“Even if yours wasn’t in the shop, I’d say mine,” I say playfully, trying to bring her back from the brink. I know she’ll be furious if she cries and ruins her makeup.
“Is there something wrong with my car, Ellis—you know, other than obvious?”
“No.” I rock back on my heels. “Other than the fact that it’sfun-sized, nothing at all.”
Her eyes brighten as she laughs at me.“Let me put Fefe up, and we can go.”
“I’vegother.”I stride past her, into my room.Unsurprisingly, the little fur noodle isconkedout right in the center of my pillow.“You’re amenace,”I tell her as I scoop her up, cradling her to my chest.“But a really cute one, so I’ll let it slide.”
“You’re really good with her,” Scarlet gushes.
“Loving her is easy.” Something about those fours words causes me to stumble.Am I talking about Fefe or Scarlet?
I shake off the weird feeling and quickly add,“It doesn't hurt that she's obsessed with me.”
Scarlet's lips twitch as ifshe'strying not to laugh.
“You know it's true.”
“Yeah,”she says, pressing her lips to the top of Fefe's head before I put her away for the night.“She really is.”
“I have it on good authority her mama is, too.”I wink, and she scoffs.“Oh, Princess, you wound me.”
“Puh-lease, Sunshine. Your ego is bigger than the Grand Canyon.”
“Oh, you are saucy tonight, huh?”
“Must be getting hangry.”She pats her stomach.“Let's go.”
I press a hand to the small of her back, guiding her toward the door.“Let me set the alarmrealquick.”
I arm the system, and it emits three rapid chirps, letting me know it's set. “That’s our cue.” I usher her out the door, locking it before hitting the remote start for my truck.
Scarlet immediately commandeers the radio, connecting her phone to my Bluetooth so she can blast some nineties girl-power country anthems.
She humsalong to every song, but when“Man! I Feel LikeAWoman!”comes on, I belt it out at the top of my lungs rightalongsideher.
“Parkinglot'sfull,”she says as The Creek comes into view.“I was expecting it to be a small crowd since it'sinvite-only.”
I shrug scanning the lot until I find Atlas’s truck. “Atlas and Nora are already here.”
“Who's watching James again?” she asks, angling her body toward mine.
“Sydney from her foundations of learning class.”
“That's right.”Scarlet's shoulders curl in, putting me on high alert.
“What's wrong?”
“Nothing.”She turns back to me.“I promise.I'mjust caught up in my own head about stupid things.”
Ireachacross the console and cup her cheek.“Nothing you think or feel is stupid, Scarlet.”
Shepresses her cheek into my palm, nuzzling me sweetly “I’m just nervous about meeting her school friends.It'sdumb. I know...”She blinks rapidly before forcing herself to continue.“I know I'm a lot and that not everyone likes?—”
My chest tightens as the realization thatI'mthe reason shethinksshe’sunlikeable crashes into me with the force of a tsunami.“Fucking hell, baby girl. I am so,sosorry.”Fitting, since the guilt might actually drown me.
Her eyebrows squish together. “For what?”
