“Like matching couples Christmas sweaters,” Kyle jokes.
I’m about to disclose the big secret double wrapped in Santa prints sitting right below a metallic gold globe ornament when I feel something trickle down my leg. I look down at my gray sweatpants—borrowed from James—only to see a trail of a dark stain steeping into the normally light material.
“Guys,” I whisper. I’m about to tell them I just peed myself, unsure if it’s some unventured pregnancy symptom I’m experiencing for the first time, when a shooting pain hits my lower back. I gasp, stumbling to the arm of the couch with one hand outstretched to catch my fall and the other bracing my hip.
“Kendall!”
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
James
NOW
Whenever I walkup Teeny’s walkway, it never ceases to amaze me how different Teeny’s life is compared to the rest of us Cohen siblings. While most of our homes have concrete driveways and two-car garages, the standard for most single-family homes in Southern California, Teeny’s mansion is equipped with a cobblestone path and an oversized three-car garage. Everett’s BMW sits on the driveway, freshly polished and spotless, right next to the bright rose bushes lining the property line. More flower beds are positioned along the pathway, ranging from hydrangeas to lavenders, offering a fragrant quality as I reach her door. I press the doorbell, and even the chime sounds florid and rich.
I stand there, feeling a little out of place while rocking back and forth on my heels when I hear footsteps near followed by a murky figure appearing through the distorted glass on the door.
“Hey,” Everett says when he opens the door. “Come in. The girls are in the back.”
I follow him through the house, taking in the foyer and high ceilings, and when we walk out to the backyard to the pool, I’m greeted with an echoing shriek.
“Daddy!” Sophia calls from inside the pool. She’s in there with Teeny and Sadie, the three looking like a trio of drowning kittens. It looks like they’re at the end of their pool day from their weary bodies barely able to tread the water.
I dropped Sophia off in the morning after Sadie begged for a day with her cousin. Kendall needed some time to catch up on her work, and I managed to get some things done that I’ve been putting off for a few weeks. It was a nice little break the both of us needed, though I felt like it cleaved us apart more than before. We spent the day in the same house but barely spoke to each other. I think I said more to her when I told her I was leaving to pick up Sophia than throughout the whole day.
“You about ready to go, Soph?”
“Aww!” she exclaims, her grin now a big pouty frown.
“We were going to pick up some pizza if you guys want to stay for dinner,” Everett offers. He’s picking up the stray towels and Styrofoam pool noodles, and he looks just about as sunburned as the rest of the soppy gang.
“Yes! Pizza!”
I turn to Everett with an exasperated huff. “I guess we’re staying for pizza.”
A string of excited squeals mesh with the lap of water as Sophia, Sadie, and Teeny exit the pool. Everett waits by the edge, towels in hand, and I take one from him to dry off Sophia.
“Did you have fun with Sadie?”
Sophia grins at me and nods eagerly. Water drips from her head and lands on the dry concrete in light splats. I roughly rub the towel into her hair before wrapping her up into a little Fifi burrito. “Sadie taught me how to float on my back.”
“She did?”
“Yup,” she claims proudly. “You’re supposed to lie back and pretend to be a starfish.”
“Are you hungry?”
She nods again, the enthusiasm gushing out of her like a geyser. “Can we have ice cream after pizza? And Sadie said we can watch a movie too!”
“How about just some pizza,” I carefully suggest, hoping to avoid a tantrum. “And then maybe we can get some ice cream on the way home.”
“Kendall couldn’t make it?”
I ignore the cross face Sophia’s making and turn to Teeny. “She had a lot of work to catch up on. With the end of the school year and open house next week, she’s been really busy.”
Teeny pulls a dress over her head, and Everett adjusts the back. I watch him swipe over the material to dust off any loose dirt from sitting on the ground, and he tugs at the hem to adjust the way it sits. His hand is already extended to take the damp towel from her before she even hands it over to him, and she smiles at him and quietly whispers a thank you. It never occurred to me how differently Everett treats Teeny compared to her ex-husband. How much more attentive and present he is. Even Teeny’s demeanor is different. More carefree and relaxed, less circumspect.
Sadie swoops down and scoops Sophia in her arms, burrito and all, and the two rush off inside. I follow, picking up Sophia’s clothes along the way.
