Page 25 of The Summer Arrangement
“Secret… Liz…” she reminds me but quietly matches my enthusiasm.
“Why are you hiding this?” I ask once I’m in control of the volume of my voice.
“In case we don’t get pregnant right away.” She sighs. “I don’t want the added pressure of people asking, ya know? It’ll happen when it happens.”
Milli interrupts all conversation when she yells my name, “Iz! I need to potty!” Ryan immediately halts her bike.
When her wide eyes meet mine, I sprint in her direction. She’s held it for way too long. I should have reminded her, but we both were distracted with this bike.
“I’ve got you, girl,” I say on the run. “Let’s go inside and take care of this!”
Thankfully, the bathroom isn’t far from the beach, and we make it inside just in time. I’m not sure how long she’d been holding it, but I make a mental note to check in with her more often. This was way too close of a call.
Once we’ve washed up and are back in the living room, we find both Ryan and Lanie waiting for us. Through the window, I can see her bike leaning against a chair out on the deck.
“Are you hungry, Milli?” Ryan asks, reaching into the fridge for something.
“Uh-huh.” She nods.
“Let’s take off your gear, and we’ll have lunch at my house today.”
“You lib here?”
“I do for the summer.” I grin, pulling off her elbow pads. “I spend every summer here in Seaside. This was my Nana’s house.”
“You have a nana?” she asks innocently as she looks around. My heart squeezes at her connection.
Shit, how do I explain death to a child?
Going with the truth, I say, “My nana lives in Heaven. My sister Lanie and Ryan live in this house all the time, and I get to visit when I’m not in school.”
A perplexed expression crosses her features, but thankfully, her lack of filter doesn’t make me wonder what she’s thinking for long. “You sleep here?”
“Yep.” I chuckle at her cuteness. “My room is upstairs.”
“I see it?” she asks eagerly.
“Why don’t you two go check it out, and I’ll help Ryan with lunch,” Lanie suggests, pointing at the stairs. “Any allergies?”
“Nope. But her favorite is grilled cheese,” I offer as a suggestion as I reach for Milli’s hand.
Milli’s eyes widen in shock. “You have grilled cheese?”
“Yes, we do, squirt,” Ryan teases, pointing a spatula our way. “Once you’re done checking out Lizzy’s room, we’ll get you one.”
“Let’s go, Iz!”
There’s not much to see, but Milli’s entertained by my overstuffed bookshelf. She manages to find one of my favorite picture books from my childhood calledA Princess Wears Hiking Boots. When she asks if she could lie down in my bed to read it, I worry she might fall asleep, but surprisingly, she stays awake.
When we return downstairs, she’s ravenous. She eats her entire sandwich and some grapes Lanie has set out. Realizing I should get her home for a nap, I ask my sister, “Mind watching her while I use the restroom? We should get going.”
I swear I was gone for less than five minutes, but when I return, I find Milli sound asleep on the couch. Chuckling, I ask my sister, “How the heck did that happen?”
A light laugh escapes as she shrugs. “I think we broke her. I helped her wash her hands, then we sat down on the couch to wait for you. Ryan has a meeting at one with a contractor, so Iwalked him to the front door. When I returned, she was conked out.”
“She’s exhausted. I think we’ll just stay here until she wakes up. I didn’t bring her stroller on our walk and passed out like that, she’ll be like carrying a sack of potatoes. I don’t think I can carry both her and her new bike all the way to their house.”
Reaching for a blanket beside the couch, I cover her. She doesn’t even stir.
