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twenty-three
Lilah
“I’m on my way down,”I tell Brenna, who I have on speakerphone, as I hobble around trying to get my shoe on.
“Lyric and Pebbles are already there, and Winnie is meeting us there.”
“You’re sure Maria isn’t going to be mad at us?”
“She can’t be mad when she refuses to take money from us anyways. Besides, I talked to her. She’s fine. She knows there’s too many of us for her to handle on such short notice.”
I grab my purse off the counter and lock the door behind me. “Okay, if you’re sure.”
“I’m sure. See you when you get here.”
I round the corner into the garage and run into my dad and Ringer. “Hey,” I chirp.
“Good morning, Princess.” Ringer rises to his full height when I stop next to him. He presses a kiss to my lips, his newly grown-out beard tickling my face. I catch my dad smiling at us from his spot by his bike.
“Where you off too, Princess?”
“Girls and I are going to the spa in the city. Winnie got some vouchers for some treatments, so we’re making a day of it.”
“Sweet.”
A smile pulls at my lips as a sleepy Sasha comes into the garage from the kitchen door. “Hey, Sash.”
“Morning,” she says with a smile.
It seems like Sasha is here more than she isn’t. I even caught my dad taking her little shih tzu, Charlie, out to use the bathroom a few mornings ago.
My dad opens his arms for her to walk into. I smile at them, happy for them both. I really hope they work out. It would be heartbreaking for everyone involved, me included, if they didn’t.
I rest my head against Ringer’s arm while he and Dad explain their plans for the day with the bakery. Apparently, just the last of the demo that is a little too difficult for me and Sasha.
I press another kiss to Ringer’s furry cheek as soon as Brenna pulls into the driveway. I wave to her and toss goodbyes behind me as I skip down the drive and drop into the passenger seat of her car.
“Hi!” she greets, smiling so sweetly behind the too-big-for-her-face sunglasses.
“Hi,” I say back, buckling my seatbelt.
I sit back and let the ice-cold A/C cool my skin down. September in Desert Rose is tricky. Sometimes it's chilly, mostly at night, but during the day, you could easily suffer from a heart stroke while frying an egg on the hood of your car.
“It’s hot as hell today.”
Brenna nods, turning the dial on the dash to cool the inside of the car even more.
“Thanks!” I giggle. “How are you?”
She wiggles her eyebrows at me, causing me to roll my eyes. “I should be asking you that question.”
“I’m perfect, actually.”
Brenna turns a surprised look my way with her eyebrows halfway up her forehead. “Oh?”
I nod. “I’ve been working on Halloween costumes in my spare time, and I’m just about done with mine and Ringer’s.”
“Ah! You should make Flame and me some too! You have the time, right?!”
