Page 18 of Kiss the Girl
She stood up and held her hand on top of her head to indicate her height. “I’ll give you one guess.”
“Gymnastics.”
“Bingo. And then cheer.”
Brooke and I exchanged looks.
“What?” Grace asked.
“Well…” Brooke said, and I could tell she was looking for diplomatic words. I kept my mouth shut because I’d already been hit with a pillow once. “I wouldn’t have pegged you for a cheerleader.”
Grace vaulted herself over the back of the sofa. She gave a sharp clap and broke into an aggressively happy smile. Acheerful one. “Go, Bulldogs! B-U-L-L-D-O-G-S.” Kicking and sharp arm movements happened.
Brooke’s jaw dropped slightly. “I take it back. I fully believe you.”
Grace vaulted back onto the couch and slouched down again like she’d never moved. “It looks good on college applications.”
“Did you cheer in college too?” I asked.
She glanced at me like I’d asked if the moon was cheese. “Ain’t nobody got time for cheer practiceandastrophysics.”
“Fair.” A text buzzed on my phone. This late, it could only be Paige.
Paige:Evie running fever. Children’s Tylenol expired. Can u get some?
I winced. It sounded like an easy request, but it wasn’t. At this hour, the small grocery stores would be closed which meant driving a half hour to the Charlottesville Super Walmart that stayed open 24-hours.
“Something wrong?” Brooke asked.
“My sister needs me to get Evie some children’s Tylenol.”
“Are you sober enough to drive?”
“Definitely. That bottle has been empty for an hour, but I think the only place open is going to be the Walmart in Charlottesville.”
Brooke was already climbing to her feet. “No, I just made an emergency kit, and I’m pretty sure I put some in there.”
“Children’sTylenol?” Grace asked.
Brooke paused halfway to her mudroom. “Do only adults have emergencies?”
“Guess not,” Grace muttered, picking up her nearly empty wineglass.
“You going to be okay to drive?” I asked. She wasn’t drunk, but a little wine went a long way in someone her size. She shouldn’t be behind a wheel.
“Of course not,” she said. “I’ll crash in Brooke’s guest room until I feel better. Or maybe until morning. Wine makes me sleepy.”
Brooke came back with a box in her hand. “Got it. Will this work?”
I took it and glanced at the label. “It’ll work. Thanks, Brooke. Sorry to pass on the brownies, but I’d better get this home to my sister.”
“See you tomorrow,” she said.
“See you tomorrow,” Grace mumbled. She looked and sounded half-asleep, curling up to rest her head on the sofa arm.
And as I drove home, I tried hard not to think about how much I wished her words were true. But Grace would have to be an occasional habit. Averyoccasional habit.
Chapter Seven
