Page 49 of Freefall

“Nate’s just a friend, honey. Remember? A friend from college.”

I bristle at the “just” part of her description. It doesn’t matter how long it’s been or what title she wants to slap on it; there’s nothing just about us.

“But he’s a boy,” Daisy protests.

“Boys and girls can be friends,” Harper says. “Henry was one of your best friends in Denver. And TJ and I are friends.”

TJ? Who the fuck is TJ? And what grown-ass adult goes by initials?

“Yeah, I guess,” Daisy finally relents, and just as quickly, it’s forgotten. “Do you want to watch me do a cartwheel next?”

“I would love that.”

She runs onto the field, beaming, and raises her hands in the air before falling forward. Her legs kick up but flail in completely different directions, and she lands in a heap on the ground. She’s still grinning when her head pops up, grass stuck to the wisps of hair falling out of her braid. “Did I do it?”

“That was…” I start, looking to Harper for help, but she just smirks. “A good start.”

“We hadn’t gotten to floor routines yet in class, so I’ve been practicing on my own.”

I crouch down beside her, brushing a blade of grass from her shoulder. “You’re going a little too fast. Try slowing it down.”

She frowns. “But I like going fast.”

“I noticed. That’s kind of the problem.”

I hold out my hands. “Start with your arms up. Reach for the ground instead of diving at it. One hand, then the other.”

She mimics me, exaggerating my movements, her tongue poking out from the corner of her mouth.

“Good. Now kick your back leg first. Nice and high like you’re trying to brush the sky with your toes.”

She tries again, landing one hand on the ground, the other following a second later. Her first leg floats gracefully into the air, but the other one folds underneath, sending her into a crooked, sideways tumble.

She giggles again. “How was that?”

“Much better.”

“Really?”

“I swear.”

She giggles, dusting the grass from her knees as she looks into the distance. And once again, her attention is elsewhere.

“Oh, the ice cream cart is here! Can we get some, Mommy? Please? I had a good lunch.”

I glance back at Harper. For a second, I think she’s going to be angry that I overstepped, but then I catch the look on her face.

Shock.

Not the wide-eyed, heart-pounding kind. The quiet kind. Like she’s trying to assemble pieces of a quilt but they don’t quite fit the way she imagined.

“Mommy?” Daisy asks again.

Harper’s eyes snap back to her daughter. “Sure, honey.”

“Can Nate come?”

Harper glances over at me, opening her mouth, but nothing comes out. She raises her eyebrows, and I nod.