Page 65 of Under One Roof

“And her husband has a bit of a grown-up Logan vibe.”

I jerk my head back. “Why do you say that like it’s a bad thing? Logan was the best boyfriend.”

Clara pulls her hand away from me like I’m covered in slime. “We can’t be friends anymore.”

I laugh. “So, what? He’s rich and hot?”

“Definitely not rich. He’s good-looking in a beige sort of way. He’s a professor at the college and treats Nicole like…”

“Like she’s disposable,” Marianne fills in, and I shake my head.

“That’s too bad.” Especially because I know what it feels like to be put first. And not for the first time today, I smile simply because I’m thinking of Griffin.

“We were going to get some sushi for lunch,” Marianne says. “Do you want to join us?”

I turn to the kids, who wandered off to the corner. “Hey, you want sushi for lunch?”

Clara holds out her hand to Logan, and he immediately walks to her so she can wrap her arm around his shoulder, and I have a feeling he’s got a bit of a crush on her from the way his cheeks turn ruddy. “Yeah, I could eat sushi.”

Grace shrugs and takes my hand when I offer it as we all walk down the street, spending an hour yapping and laughing.

Later that night, with Logan and Grace in their rooms, I’m spread out on the living room floor, surrounded by photos and frames, when my phone rings. I answer the FaceTime call, propping the phone against a pile of books on the coffee table, and Dahlia’s face fills the screen, her smile wide and eyes sparkling.

“Hey, I?—”

“I got a record deal!” my best friend screams without preamble, and I scream too, jumping to my feet.

The kids race down from their rooms, Logan with a hairbrush and Gracie wielding a textbook. I laugh when I spot them, ready to protect me with their weapons of choice. With tears in my eyes and emotion swirling in my chest, I pull them to me.

“Are you okay?” Logan asks, squirming away from my hold, checking me over in a pretty good impression of his father. “You’re not hurt?”

“No, I’m not. Just excited.” I turn my cell phone so they can see the screen. “This is my best friend, Dahlia. She called to give me some really exciting news. She signed with a record company. Dahl, these are my kids, Logan and Grace.”

“Hi.” Logan is unimpressed, his shoulders dropping now that he doesn’t have to go to war with anyone.

Gracie exhales heavily and waves to Dahlia. “Congratulations.”

“Thank you, honey. I’m so happy to meet you.” She’s grinning so wide I fear her face may never go back to normal. She has a huge extended family, super comfortable with kids, but with her floating off on cloud nine, I’m surprised she’s even having this conversation. “Andi’s told me so much about you.”

Grace clings to my side when I sit on the couch, and I motion for Logan to join us. With the kids on either side of me, I set the phone back up and tell her to give us the rundown.

She informs us of all the shows she’s been playing the last few weeks, the growth of her social media after one of her songs went viral, and finally, how she’s been talking to an executive at Blue Note.

“She came to see me at the gig last night and then asked for a meeting today,” Dahlia explains, and I press my hands to my cheeks.

“I can’t believe it. It’s finally happening.”

“Finally!” she agrees with a laugh.

“What’s Blue Note?” Logan asks, and I loop my arm around his shoulders.

“This record company with a really great track record for signing amazing artists. They’ll produce Dahlia’s album and then hopefully put her on tour.”

Gracie leans forward, pushing her hair behind her ears and fixing her glasses. “What kinds of songs do you sing?”

“A little of this, a little of that,” Dahlia says, and I butt in.

“Folk-rock with a bit of a Mexican influence.”

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