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“Broccoli,” the eldest girl, Tammy, said and crinkled her nose. She was eight, and she had Rachel’s blonde hair and her father’s dark, soulful eyes. “She won’t stop feeding us that.”
I laughed. “Broccoli is good for you.”
“You can have mine,” Benjamin said. He was six, and he looked just like his father, but he had Rachel’s laugh and happy disposition.
“Mine too!” Rory cried out, following in her big brother’s footsteps and mimicking him. She was three and always smelled sticky-sweet when she climbed on my lap.
Rachel appeared at the door. “Come on, I have cookies and milk on the table and a movie waiting,” she said.
The kids all ran inside, and Rachel came to hug me. Rachel was twenty years older than me, the first of us five kids. My three brothers were all over the place, and I barely saw them, but Rachel was like a mother to me, and I saw her as often as I could.
“You look stressed,” she said, holding me at arm’s length.
“You look tired,” I countered.
“Three kids will do that to you,” Rachel said with a laugh. “Come on, you can have cookies and milk, too.”
I snorted. “Thanks.” I loved that I still got cookies and milk at Rachel’s house. “I’ll trade milk for coffee.”
I followed her in. The kids were already around the table in the kitchen, dunking cookies in their milk, but I stood with Rachel by the coffee machine while she made us each a cup.
When Rachel asked about work, I gave her a recap of the week. I didn’t mention that Troy and I had slept together. I just told her that he was a pain in the ass and working together—and against each other—was going to be a fun challenge.
“Is he a nice guy?” Rachel asked.
I shrugged. “I guess so. He’s on top of shi—things.” I caught myself before I swore in front of the kids. “He owns Larson Inc.”
“Oh, successfulandrich. That’s what you want in a guy, eh?” Rachel nudged me.
I shook my head. “I’m not going to date him.”
“Why not?”
“Come on, Rachel,” I said. “Why is everyone trying to get me to settle down? Did you talk to Hailey?”
Rachel laughed. “I’m not getting your friends involved, we’re just all on the same page. You need someone in your life, sweetie pie. You can’t be alone forever.”
“I’m not alone,” I said. “I have you and those three angels.” I watched as Benjamin and Tammy threw pieces of cookie at each other.
“Hey!” Rachel cried out. “In your mouth, or not at all.”
“Sorry,” Tammy said and stuffed a whole cookie in her mouth. Rory dunked her cookie into her glass until her whole hand was in the glass and all the milk spilled on the table.
“Oh, God,” Rachel muttered and walked to the sink to find a cloth. “Here, honey, let’s wipe this up.”
She let Rory help her clean while Rory sucked on the soggy cookie with one hand.
“Having me and Hailey doesn’t mean you’re not alone,” Rachel said, talking to me again. “You need a man.”
“For what?” I asked.
Rachel hesitated. “I… actually don’t know.” She laughed. “Companionship.”
I giggled. “I’ll be fine. Really. I like my job, I work all the hours I want without someone expecting me home at a certain time, and that works for me. This whole thing…” I glanced at the kids. “Maybe it’s on the cards for me one day, but not now.”
“One day might be too late,” Rachel said.
“It’s not, though,” I said. “You got married late.” She was fifty now, and her kids weren’t even ten yet. She’d had them in a time when everyone had been sure it was dangerous, she couldn’t fall pregnant, it was a risk, all that jazz. Aside from her dickhead ex-husband, she’d gotten what she wanted.
