Page 22 of Whatever It Takes

She smiled, a blinding smile that almost knocked me out of my chair. It was the first genuine smile I’d seen from her in years.

“I got a part-time substitute teaching position at one of the middle schools a couple towns over.”

“That’s great!” My eyes met hers with pride. I was glad to see her putting that degree that she worked so hard for to use.

“Hi, Quinn,” a familiar little voice called from across the kitchen. I turned around in my stool, thankful for the interruption.

“Hey, Peanut.”

Emery giggled. “Why do you call me Peanut? My name is Emery.”

I feigned a surprised look and brought my hands to my chest. “It is? I guess I thought your name was Peanut because you’re so tiny.”

She breezed into the room in a little pink and purple dress, holding a doll with a matching outfit. She walked over to the fridge, grabbed a juice box, and took a seat next to me at the counter.

“You know my name, silly,” she said, handing me her drink so I could push the straw through the pouch for her.

“Who’s your friend?” I asked, pointing to the doll that looked like her.

“That’s Samantha. She’s my American Girl doll that I got for my birthday.” She took a sip of her drink and placed the doll in my lap. “You can hold her, but she’s very expensive,” she warned, and I felt my eyes crinkle in the corners.

“I’ll be careful,” I promised.

I knew how much those damn dolls cost. My niece, Taitlyn, had a couple of her own. The first time my brother-in-law got the credit card bill in the mail, he just about ended his marriage.

She folded her hand under her chin and looked at me. “Are you going out to eat pizza with us?”

I cleared my throat. “No, I’m sorry. I’m not.”

“Why not?” she asked innocently while swinging her legs out in front of her.

“I have a friend who is visiting me this weekend.”

She looked up at me with familiar green eyes. “Your friend can come if he wants to. My mom always says, the more the merrier. Right, Mom?”

“Actually.” I felt my throat close up. This wasn’t how I wanted Charlotte to find out about my relationship. “My girlfriend, Bree, is coming to stay with me this weekend. She lives in Washington, DC and we don’t get a chance to see each other very often.”

Charlotte whipped her head around, her questioning green eyes locked with mine. I wasn’t prepared for the hurt I saw or the heaviness that rested over my chest.

“Your girlfriend?” Charlotte asked with a shaky voice. “How come you didn’t mention that before?”

“Never seemed to come up in conversation.” I eyed her cautiously and decided to test the waters a bit. “Is that a problem?”

Her hand went to her throat. “Of course not. I’m just surprised, that’s all.” She looked like she needed a few minutes to collect herself.

“You’re surprised that someone would want to date me?” I was trying to make light of the conversation and lessen the shock for her.

“Quinn, stop it. You know what I meant.”

She was right. I knew exactly what she meant. It was petty of me to drag this out and make her feel uncomfortable, but I wanted to see if it made her the slightest bit jealous.

“Bree and I have only been together for a few months,” I said, feeling guilty for not telling her this the other night.

“That’s nice,” she said, turning her back to me.

She leaned over the kitchen sink and pretended to wash dishes that were already clean. I snuck a glance at Emery who was coloring in a notebook.

Sliding off my barstool, I made my way over to her. Her back went straight when she felt me approach from behind. I leaned in and whispered in her ear, “Talk to me, Charlotte.”

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