Page 27 of This Life and All the Rest
“Yeah.” Lennon says with a small laugh. “It didn’t take too long, really. I just had to give her some snackies.”
Her laughter makes my smile grow, and I can’t seem to take my eyes off her.
“She does love snacks.”
Lennon smiles at Evie and tickles her belly.
“A girl after my own heart,” she says, making Evie giggle. “Must run in the family.”
The last statement turns my lips downward, so I change the subject.
“I hear you were at the rec center yesterday.” Her back straightens in a way that tells me she didn’t think I’d find out. “Payton told me when I went in this morning to make the schedules.”
“Oh,” she says, focusing way more attention than necessary on the blocks. “You still work there?”
“I make the schedules and do some paperwork. Office stuff.”
Lennon nods and flicks her eyes from the blocks to my face and back.
“The place looks good. I love the pictures on the walls. And I saw they added a boxing ring and some more pottery wheels.”
I wait to see if she’ll say anything else. If she’ll admit to seeing anything else, but she doesn’t.
“Yeah,” I say after a moment, “I guess there is talk of an expansion, too. Maybe putting in a pool.”
“Oh wow.” She looks at me with a smile that threatens to knock me on my ass. “That’s amazing. The kids will love it.”
I don’t even try to hide my pride.
“I think so. Since the town is growing, it only makes sense that the center grows, too.” I take a subtle deep breath before asking the question that’s causing anxiety to build in my chest. “Did you happen to see anything else? Check out any other rooms or anything?”
The wait between the end of my question and her answer feels like hours, when it’s actually only a few seconds. Just enough time to stack two blocks.
“Oh, no,” she says dismissively. “Payton kinda crashed my party, and I felt like I needed to leave.” She glances up at me. “Sorry, you know, if I wasn’t supposed to be in there.”
I shake my head and smirk.
“It’s fine, Len. You’re welcome to go by anytime. I don’t think our art rooms are going to quite live up to your standards, but you’re welcome to use those while you’re here, too.”
She opens her mouth, then shuts it. I watch her draw her lower lip between her teeth, and I wait for her to say something, anything. I don’t even know what I want to hear from her, I just know that I like talking to her in this way. Where our defenses are down and we’re not at each other’s throats.
In this conversation, we could easily pass for two old friends catching up.
So, I wait for more. One inhale and exhale, then two. Then three. Evie pulls herself to standing by the couch as Lennon finally speaks up.
“Macon,” she says with a sigh, just as Evie takes one hand off the couch and starts to move her leg, “I go b—”
“Nope!” I cut Lennon off when I jump past her and nudge Evelyn with my foot, pushing her back onto her diapered butt. Evelyn laughs and I waggle my finger at her. “None of that.”
Lennon gasps, eyes wide with disbelief.
“Did you just kick her?”
“No, I didn’tkickher,” I say with a laugh, bending low and scooping Evie up. “Igentlydiscouraged her from accomplishing any big milestones today.”
Evelyn pats her hands on my face and slobbers up my cheek while Lennon watches, her head cocked to the side, her brow furrowed. I can tell from her expression that seeing Evie with me makes her feelsomething.
Jealousy, maybe.
