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“Shit,” I say. “Word travels fast.”
“What do you mean?”
I tell her about getting caught staring at the scene that was unfolding down the street. “Ha!” she cackles. “You would be the one they see peeking out their front door.”
“Shut up,” I say. “Just let me know if you hear anything more on that. I’m basically invested in the story.”
“Oh, I definitely will. Penny was walking her dog when everything went down, so once the show is over, she’s going to call and tell me what happened.”
“Keep me posted.”
“I will.” She clears her throat. “So… Any change after your talk with Nick?”
“Nope,” I say simply. I empty the clothes from the dryer into a basket and put them on the marble countertop to be ignored. “I have a feeling that everything I said went in one ear and out the other.”
“Typical man.”
“Yeah, well I don’t know how much more of this I can take. I swear, I’m about to tell Amy to give me more shifts at the store just so I can get away from here.”
“But you hate working that stupid retail job,” Rachel says. I can practically hear her scrunching her nose as she says it. “Just keep letting Nick bring home the bread. You only work one day a week at the store anyway.”
“Well that’s one day a week that Nick gets a taste of his own children.”
“I love my wicked best friend.”
I grin even though she can’t see me.
“I’ve got my hands full today though,” I say. “I have to make time for a run to the store, but I have to get this house tidied up so I can avoid another fight with Nick tonight. Last night was pretty bad.”
“You say that about all of your fights.”
“Yeah, well this time it really was.” I put the scoop back into the jar of scent beads on the shelf above my head and stop working on laundry to rest my hand on my hip, thinking about the fight we had last night.
“Did he sleep on the couch?” she asks cautiously.
“No,” I say. “I wish he would have.”
“No you don’t. You wish he’d be around more often.”
I sigh. “Very true. But I also want him to know how fed up I am. He used to be home so much more. Then we had Spencer and it’s like something clicked in his brain that maybe four kids was more than we could handle right now.”
“Ya live and ya learn,” Rachel says. I hear a beeping coming from her end of the call. Almost like the sound of a vehicle telling its driver to put on their seatbelt.
“Where are you?” I ask.
“Heading to get a cup of coffee,” she says. “I just dropped Damien and Kate off at school.”
“Way to kick me while I’m down,” I growl. “I get to drop off two at school, one off at pre-K, and then come home to babysit the fourth.”
“Sorry,” she says. “I guess two is way easier than four. But just think, you get double the amount of hugs and love from your kids.Andyou have a nice house to do it in.” I hear her fumble with something in her car. “You know if you need help, I’m available to show up whenever. Kenny got that promotion at the firm and has been working more during the day so I can have quiet time.”
“But he’s home in the evenings?”
“Yeah,” she says. I can hear the happiness in her voice and I feel the jealousy bubble up inside me.
“That’s good,” I say, cautious to say anything that might reveal my underlying bitterness.
“Anyway, I just wanted to check in. Call me if you need anything.”
