Page 34 of The Wild Card
“Hey,” she says. “You don’t need to do that. I can de-boot myself.”
I chuckle, setting the first boot on the floor. “I’ve got it. Socks on or off?”
“Off,” she says. “My feet need to breathe. They’ve been suffocating in these things.”
She hisses when I peel off her socks, and I wince at the massive blisters on her feet. “Molly! How have you been walking around like this?”
“I got used to the pain after a while, I guess. They’re new. I wanted to look the part for my interview.”
Her other foot is just as bad, and I tell her not to move—not that she looks like she has any plans to—while I gather some supplies.
Chase texts me as I’m filling a large plastic bowl with warm water.
Chase:Hey, do you know where Molly is?
Chase:I both want and DON’T want you to say she’s with you. But I need to know.
Well. This won’t be awkward at all.
Collin:She’s with me
He starts and stops typing, the dots appearing and disappearing on my screen. I could just tell him what happened, but I think it’s best to give as few details as possible, given the situation.
A text from Harper pops up as I’m adding Epsom salts to a bowl of warm water.
Harper:Are you the reason my husband looks like his head is going to explode?
I send her a shrugging emoji and she sends me an eye roll emoji. Then Chase finally responds.
Chase:Is she coming back here tonight?
Collin:No
Chase:We should probably talk about this.
Collin:Anytime. But you know you can trust me, right?
Chase:I thought I could.
Collin:You can
Chase:We’ll see.
Collin:Dude. Remember how you MARRIED my sister? And did I pitch a hissy fit? No I did not
Chase:To your point, did I announce out of nowhere that I was dating her?
Collin:No, you pined after Harper for years while pretending you were just friends
This shuts him up for a moment, though he’s right—me dating or pretending to date Mollydidcome out of nowhere. And from his text, I’m still not clear on what she even told him about our situation. I assume she told him the truth, but I don’t know for sure. And considering I avoided talking to my family about any of it, I can’t fault her for whatever she said. I file this fact away to ruminate on later.
Chase:You and I will talk later. Also, tomorrow’s our last day before we head back to Austin. I’d like my sister back for some part of it.
Collin:I’m not holding her hostage or asking for ransom
Chase:I’ll ask Molly about that tomorrow.
I’m shaking my head in irritation when a text from Harper pops up.
