, there are condoms in my underwear drawer if you need any.”
I shout after her, “I’m going to throw a fork at you!”
Unfortunately, she shuts the door before I can grab the utensil.
Charleigh looks up at me with curious eyes.
“Don’t you start too,” I say, wrinkling my nose at her.
She giggles. “Ma, Ma, Ma.”
“Come on, Charleigh-girl,” I whisper. “Let’s get you ready. Daisy is waiting for us.”
“Hold on, Char.” I shush her whines as she fusses in my arms. “I gotta find my key.”
Why is it that my bag turns into Mary Poppin’s the second I’m flustered and desperately searching for something? Binky? Lost in no man’s land. The house key? Who knows.
Sweat forms on my hairline. Charleigh’s whine is three seconds from a full-blown cry. With my free hand, I push my hair out of my face and search again. My fingers brush against the crumbs at the bottom of my bag, and I silently curse.
“Charleigh-girl!” I freeze at the sound of Malaki’s voice and frantically look around. I spin, look over my shoulder at our quiet street, and turn back toward the door. Charleigh is just as confused as I am. Her bottom lip stops trembling for a second, and she looks around too.
“Why are you crying?” Malaki asks.
I call out to the abyss. “Who? Me or her?”
“You’re crying too?”
Still confused, I spin around once more before exclaiming, “Where are you?”
His chuckle is as smooth as ever. “I’m in Seattle, remember? But I had someone install an alarm with a camera. I kept getting an alert that someone was at the door, so I thought to check, only to find my adorable fiancée stressed to the max.”
I follow the sound of Malaki’s voice and find the culprit off to the side of the door. Charleigh fusses again, arching her back, seconds from a total meltdown. “Shh,” I adjust her on my hip and rub a hand over my moist forehead. “I can’t find my keys!”
“Relax. I’ve got you.”
I hear the lock click, and I immediately turn the doorknob. “How did you do that?!”
“The alarm comes with a lock feature too. I can unlock it from my phone.”
I glance at the camera with relief. “Thank you.”
