Page 75 of Stealing Second

“Life’s not always fair. We have to choose where our focus lies, and it should be on what brings us peace and happiness.” Mom squeezes my arm. “Yesterdays are behind us, and our tomorrows hold so much promise, don’t you think?”

“You know I do.”

“That means a W, yeah?” Hudson holds out his fist.

I tap it. “One and one against the Mavericks. I’ll take the W.”

“We know you will.” Jillian smiles.

“I just can’t with you four. Totally adorable.” Chloe claps her hands. “I couldn’t ask for better neighbors for my CeCe.”

Just then, an SUV pulls in.

“That Leland Locke’s ride?” Danny asks.

“Yeah, he rents the townhouse at the other end, but he’s never here.”

“You could most certainly ask for better neighbors.” Gwen stands up. “Good night, everyone. It was a good time—until that asshole pulled in.”

“What am I missing?” Hudson asks once she’s inside.

“A history lesson,” Danny states.

14

Wags

Thursday

It’s not normal for me to get up without my alarm, but today, it happened.

Having just finished my shower, I wipe the steam off the mirror and groan when I see my eye is extremely bruised, but the swelling has gone down considerably. When meeting the girls, I typically get ready at the office, therefore my going-out makeup is at Wags. The only makeup I have here is mascara, tinted moisturizer, and lip balm, which I’m sure isn’t even considered makeup to the normal girl; therefore, my concealer and foundation are there. I sure hope it will cover up this disaster. So, yep, waking up early is a blessing.

A blessing? Huh.

After I finish getting ready. I dig through my drawer to find the case housing the chunky black rectangle sunglasses that Chloe bought for me. The kind that movie stars wear, with the oversize lenses. Danny bought her a pair when she mentioned liking them in an advertisement. She loved them so much that she thought I needed a pair, too. I never wear them unless she’s here. The first reason, like I said, they’re huge; and second, I looked up the brand, Celine, and saw the price of them. I would never forgive myself if I lost them. I could buy a lifetime’s worth of my aviators and not have an anxiety attack if they got scratched or went missing, as sunglasses tend to do around me.

It hits me like … that dripping, diseased snatch did last night—I have done a serious amount of peopling in the past two weeks and even got in a fight last night and haven’t had one panic attack since the night at the concert. Not even when Chloe told me that my father was released from prison.

I tiptoe down the stairs, not wanting to wake any of my guests, knowing we all had a late night. I head toward the door. Shoving my feet in my tennis shoes, I look out the window and see there isn’t a cloud in the sky, so I will be walking.

When I step out the back door, through the mudroom, and onto the porch, I see Marks and Gwen standing at the bottom of the stairs, talking.

“Good morning,” I say as I walk down the stairs. “Sorry if I woke either of you when I got up.”

“We’re both early risers,” Gwen says then nods toward her SUV. “Can I give you a ride?”

“Oh, no, I’m good, but thank you.”

“CeCe.” Marks shakes his head.

My stomach turns immediately. “He’s here, isn’t he? My father’s here?”

“He—”

“I asked last night and?—”

“Danny and Chloe have their appointment on Monday. She’s been giving herself hormone injections to prepare for it for a week now. Danny doesn’t want her to worry until we’re positive.”

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