“How was school?” Ronnie asked.
“Good.”
“I’m sorry I can’t do fun stuff right now. I know you’re used to when we cook, go on adventures, run around, and do cool stuffat the farm like ride horses, but I’ll be better soon and then I’ll make up for it, I promise.”
Rainbow pulled back and gave her a look that melted her heart. It was the “I really like you” look from when Rainbow was little. It was generous and unexpected and Rainbow didn’t have to look at her like that if she didn’t want to.
Ronnie kissed her on both cheeks and both eyes like she used to.
Rainbow beamed, more patient that she had to be at her age. “I like hanging out here with you. It’s cozy. It’s not boring. I’m getting to do all the things I like that you normally never let me do, like watching telly. This is like a holiday. And since you’re home all the time, I get you all to myself. You have to listen to me talk about whatever I want to talk about. It’s like a slumber party. You can’t run away.”
Ronnie felt funny. “I guess I hadn’t thought of it like that,” she admitted. “I love your positive attitude. You’re making lemons out of lemonade.” Where had Rainbow learned that? “You’re such a cool kid. I wish I had been friends with you when I was your age.” Rainbow was smart, curious, bookish, skeptical, had strong critical thinking skills, knew right from wrong, liked following and enforcing rules, could do anything in life, be anything.
She made it to the kitchen by placing one foot in front of the other. Nev was playing solitaire at the kitchen table. The older woman glanced up as she set the bowls in the sink. Ronnie turned on the water and washed the dishes. She felt the approval, could hear it in the quiet snick of a card flipped over. The clock on the stove said midnight.
“How did it go?” Nev asked.
“You were right.”
“Sugar and fat make everything better. She’s always had a sweet tooth. Inherited that from her mother.”
Ronnie leaned on a chair, needed to lie down. “It’s late.”
“I should go.”
The chair protested as the older woman stood. Nev swept the cards into a pile, shoved them back into their box.
“Sleepover at dad’s house? Quintessential gay teenage experience?” Ronnie bit her lower lip suggestively. They both knew nothing could happen tonight. If Nev slept over, it would be extremely platonic and dorky.
Nev downed a glass of water, set it empty in the sink. “What would your dad say?”
“We have mates sleep over all the time. What do you think the guest bedroom is for?”
“It would be weird.” Nev was right, but Ronnie didn’t care. Weird was in her lane. She liked things that took her outside her comfort zone.
“Mikey crashed here one time, and they didn’t mind. She’s my mate from juvie, my mum friend. She’s also gay, but I’m not dating her.”
Nev raised an eyebrow. “I don’t want to make your dad uncomfortable. It’s his house. Ditto Blaise.”
“You’re overthinking.”
“Someone has to.”
Ronnie slowly straightened, shifting her balance to take her weight off the back of the chair. She would fall asleep the minute she lay down. “Suit yourself.”
Nev helped her shuffle to the bathroom, then the bedroom, then reheated the water-bottle for her while she took ibuprofen.
Ronnie was the little spoon.
26
TEA HOUSE
In the morning Ronnie woke first. The house smelled like milk and baby formula. From the family room drifted the sounds of the older joeys jumping around and rattling cages to Blaise’s Jane Fonda jazzercise VHS tapes. Carefully, holding her middle, she rolled over. Hissing, she moved onto her back, then onto her other side. Her hands and feet were asleep.
She lay in bed, waiting for the pins and needles to fade from her limbs, watching her friend sleep.
She touched the scar on Nev’s chin, wondered how she had gotten it, then studied the crows feet at the corners of Nev’s eyes, realizing she didn’t know if her boss had ever been in love. Had the owner of Upsend Downs ever had a partner? Had she lost someone she loved? Had someone broken her heart? It seemed more likely that Nev had broken hearts, given the wandering lifestyle she had lived. Did she ever wish she had found someone? Did she like being alone?
