The twins are in the living room when I walk in. Archer is on the floor with them, building something out of magnetic tiles. He looks up when I come in, and his eyes scan me—the bags, the hair, the nails—and he doesn’t say anything, but I can see the calculation happening.
“Someone’s fancy,” he says.
“I got a blowout.”
“I can see that.”
Lily scrambles up off the floor and runs over to me. “Syd, why is your hair like that?”
“I got it done for my date tonight.”
“What’s a date?”
“It’s when a grown-up goes out with another grown-up to get to know them.”
Her eyes widen. “Auntie Syd is going to have a BOYFRIEND.”
“Lily—”
“DADDY! AUNTIE SYD IS GOING TO HAVE A BOYFRIEND!”
“Okay, Lil—”
“LUKE. LUKE. AUNTIE SYD IS GOING TO HAVE A BOYFRIEND.”
Luke looks up from his magnetic tiles, mildly curious. “Who?”
“His name is Tanner, but he’s not my—”
I’m cut off by Lily, who spins around with her arms out, announcing to the room, “Auntie Syd and TANNER.”
“Lily, shh,” Archer says. His voice is calm, but there’s an edge beneath it. “Auntie Syd is just going out to dinner. It’s not a big deal.”
“But she’spretty,” Lily insists, as if that settles everything.
“She’s always pretty.”
“Not THIS pretty.”
Archer doesn’t correct her, and I feel his eyes on me—quick, assessing—before he turns back to the tiles.
I head upstairs to get changed.
I put on the top and my nice jeans that fit perfectly. I do my makeup at the guest room vanity with music playing on my phone, all the while aware of the activity in the house below. I can hear Archer’s low voice talking to the twins, the cartoon Lily chose playing too loudly, and the clatter of something being dropped in the kitchen.
I come down at 6:45 to find him at the counter pouring milk into sippy cups.
“I’m heading out,” I say.
He turns to look at me.
The glance lasts maybe two seconds. His eyes travel over my outfit, my hair, then return to my face. His jaw tightens for a moment, and he turns back to the sippy cups.
“Have fun, Syd,” he says.
He doesn’t look at me again. I grab my bag and the Lexus key fob. Lily runs at me from the living room, hugs my legs, and asks me to come back and tell her everything. Luke waves solemnly as I leave.
I step outside, still feeling Archer’s lack of attention, and that sensation follows me to the car.
