Chapter Twenty-Three
“Oh my god, you are a lifesaver!” Sarah says as soon as I open the door for her. “I can’t believe I forgot cranberry sauce!”
Her girls, Tatiana and Terra, shoot inside the house, both squealing for Brody without even saying hi first. Sarah huffs and rolls her eyes, deadpanning, “Sure, invite yourselves on in, why don’t you?
” She gives me an apologetic look. “I swear, I taught them manners. Pretty sure those are their Gannett genes at work.”
I giggle. “It’s fine. Wanna come in?” I swing the door open wider. “I have cheap wine, and it seems as though you might need a glass…”
She smirks. “Sure. I’ll take whatever glimpse of a break I can get. It’s been far too long since we’ve had a minute to vent about what life is always throwing at us busy moms.”
I nod, chuckling as I usher her in and pour her a glass of wine.
“So, how have things been with you?” She asks, looking around. “Oh my gosh, is that a snake?” she gasps. “Brody finally got you to cave, huh?”
I huff out a laugh. “Yeah, that’s Ivy. He’s been doing good at taking care of her.”
“I’ll say,” she hums. “That’s a heck of a set up there. That’s easily a four bedroom, three bathroom, reptile terrarium over there. Bet that thing doesn’t sell for anything less than half a mill in this market…”
I chuckle again. “Speaking of your real estate brain, how would you feel about taking on another listing? Not that I want to push more work on you when you just sat down to take a load off…”
She twirls her wine glass around, snickering.
“It’s fine. No hustle, no muscle, right?
Whatcha got for me? You’re not thinking of selling this place, are you?
Because, for the record, I can’t have you leaving on me.
I know we haven’t been able to hang out nearly as often as I’d like, but girl…
I need a life outside of work and my girls sometimes. ” She eyes me skeptically.
“No, we’re not selling.”
“Good. Who is?”
“Caleb.”
“Oh! One of Gannett’s guys, isn’t he? Marcus’ friend?”
Friend isn’t exactly the word I’d use, but just for nondisclosure’s sake—“Yeah, him.”
“Oh, is he leaving Ternbay? That’s a bummer. I don’t really know the guy because he’s deaf and I can’t sign, but I imagine you and Marcus have gotten to know him well since they started working together.”
Oh dear, sweet Sarah. Marcus and I have gotten to know Caleb very well. Intimately so…
When my gaze gets yanked from that faraway place my mind just went to, and back on Sarah, I see her studying me with a confused look on her face. “Um, Lauren…? How well have you gotten to know Caleb, dare I ask? That look on your face….”
Yeah, yep. Apparently she noticed the flush on my cheeks.
“Can this conversation not leave this room?”
She downs the rest of her wine before refilling her cup. Then, she pats the stool next to her. “Sit. Let me have the tea. We’re going to pretend that you don’t mind going to bars, and this is Gordy’s pub. Tell me everything. It will not leave this room.”
I proceed to tell her everything, and I mean every-friggin’-thing.
Start to finish: how I met Caleb, how we started dating, how Marcus and Caleb actually first met, how we all started dating.
I didn’t spare any detail, all while Sarah gaped at me, never once even moving, not even to touch a sip of her drink.
I explain to her how we’re now going to take on getting Aaron back here, and why Caleb is planning on listing his house to foot the bill.
I even explain to her the teenager who just popped out of his room long enough to grab a soda from the fridge, too engrossed in a video chat to even notice I have someone over while his dad and Marcus are out working.
Suddenly, Sarah shrieks. “Oh my god! Skunk! There’s a skunk in your house, Lauren!”
Cam’s head pops out of his room. “Pepper! Get back here, you little sneak!” He peeks up. “Oh, hi,” he says to Sarah. “Sorry, that’s my skunk. He won’t spray. He’s more interested in finding out if you’ve got snacks for him than anything.”
Sarah still looks horrified as Pepper sniffs around her feet. I scoop him up and ruffle his fur. “Is my little Peppadew looking for snacks? Does daddy Marcus feed you too much human food?”
“Mum!” Brody exclaims, running down the hall from his room and making grabby hands at me for Pepper. “Let me see him real quick, I wanna jump scare the girls with him! Hi, Miss Sarah!”
She smiles at Brody, albeit still obviously reeling about the wild turn of events. “Hi, Brody.”
“Is it okay if I prank them with Pepper?” he asks, cradling the chill appearing skunk in his arms.
“Umm, he’s good with kids?” she asks me.
