Page 53 of The Promposal

“Are you excited for your recital tomorrow?” I asked her.

She nodded. “My dad scheduled time off so he could be there. He’s even working late tonight, trying to get everything done.”

When you were one of the best oncologists in the state, it made sense that you didn’t get much free time.

“I still wish you could come, too.”

“I know. But I have to set up for prom, and it’s at the same time.”

“What’s a prom?” She asked me for a four, and I told her to go fish. She took another card from the top of the deck and added it to her hand.

“It’s like a big ball.”

She raised one eyebrow at me. “A ball?”

“Not the bouncy kind. The Cinderella kind. Like a big dance.”

Her eyes lit up. “So you get dressed up? Are you going with Jake?”

“Yep. Do you have any sixes?”

“Go fish.”

I grabbed a card and realized that Kenyetta had put her hand down and was rummaging through her backpack. “I have something I need to show you. I found it in my dad’s drawer.”

She took out what looked suspiciously like a ring box. She opened it up, and the huge rock perched on top of the tiny band nearly blinded me. I didn’t know a lot about jewelry, but this thing looked like it cost more than Jake’s car. Now I’d be having nightmares about her losing it and not returning it.

At first I wanted to ask her why she was going through her dad’s drawer, but instead, I closed the box and handed it back to her. “Put that in your backpack. Zip it up tight. And as soon as you get home, promise me you’ll put it right back where you found it.”

She returned it to her backpack and said, “I don’t want to put it back. I think he’s going to propose to Bahati.”

We had entered dangerous territory, and I needed to be careful about where I stepped. “That would probably make your dad really, really happy. He’s probably been lonely since your mom died.”

“He’s not alone. He has me.”

“I know he does. But it’s not the same. Think about how much you like Jake,” I told her, putting down a pair of eights on the table. “Grown-ups feel that same way, only a thousand times more. They like having a partner, somebody who can help them out and that they can count on. And that they can kiss and stuff.”

“Ew.”

“I think Bahati is really nice. And I’m kind of a stepmother expert since I’ve had almost as many of them as I have fingers on my hands. Most of them were terrible. But my dad’s girlfriend now? Jennifer? I really hope he marries her.”

“Why?”

“I’m in the same position as you. My parents can’t get back together.”

“Oh.” Her brown eyes looked so sad. “Is your mom dead, too?”

“Nope. Just evil. Anyway, Jennifer makes my dad happy, and I want him to be happy. I don’t want him to be alone. Bahati wouldn’t take your mom’s place. She could be a friend to you. And who can’t use more friends?”

She drummed her fingers against the table, thinking. “What if they have a baby and they forget all about me?”

“You, my dear, are unforgettable. When you add more people to your family, the love just grows bigger and bigger. And if they have a baby, you might get a sister. And having a sister is the best.”

Kenyetta shot me a skeptical look.

“I’m serious!” I protested. “Did I ever tell you about how I didn’t used to get along with Ella?”

“Why? She’s awesome.”

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