“I know.”
“I don’t know what’s happening to us.”
Lindsey rubs my back. “Then make him tell you.”
I close my eyes. “I’ve tried.”
“Try again.”
I pull back and wipe under my eyes. “What if I don’t want to know?”
Her expression softens. “Then you probably already know it’s something big.”
I look away because she’s right. She hands the broom back to me and gives me a small smile. “For what it’s worth, I don’t think Penn is trying to hurt you.”
“That almost makes it worse,” I admit.
“Yeah,” she says. “Sometimes it does.”
I take a deep breath and force myself to nod. “Okay. Enough about me. We’re supposed to be cleaning.”
Lindsey smiles, but the worry doesn’t leave her face. “Fine. But I’m watching you with that broom.”
I laugh, even though it comes out weak. “Probably smart.”
She picks up the duster again, and for a few minutes, we work in silence.
But my mind is nowhere near Ozzy’s house. It’s with Penn in the barn, and whatever he’s hiding from me.
After this morning, I know it’s something big. Big enough that I’m questioning if I should stay or go. By the time Lindsey and I finish wiping down the kitchen, the house smells like lemon cleaner.
Ozzy’s house wasn’t dirty, so it didn’t take that long.
Lindsey and I carry the cleaning supplies back to the hall closet, and when we step onto the porch, Skyler is still on the swing with her feet propped up, looking annoyed about it.
Bree is sitting beside her and looking way too proud of herself.
Skyler points at her. “She threatened to call Zach three times.”
Bree shrugs. “And it worked.”
I laugh, and for the first time today, it’s a real laugh.
Before Skyler can argue, the sound of male voices comes from the barn. I look out across the yard and see the men walking toward us. Guy is wiping sweat from his forehead, Logan islaughing at something Miller said, and Zach is already looking straight at Skyler like he needs to make sure she hasn’t moved an inch.
Penn is with them, and my heart does that stupid thing it always does when I see him. Even when I’m mad at him, my body reacts.
His eyes find mine, and for a second, everything around us fades, but then I remember this morning. It’s like on instant replay in my head when I asked him if he no longer wanted to have kids with me and the way he paused. Pain rips through me just thinking about it, and I look away first.
Zach walks straight to Skyler and bends down in front of her. “Did you behave?”
Skyler rolls her eyes.
Bree smiles. “She behaved.”
Zach kisses Skyler’s forehead. “Good.”
Guy drops into one of the porch chairs with a groan. “I hope this family appreciates my sacrifice today.”
