Page 17 of Until Nalia
“I will for sure do that, but not with you around.” She smiles.
“Fine, but only because I want baby snuggles.”
“Now I want to come, but I can’t because I have to pack.” Willow pouts.
“Oh poor you having to pack to go to Hawaii for a week, let me just find my tiny violin to play you a song.” I roll my eyes.
“Jealous?” She smiles.
“Yes.”
“You and Zuri could come with us; the house Clay rented is huge.”
“I wish but she really can’t miss school this early in the year, last flu season she got sick and was out for almost two weeks, I want to save her days in case something like that happens again.”
“I can understand that, and maybe we can plan a fun trip for her next break, even if it’s down to Florida for a few days.”
“Yes, let’s do that,” I tell her, then look at Harmony. “I’ll see you in an hour. Call me when you’re on your way.”
“Awesome, see you soon,” she says, then we all say goodbye before we hang up. Unscrewing the lid on my mascara, I lean forward to the mirror and start to apply it as my cell phone beeps with a text. Stopping what I’m doing, I look down at my phone, and my stomach fills with a stupid number of butterflies just seeing Logan’s name on my screen. I don’t open it right away; I finish what I’m doing and put my mascara back before I pick up my phone and open the message.
Logan: Parking is limited where we’re playing today, so it might be easier if you girls just ride with us.
I stare at his message, unsure how to respond. I’m sure he’s right about the parking. I’ve driven by the baseball fields when games are going on, and people end up parking on the road or wherever else they can fit their vehicles. I just don’t think it’s smart for me to be in such close proximity to him for an extended amount of time again. Plus, with Harmony coming, I should go pick her up and have the two of us ride together so she doesn’t have to navigate everything alone with the girls, who can be an adorable handful.
Exiting out of my text with Logan, I call Harmony and explain the situation to her, but leave out Logan, so she doesn’t try to finagle me into riding with him. Even so, she tells me that Harlen has decided to come along, and he’s going to drive them, so I don’t need to worry about her. After I hang up with her, I go back to my message from Logan and start to message him back to let him know that we will just drive and see them there, but mid-text, multiple voices start to get closer, and I turn to the bathroom door as Zuri comes around the corner with her iPad.
“Cooper said his dad can pick us up,” she tells me, then I hear Logan in the background.
“Tell her we’ll be there in thirty minutes.”
“He said they will be here in thirty minutes.” She comes to stand next to me, showing me her screen, and I can see she’s playing one of her games, and there is a small box in the upper right corner with Cooper’s face in it. I’m not surprised she’s on FaceTime with him. Him, her, and a few of their other friends from school have been FaceTiming a lot the last few evenings while they play a game where you build a farm and share seeds with friends to grow giant fruits and vegetables. Apparently, it’s all the rage in elementary school.
“We were going to drive,” I tell her and Cooper.
“Save yourself the gas and the headache.” Logan’s face appears behind his son’s on camera. “Just text me your address.”
I really, really want to tell him no and to put up a fight but with the kids both watching us I feel like I can’t do that.
“Alright,” I agree, and Logan smiles.
“See you soon.” He disappears out of view.
“I’ll be ready in just a couple of minutes. Do you mind filling our water bottles?” I ask Zuri.
“Sure.” She wanders out of the bathroom while talking to Cooper about the game.
I pick up my phone and type out a message to Logan, telling him thanks for putting me on the spot, then remember what he said about me arguing and delete it before I just send him our address and finish getting ready.
Zuri
“I think my dad likes your mom,” Cooper says, and I bite my bottom lip. I know I should tell him and Heather that Nalia isn’t my mom, but if I do, they’ll ask where my mom is and why I don’t live with her. It’s always the first thing people ask, and I don’t want to have to tell them my mom is in jail.
“Why?” Heather asks Cooper as I walk into my bedroom after filling mine and Nalia’s water bottles.
Falling to my stomach on my bed, I check how much money I have in my game. I really want another egg and luckily just have enough coins to buy one.
“I don’t know, he just seems weird when they talk.”
