Total pages in book: 127
Estimated words: 123435 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 617(@200wpm)___ 494(@250wpm)___ 411(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 123435 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 617(@200wpm)___ 494(@250wpm)___ 411(@300wpm)
Why didn’t you fight for custody?
Why didn’t you want me?
“Are you looking forward to seeing your sisters?”
I push the bleak thoughts away and paste on a sunny smile for Grandma. “I’m always excited to see the twins. They’re so cute.”
“Are they still fluent in French?” she asks curiously.
“Yup. Fluent in French and English.” My stepmother is Haitian and grew up speaking French, so she was adamant that her kids know her native tongue. It’s fun watching Roxanne and Monique converse in French. Sometimes, it’s Roxy speaking French and Mo answering in English, or vice versa, which makes for some hilarious one-sided conversations. I really do adore my sisters. I wish I got to spend more time with them.
Grandma seems to be slowing down, so I match my gait to hers. “You okay?” I ask.
We’ve been shopping for two hours. Not the longest time, but it’s also a hundred degrees out and she’s dressed in silk from head to toe. I’m surprised her clothing isn’t plastered to her body. I would be a sweaty mess. But Grandma is perpetually put-together, even when baking under the sun.
“I am feeling the heat,” she admits. She uncurls the scarf from around her neck and uses a pale hand to fan the exposed flesh. The sun continues to beat down on us. She’s wearing a wide-brimmed hat, but I’m hat-free despite our visit to the hat shop.
“Let’s just hit the board game place and then head home,” I suggest.
She nods. “That’s a good idea.”
We’re nearing the smoothie shop when a traitor appears at the storefront window. Joy taps on the window and waves at me. She holds up a finger to signal she’ll be one second.
“Oh, Joy’s coming out,” I tell my grandmother.
I take her arm and move away from the sidewalk to let a group of pedestrians pass. It’s a never-ending stream of people, Avalon Bay at its prime tourist peak. Families, couples, and groups of rowdy teens are already swarming the streets and filling the beach, and with the carnival having just been set up at the end of the boardwalk, it’s going to be even more packed in the coming weeks. I really missed this place.
Joy exits the shop sucking on the straw of her smoothie. She’s wearing a white minidress that complements her dark complexion, wedge sandals, and oversized sunglasses. Gucci, her go-to designer.
“I’m so glad I bumped into you,” she chirps, brown eyes shining happily. “I was literally about to text and see if you wanted to go out tonight.”
I mock glare at her. “Why? So you can bail on me again?”
She groans repentantly. “Argh, I know, I’m so sorry about last night.”
“What the hell was that about? You twist my arm into going to some townie’s party and then don’t even show?” I grumble.
“I’m sorry,” she says again, but her tone is breezier now, her remorse all but gone. Joy’s been flighty for as long as I’ve known her, and she doesn’t waste much time groveling. Once she apologizes for a sin, she moves on from it with lightning speed. “I left the club and was going home to change for the party, just like I texted, but then I pulled into the drive to find Isaiah waiting on my doorstep.”
Isaiah is the guy she’s been on and off with since we were sixteen. Last time she and I spoke, though, she swore she was done with that. I tsk with disappointment. “Please don’t tell me you got back together with him.”
“No, no. He was just dropping off a box of stuff I left at his place. And there were some photos in there that I’d printed out, so we started going through them, and one thing led to another and—cover your ears, Mrs. Tanner—we fucked.”
My grandmother barks out a laugh. “It’s lovely to see you too, Joy,” Grandma says, before reaching over to lightly pat my arm. “Cass, why don’t I drive back to the house and Joy can take over as your shopping companion?”
“Are you sure?” My brow creases. “You’re okay driving on your own?”
“I drove us here,” she reminds me, offering that dignified one-raised-eyebrow look that translates to don’t question your elders, dear.
I question her anyway. “Yes, but you said you were feeling the heat. What if you have sunstroke—”
“I’ll be fine. Go. You girls have fun. Sounds like you have a lot to chat about.” Eyes twinkling, Grandma leaves us to our own devices.
I watch her go, and her strong gait and straight shoulders ease my concerns. Sometimes it’s hard to remember what a tough broad she is when it looks like the merest breeze could knock her over.
“So what are we buying?” Joy asks.
“I wanted to pop into the board game store to find something for Roxy and Mo’s birthdays.”
“Wow, Nia’s letting you see her precious progeny on their special day?”