Total pages in book: 57
Estimated words: 56134 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 281(@200wpm)___ 225(@250wpm)___ 187(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 56134 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 281(@200wpm)___ 225(@250wpm)___ 187(@300wpm)
It’s the law, one guy told me. I actually ended up having to call the police chief to the store to explain that it’s not the law. Then another guy shoved his thumbs through a giant package of hamburger to protest the non-free meat, and I had to call the police chief again.
He just stayed at the store after that.
I grab the Fox Foods bag carrying a rotisserie chicken and mac and cheese from the deli that’s going to be dinner tonight. No way am I cooking. I just want to sit on the back porch with a glass of wine and go to bed early.
My phone dings with a text.
Max: My shoes ripped during track practice. Can you get me new ones tonight?
I groan and text back.
Me: I’ll give you my debit card and you can get them.
Max: I won’t be back from the meet until after 9 and I have practice again tomorrow right after school.
Me: Do you have an old pair of shoes you can get by with until the weekend?
Max: No, I need a size 12 now and my old ones are too small.
Awesome. Looks like I have to go to the sporting goods store in Wildwood, a bigger city thirty minutes from Greentree Falls. I text back and let him know I’ll take care of it, then walk inside the house.
I set the bag of food and my purse on the kitchen counter, but the sound of a female voice in the living room makes me stop cold.
“We’ll get it lightened and highlighted, it’ll look so good.”
Jenna. My mood goes from bad to worse as I walk around the corner and see her sitting next to Vi on the couch, smiling as she runs a hand through Vi’s hair.
“You’re not supposed to be here until this weekend,” I say.
Jenna scoffs. “Nice to see you too. I was able to come early. Why is that such a big deal?”
“She’s taking me to get my hair highlighted,” Vi says, glowing. “And we’re going to get mani-pedis tonight.”
I have to force myself not to lash out. No one has ever exasperated me like my sister. That’s why I call her Hurricane Jenna.
“Can you run to Wildwood and get Max some new track shoes?” I ask Jenna.
“Aw, I would, but we have appointments at the nail place at 6:00 p.m. and I know we’ll be at least two hours.”
She stands up and comes over to hug me. I hug her back mechanically, feeling even more drained than I did when I walked in the house.
“When will Hazel be here?” she asks, pulling away. “Vi said she won’t want to come get her nails done, but I at least want to invite her.”
Ugh. I really don’t feel like doing this right now, but I guess I might as well get it out of the way.
“She’s on a field trip and the bus isn’t getting back until eight tonight,” I say, dreading the rest of what I need to tell her.
“Oh, okay. I’ll just see her when I get back from the salon. Maybe we can go for ice cream or something.”
“Jenna…”
“What?”
“What’s for dinner?” Vi asks me, walking into the kitchen.
Either I can confront Jenna about this, or Hazel will have to. Better me than her.
“Hazel doesn’t want to see you,” I tell my sister.
She wrinkles her face in confusion. “What?”
“Remember last time you came? How upset she was when you left?”
Jenna rolls her eyes, lined like always in dramatic black eyeliner. “That was forever ago. And it’s not like I can stay forever. I had to go.”
Hazel was devastated when Jenna left after being here for a week, which was a little over a year ago. Jenna didn’t get to see her play soccer, which she had really been looking forward to. She hasn’t responded to her mother’s texts in months, but Jenna apparently wasn’t paying much attention. Nothing new.
“She’s going to stay with my friend Kelly while you’re here,” I tell Jenna.
Jenna narrows her eyes. “What? No. I want to see my daughter, Allie.”
“Well, she doesn’t want to see you. I’m not going to force her.”
“Why are you always such a bitch to me?”
I close my eyes and take a breath, so damn close to losing it. If Vi wasn’t in the kitchen right now…
“I don’t even talk to you, Jenna. And we don’t call each other names like that in this house.”
“You sound just like Mom. You’re exactly like her, you know.”
I shrug. “I can think of much worse people to be like.”
“Where’s Max? Have you convinced him to hate me too?”
“Max is at a track meet in Concord. And you can ask any of the kids, I rarely say anything about you, and it’s never bad.”
“Hazel better be here tonight.” Jenna flips her bleached blond hair over her shoulder and crosses her arms.