When she rids me of the boxes, I shake out my arms and rub over the red marks left on my skin.
“Sage called to let me know she was able to get away from the office earlier than expected. She’ll be here any minute,” Mom informs me as we head into the house.
“That’s good news.” I blow a loose strand of my hair out of my face while following Mom to the kitchen. “I offered to babysit Lucas, Waverly’s boy, on Tuesday night.”
“That’s so nice of you.”
After the walk home, I make a beeline for the fridge and grab a bottle of water. After quenching my thirst, I ask, “When did you last hear from Jordan?”
Mom thinks for a moment before replying, “He called on Monday. His construction business is keeping him busy, and Natalie and Brady are doing well. He said they’ll come through for Thanksgiving.”
Jordan met Natalie a month after he moved to Naperville, and they’ve been happily married for five years. We took a trip to visit them when Brady was born, but that was two years ago.
“Boo ...” I scrunch my nose while putting the bottle down on the counter. “That’s still two months away.”
“Right?” Mom lets out a huff. “I’m just happy that we’ll get to see them this year.”
Moving closer to Mom, I place my arm around her shoulders and press a kiss to her cheek. “Hey, at least you’re stuck with me.”
A smile widens over her face. “The house would be empty without you, buttercup.” Her expression grows serious. “But I don’t want you to feel like you’re stuck here.”
“I don’t feel that way at all. I love living with you and Dad.”
Mom pats my cheek. “One day you’ll meet someone who’ll make you feel differently.”
I shake my head. “Nope. I have zero desire to date.”
“You might change your mind a few years from now.”
I peek into the pizza boxes until I find the Hawaiian and quickly steal a piece of pineapple. When I pop it into my mouth, I say, “Don’t tell Sage.”
It’s always been our thing where I’ll pick off the pineapple from my pizza to give to Sage because she loves it so much. It’s something special between us.
Mom walks to the stove and begins to prepare a pot of chamomile tea.
The front door opens, and a second later we hear Sage calling out, “I’m home.”
Shrieking happily, Mom barrels out of the kitchen. I follow after her and grin when I see Mom hugging the life out of Sage.
“I missed you so much! It’s been too long since we last saw you,” Mom says.
Sage basks in the attention Mom’s giving her, and only when they pull apart do I step forward to give my sister a tight hug.
“Missed you,” I whisper.
Sage rubs her hand up and down my back before pulling away. “I’ve missed you too. I’ll definitely try to come home more now that the case has been settled.”
Just then, the front door opens again, and Dad steps into the foyer.
“Sage!” He rushes forward and engulfs her in a bear hug. “Dang, sweetheart. It’s so good to see you again.” He pushes her backward, his eyes sweeping over her before he asks, “How’s work? Your mom told me you won the case.”
“It was a difficult one, but we got a billion-dollar settlement,” Sage replies.
Dad’s chest puffs out, and he gives Sage a look filled with pride and love. “That’s such great news. I knew you could do it.”
While Dad presses a kiss to Mom’s lips, I say, “We got pizza. Are we eating in the kitchen or the living room?”
“Kitchen,” Mom replies.