I nod. “He’s so laid back, just look at him. He’s actually Cameron’s emotional support animal, but we’ve all bonded with him here.”
She turns back to Brody. “Have at it. Maybe take your cochlear off first though. There’ll be screeching…”
It’s mere seconds after Brody runs back down the hallway before Sarah is right.
There’s a shitload of screeching, actually, before Pepper comes scampering back into the living room, fluffy tail high in the air, and seeks me out to pick him back up again.
I do, and he curls up on my lap, letting me gently run my fingers through his fur.
Sarah eyes me in awe as she takes a sip of her drink. “Clearly, we needed to catch up long before now. I feel like I’ve missed a bunch.”
“Yeah, but for the best. So much great stuff has been happening lately. It finally feels like all the puzzle pieces are clicking into place.”
She smiles and sighs, leaning forward on her elbows and twisting her wine glass around again. “Same for me too, actually. Did I tell you I’ve been seeing someone? I also met him at work…”
“Oh no, you most certainly did not tell me. Spill!”
She smirks. “Well, again, this can’t leave this room, because I still haven’t broken the news to Gannett. I know I should so don’t give me the same you’re a bad co-parent rigamarole that’s already eating me up inside—”
“Hey, I’m not judging,” I assure her.
“I just want to see if things with Steve, my new man, and me could be really serious before I bring in all the baby-daddy drama, you know? I think sometimes Gannett still holds out hope that I’ll change my mind and seek out some sort of reconciliation.
I don’t want that jealousy looming over my new relationship, I guess. ”
“Have the girls met him?”
She grimaces. “Does that make me a bad person if I say yes? I mean, in my head I wanted that to happen a lot further down the line, but I just—I don’t know—don’t get much free time that doesn’t involve the girls, and I wouldn’t be able to see Steve at all if I didn’t introduce them so early on.”
“I can understand that. Things moved rather quickly here too, if I’m being honest. Like, within a matter of months Caleb was practically living here full-time. Luckily, he and Cameron have meshed so well within the life Brody, Marcus, and I had for ourselves here…”
She sighs. “I still worry sometimes that it makes me a bad mom.”
I dip my head and meet her gaze. “No, it makes you human. No one’s perfect. If you ever need a babysitter or anything though, I’m just a phone call away.”
She worries her bottom lip. “Thanks, but I think word would get back to Gannett that I’ve pawned off the girls to others while they’re in my care, and that would just incite more trouble there, since he would squabble about why I didn’t let him have more custody of them.”
“And you’re still worried about his drinking,” I say rather than ask, because I know her, and it’s not a question.
“I do. He’s spending so much time down at the pub, Lauren.
He says he doesn’t drink when he has the girls, but I’ve trusted him before, and that only led to more secrets and lies.
He’d think he was covering his tracks well, but I saw all the signs…
I can’t risk having our girls go through that.
I want them to have a relationship with their father that they can wholeheartedly believe in. ”
“Mumma?” Terra asks, skittering out of Brody’s room. “Can me an’ Tati have a sleepover here tonight? Brody’s got new Legos!”
“Oh, hun, not tonight, sweetie. Tomorrow is Thanksgiving and both Lauren and I have a lot to do to get ready for it…”
She pouts and stomps back into Brody’s room, where we can both hear her mutter, “Mom says we can’t, Tati. She’s too busy with Thanksgivin’ an’ stuff.”
I smirk as Cameron pops back into the kitchen, rifling through the pantry for a snack. “I actually have someone who has agreed to peel all the potatoes so my load is a little bit lighter.”
Cameron chuckles. “Gonna rope Brody into helping me too.”
“I heard that!” Brody yells from his room.
“Cochlear check, ayyyye!” Cameron teases back. Then, he grins at me. “They’re working. Solid investment.”
“Then why do they magically cut out whenever I remind him about his chores?” I deadpan.
Cam laughs. “That’s not a cochlear issue, that’s just a kid thing. Trust me, I was there once.”
“Just like thinking you’re an adult before you really are must be a teenager thing.”
He pops his shoulder. “S’what you get to look forward to.”
Sarah’s expression towards all this is one of awe. She blinks at me. “I gotta say, Lauren, I really love this for you.”
“What?” Cameron asks, his mouth full of his favorite white cheddar popcorn. “The fact that she fell for someone whose kid loves peeling potatoes?”
Sarah laughs. “No, that she has this blended family that gets along so well.”
Cam beams, crumbs of popcorn stuck to his bottom lip. “S’alright,” he hums. “Until someone keeps pranking me,” he adds, a little louder.