Page 15 of Wildcat
“I missed you too.” I squeeze her harder and then remember the baby. “Sorry.”
“I’m fine.” She looks me over. “You look so grown up.”
“Don’t worry,” I say quietly. “I’m still as much of a hot mess as ever.”
She links her arm through mine and keeps staring at me. We haven’t seen each other since I’ve been back. She lives three hours away and is a lawyer, which is, apparently, code for never gets weekends off.
Dad waits for us just outside of the garage.
“How’s the quest of becoming the next Tiger Woods coming along?” She steps forward and hugs him.
“I’m just out here because your mother threatened to withhold dinner if I didn’t stop working. Simon at work?” Dad asks, referring to my sister’s husband and my awesome brother-in-law. Simon is the best, but he’s even more of a workaholic than my sister.
“Always,” she answers. “If we didn’t work together, we might not ever see one another.”
The three of us laugh as we head inside. Dad is a total workaholic, just like Cadence, and Mom is always on the two of them to take more time for themselves. She was my biggest supporter when I wanted to study in London. She’s all about experiences and traveling. You’d think that would make her teamdrop out and follow your dreams, but she’s also a teacher, so education is sort of her whole life’s purpose.
“Ready for pre-season games?” my sister asks as she walks beside my dad.
“We’ll see. We still have a lot of work to do next week to prepare, but yeah, I’m ready to get back into it.”
“I heard you made Lohan an alternate captain. It’s about time. He’s one of the most underrated players in the league,” Cadence adds.
I fall in step behind them as we walk through the house to the kitchen. I couldn’t smell it earlier, but the aroma of homemade bread and spaghetti sauce assaults us as we step through the door and makes my mouth water. Mom made all of Cadence’s favorites tonight because family dinners are my mother’s love language.
“No hockey talk at the dinner table.” My mother comes around the big island in the kitchen to hug Cadence.
Cadence gives her a small gift bag (like I said, perfect daughter). “Don’t open it now. It’s for after dinner.”
Mom takes it but stands in front of my sister with a scrutinizing glare. I’m familiar with that glare, but I don’t think I’ve seen it used on Cadence since high school when she missed curfew.
“Honey, you’re glowing. Are you…”
Cadence nods, and then Mom bursts into tears.
“What’s going on?” Dad asks, watching the scene unfold before him with cautious eyes.
“I’m pregnant,” Cadence says, then mouthsSorryto me.
Needless to say,dinner does not go as planned. Mom sports an ear-to-ear grin as she peppers Cadence with questions about her pregnancy. Dad and I listen in, mostly, adding our excitement when we’re able to get a word in. I’m so happy for Cadence, but now that she’s dropped this amazing news, I do not want to be the one to ruin it. Which is why when the conversation turns to me, and I finally get an opening to tell my parents that I dropped out of college, I lie through my teeth and tell them classes are going great.
As soon as I’m finished eating, I take my plate from the table into the kitchen to rinse it off.
Cadence follows. “I should have known Mom would take one look at me and just know. I swear that woman is psychic. I’m so sorry.”
“It’s fine.” I open the dishwasher. “Maybe I should have come upstairs in my pajamas, unshowered, looking like the hot mess I am, and she would have figured me out without me saying anything.”
“You are not a hot mess.”
I cut her a look. “I’m a twenty-one-year-old, unemployed, college dropout who lives with her parents.”
“You are an up and coming artist temporarily staying with Mom and Dad.” She bumps her hip against mine. “You could always come live with me. I’m going to need all the help I can get. Simon and I are like the blind leading the blind. I’m going to be a mom.” She pauses with a faraway look in her eyes. It’s the closest to unsure as I’ve ever seen her.
“You are going to be thebestmom.”
She smiles a little sadly. “Are you doing okay, really?”
“Yeah.” I let out a breath. “I’m getting there.”
