The back of my head bounced on the couch when I threw it back to stare at the ceiling.
“I’m sorry I didn’t call you earlier. I had a rough day and when I got home Renee and Norah were here to cheer me up with food and pie.”
“What happened? Did Coach Mae try to kick you off the team? Talk loudly, honey, you’re on speaker and your dad’s next to me.”
“Hi, Dad. No, I’m still on the team. Coach Mae stood up for me. The team tried to make the article a bigger deal than it was, but Trip explained we were friends and he’s dating someone.”
I heard my parents inhale sharply, which was impressive since the amount of noise Renee made when she overheard that little tidbit was deafening.
“The team will get over it,” I continued. “Dr. Bert gave me some shit too. But Trip called him and I’m sure it will smooth over soon as well.”
“What did Dr. Bert say to you?” my dad demanded.
“It isn’t a big deal. He just wanted to make sure I was committed to the office and I wasn’t going to drag its reputation through the mud.”
“That insufferable asshole,” my dad seethed over the phone.
“It’s fine, Dad. Please don’t say anything. I’ll fix it.”
“You didn’t do anything wrong to have to fix,” my mom insisted.
“I know. It will blow over soon. Can we please drop it?”
We talked a little while longer about our day, the article no longer being mentioned. I passed the phone to Renee and Norah so they could say good night before we hung up and started in our bad TV marathon.
“Thank you for doing this for me,” I whispered to Renee when I noticed Norah passed out on the floor.
“I missed this. I miss you,” Renee admitted, getting up.
“Let me put her to bed. It’s been a while. You clean up and I’ll meet you in my bed.”
Renee smiled and bent to give Norah a kiss on the forehead. After tucking Norah in and watching her sleep for a minute I crawled into bed. Renee moved to stare at the ceiling, taking the blankets as she did.
“Brian wants us to move in with him.”
My body convulsed with pain. I knew it was going to happen, but the words still hurt. Hell, they spent most of their time over there. It was inevitable.
“Well, it’s the next logical step.”
“Not for me. We’ve known each other less than six months. I’m not ready to uproot Norah without any type of commitment.”
“Nene, he loves you. You know that, right? Hell, Mom and Dad married three weeks after knowing each other.”
I wanted to kick myself for encouraging her to leave me. But in my heart I knew it was the right thing to do. Renee’s relationship with Coach Rutching ruined her ability to trust. Brian was the real deal, and as much as it was going to hurt, her next step was going to be making a life with him.
“He thinks he loves me.”
“No, I’m pretty sure he knows he loves you. I’ve seen the way he looks at you during dinner. And he’s amazing with Norah.”
Renee blew out a long breath. “I’m scared.”
I squeezed her hand as I tried to keep my tears from falling. “It will be perfect. And I’m always here if he hurts you. You know I’ll kick his ass.”
“Have a good day at school, squishy face.” I kissed Norah’s powdered sugar lips, making her laugh when some of it transferred over.
“Do you want to come over and hang out while I sew today?” Renee asked, grabbing her purse.
“No, we have a late game today. I think I’m going to study for the NPTE until I have to go. I’ll call you later.”
