Total pages in book: 56
Estimated words: 54148 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 271(@200wpm)___ 217(@250wpm)___ 180(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 54148 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 271(@200wpm)___ 217(@250wpm)___ 180(@300wpm)
Mary looks up at me, and dare I say, she looks...rueful.
“Hi, McKenzie.”
“Hey,” I say. “Have you seen Holly?”
“She’s over there, love,” Cherise says, gesturing to the coffee table.
I’m not at all surprised to see that Hollywood’s stationed herself by the coloring books. I take a deep breath and head over to see her.
Hollywood glances up as I approach. Her eyes glimmer as her lips stretch into a smile.
“Kenzie!” She starts to stand up. I rush over and immediately drop to the carpet beside her.
“No, no, you stay there. I’m sure it took you a hot minute to sit down.”
“You’re not wrong.” She laughs. Relief pours over me as she pulls me into a hug. “I’m so happy you’re here.”
“Me, too.” I’ve missed my best friend so much these past weeks. There are so many things I want to tell her, so many things I’d love to get her opinion on.
“How are you doing?” I ask quietly.
“Pretty good. I was really anxious this morning, but I’m doing much better now that everyone’s here and we’re all just hanging out.”
I only now notice that there’s another person coloring, a pretty, familiar-looking brunette with a round face and full lips.
“Kenzie, you remember April,” Hollywood says.
April waves. “Hi, McKenzie.”
“Hey.” I recall that I actually have met her briefly at one of the Pope and Parkes barbecues. Her husband, Jonathan, is the tallest human I’ve ever seen, which is saying something because Austin and Jonah are both well over six feet. Jonathan doesn’t work for Pope and Parkes, but they hire him to do a lot of their electrical work.
“I like your dress,” she says to me.
“Thank you.” I look more closely at the pattern on her skirt. “Are those cats wearing glasses?”
“Yeah, they are. I saw the skirt online and thought they looked so much like my cat, Mango, that I just had to have them. And check out the best part.” Her hands disappear inside the fabric.
“Ooh, are those pockets?” Teagan joins us on the floor just as Baby Lucy lets out a long, high-pitched howl.
“I think somebody’s hungry,” Mary says, handing Lucy off to her mom.
Teagan sighs. “I swear, this kid’s got a sixth sense for when I’m finally comfortable.” She unbuttons the front of her dress, exposing a lacy hot-pink bra.
“Is that a nursing bra?” April asks.
“Yeah, it’s pretty cute, right?”
“Very. It looks like the kind of bra I wore back when I was camming, minus the nipple flap. Though I’m sure there’s a market for nipple flaps.”
“Oh yeah,” Teagan says. “I should tell Jonah I’m considering picking up a side gig. He’ll love that.”
I blink, not sure whether I heard them right.
"You used to cam?"
April nods. “It's how I paid for my first year of college, after my stepmom convinced my dad to cut me off.”
“Bitch,” Teagan grumbles.
Hollywood flashes me a look of encouragement.
“I was a cam model for a while, too,” I say.
April’s eyes light up. “Really? That's so cool. I've never met another cam model in person. What sites were you on?”
Her enthusiasm is infectious. I, too, have never had anyone to swap anecdotes with about my days in front of the webcam. Hollywood was around for it all, but she didn’t participate. Talking to someone who knows what it’s like to perform for an invisible audience is refreshing.
“Lucy, take the nipple,” Teagan pleads. “I know you can do it, you’re your father’s daughter.”
“And that’s my cue to go get more snacks,” Mary says.
Teagan laughs. “Bring us back some of Kenzie’s pie, please.”
Hollywood perks up. “You brought pie?”
“Even better,” Teagan says. “She baked two pies.”
My best friend eyes me like she suspects I’ve been taken over by an alien parasite. “Since when do you bake pies?”
I shrug, though honestly, it feels good knowing I’ve brought something that people are excited to try. “Austin’s raspberry bushes were ripe. I wanted to make something with the fruit.”
“You should see the two of them together.” Teagan grins. “So cute, you want to barf.”
My face and chest smolder. I can tell Hollywood wants to ask about my relationship with Austin, but she’s not sure if she should wait until we’re alone.
“I’m going to go see if Mary needs help with the pie,” I say quickly.
I leave the family room and head to the kitchen where I find Mary rinsing off a knife in the sink.
“The pies look amazing,” she says.
“Thanks.”
“Are they both the same kind?”
“Both triple-berry,” I say. “Strawberry, blueberry, and Austin’s raspberries.”
“Austin grows raspberries?”
“He does now, and on purpose. I've been helping him work on his garden.”
“Gardening can be very therapeutic,” Mary says, then winces. “Sorry, I didn't mean to suggest that that’s why you should garden.”
“It's okay,” I say.
She dries the knife on a paper towel and then sets it aside.
“Listen,” Mary says. “I want to apologize for showing up at dinner and springing the whole counseling thing on you. When Holly asked me if I'd be willing to talk to you about it, I didn't realize you guys hadn't even discussed it yet. I should have insisted on more transparency.”