Total pages in book: 85
Estimated words: 80620 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 403(@200wpm)___ 322(@250wpm)___ 269(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 80620 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 403(@200wpm)___ 322(@250wpm)___ 269(@300wpm)
My hand shakes and I pour milk over the edge of the glass, hitting the counter with a splash. I tip the carton back up and set it down, making a grab for some paper towels. I don’t miss the shy smile that Lilly gives him and before ducking her head without answering him.
“We need some things at the grocery store,” I tell him casually over my shoulder as I mop up the spilled milk without shedding a single tear over it.
Marek glances at Lilly, who is now refusing to look at him, and the consternation on his face is easy to read. He just tried to open up a conversation with his daughter and she shut him down, not maliciously but unwittingly. She doesn’t know that Marek feels as awkward around her as she feels around him.
The front doorbell rings, causing relief to wash over Marek’s face. He turns back to the formal living room quickly, happy to be removed from the situation of a shy daughter he doesn’t know at all. “I’ll get that.”
Lilly’s gaze returns to the TV and she’s once again engrossed in Paw Patrol, although I see her sneak a peek at Marek’s retreating back. My heart throbs with sorrow for all the ways in which she just doesn’t understand how her life has gotten so crazy lately.
I’m resolved that as soon as Marek comes back in, we’re going to sit down with Lilly and set her mind at ease. I only hope to God, for Lilly’s sake, that Marek was serious last night when he indicated he wants a relationship with her. And truthfully, I hope for my sake too, because while I’ll put her in my car and drive back home with my tail between my legs, it’s definitely not the best option.
Footsteps echo along the hardwood in the formal living room, lighter than Marek’s, and I’m surprised to see a woman walk into the kitchen. She glances at Lilly, her smile soft, before looking to me. “Hey, Gracen, I’m Josie.”
“Um…hi,” I say, thoroughly confused as to what this very pretty woman is doing in Marek’s house. A girlfriend? Housekeeper?
She doesn’t look or act like either, her smile warm and friendly and…knowing?
The woman must sense my confusion and unease, because she walks around the counter and sticks her hand out for me to shake. I take it tentatively.
“I’m sorry, this must be weird for you,” she says as she grasps me warmly. “Let me start again. I’m Josie, and I’m Reed Olson’s girlfriend. Reed and Marek are best friends.”
“I met him,” I tell her with a hesitant smile. “At the wedding. Well…almost wedding.”
Josie nods her head knowingly, which makes me believe she knows all about how Marek hauled Lilly and me back to North Carolina with him. My cheeks heat slightly that this woman knows my darkest shame: keeping Lilly secret from her father.
Releasing my hand, Josie takes a step back and leans against the counter. She throws her thumb over her shoulder. “Reed needed to talk to Marek, so I thought I’d pop in and say hello. Welcome you to North Carolina. See if you needed anything.”
Her voice is a little hard when she mentions Reed needing to talk to Marek, but I don’t ask for details. It’s not any of my business. While this isn’t my house, my manners compel me to ask her, “Would you like some coffee?”
“That would be awesome,” she says with a bright smile, then immediately turns away from me and walks over to Lilly, who is still engrossed with Paw Patrol. Marshall has his firetruck ladder extended up a tree and is rescuing a cat.
Josie leans down and touches Lilly lightly on the shoulder. She jolts a little and turns to look at Josie, her expression guarded given the fact there’s a stranger right in her face.
“Hi, Lilly,” Josie says with a smile. “I’m Josie. I’m a new friend of your mommy’s.”
Interesting. She didn’t say a friend of Marek’s, although I know she must be. Reed and Marek are obviously close, which means Josie would definitely be a friend of Marek’s as well. I’m going to be slightly impressed and believe that Josie isn’t quite sure how much Lilly knows of what’s going on and is keeping things vague and light where Marek’s concerned.
Josie then launches into an admirable dialogue with my daughter about Paw Patrol. While they talk, I make two cups of coffee in the Keurig and get some cream from the fridge. By the time I’ve got everything set out, Josie’s reaching for a cup.
“Do you have kids?” I ask her, assuming that’s how she knows so much about the TV show.
She shakes her head with a laugh. “Not yet, but one day. I’m an ER doctor, and I’ve found that having a good base knowledge of what’s popular out there really helps to put my younger patients at ease.”