Page 25 of Fall Twice

And it causes her to have the natural radiant smile that is so subtle yet makes the world turn.

God, I’m happy to see it again.

“See, I knew I could win,”Oscar proudly declares as he hits the finish line.

Staring down at my little blue car that is packed with seven little plastic people, because I hit twins on a spin, and I don’t know how the kid got so lucky because he spun the country house, one adopted child, and a wife.

“I demand a rematch one day,” I tell him as I toss my pieces back into the box.

“Since I win, do I get a prize?” Oscar bats his lashes at his mom.

Lena drops her mouth open. “You are so bad.” She pokes him with her finger. “I know what you’re trying to do, but we will order pizza another night.”

My mouth quirks out. “Good prize choice.”

“Can Reid come too?”

Lena shrugs her shoulders. “I don’t see why not.”

“Good.” He takes the game to return it back to the corner.

I look at Lena, and her jaw flexes side to side. “I see you still charm people, and my little boy is no exception.”

I scoff at her mere suggestion and grin. “Kids love me, and most of the time their moms too.”

Shit, I’m flirting again.

She catches on right away. “On that note.” Her tight smile doesn’t fade as she stands and grabs her purse. “I’ll see you soon.”

“Are we going to text since we’re friends?” I gently punch her arm like we’re buddies, my grin permanent.

She finds humor in my attempt to remind us. “Exactly.”

Our eyes lock for another second, the room feeling smaller. Luckily, Oscar interrupts us, and we all walk out and then have a round of goodbyes.

As they walk off, with leaves blowing around them, I remind myself that I can either test the waters or do everything in my power not to lose a friend.

9

REID

Itie my laces, preparing to go out for my run. It’s Sunday, which means it’s a lazy day. Grabbing my phone, I don’t hesitate to text Lena to see what she’s up to, as it’s been a week since I saw her.

Me: Want to meet for a coffee or brunch later?

I go to have a sip of water in the kitchen before heading out into the crisp cloudy day. Turning my music on, I begin to run. For the most part, it’s a normal run, with my focus on picking up my speed. But twenty minutes in, my phone pings a notification and I glance to my armband to see the screen show a new message from Lena.

Lena: Probably not today. I’m the last person you would want to see. Total mom meltdown.

Immediately, I stop and take my phone out of the case to phone her. After two rings she picks up.

“Hey. What’s going on?” I ask and continue to walk, ignoring that my breath is out of sorts from my run, forgot to pause my timer too.

“It doesn’t matter. You don’t need to hear me in my mom moment.” I can tell her voice is uneven and maybe she was crying.

I bite my bottom lip, but I can’t let this go. “I don’t care if you’re in a mom moment. Come on, let me pick you up in an hour so you can get out of the house. Wallowing in your cute t-shirts isn’t going to get you anywhere.”

She sighs. “I guess you have a point.”

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