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Nora had to admit, it would be easier to concede to the truth and to embrace how she really felt. Lawson Steele was the love of her life. It was that simple. And yet, she’d lost him once. The absence of him had left her so empty, she’d settled for a bottom-feeder of a human who had convinced her she was better on her own. The walls she built around her and Evie had kept them safe and happy. It felt scary and risky to even think about life without those walls. And the fact that half the day had gone by and she hadn’t heard from Lawson was not unnoticed.
Staring down at their hands, Nora muttered, “Not everything is a fairytale, Mitzi. I’m thrilled you’ve found the man of your dreams in Steele. You deserve the happiness he brings you. But I don’t know what the future holds for Lawson and me.”
“That’s why you called me. You don’t have to know—I’m sure enough for the both of us.” Mitzi gave Nora’s hands one last squeeze and then let her go before righting herself in her seat and starting her Ford’s engine. “Now, I don’t know about you, but all this excitement has made me hungry. Let’s go get some lunch.”
Lunch with her best friend had been necessary, there was no doubt about that. Nevertheless, an hour hadn’t been long enough for Mitzi’s confidence to rub off on Nora. A busy afternoon at the salon helped her make it to quitting time, and Evie’s voice as the two of them sang along to their favorite songs on the ride home that evening helped keep thoughts of Creed and Lawson at bay for a while longer. The distractions wouldn’t last. As soon as she was alone with her thoughts, she’d have to face them—but she had a few hours left before Evie’s bedtime.
“Mommy, what’s for dinner?” asked Evie as they entered their apartment.
“I was thinkin’ chicken nuggets with some cheesy broccoli.”
“I like it when you put cheese on broccoli.”
“I know. It’s about the only way I can get you to eat it,” she teased, locking the door behind them. “Why don’t you go play for a bit while I make dinner. After we eat, you can pick out a movie.”
Evie gasped and shouted, “Encanto!”
Nora smiled to herself as she discarded her purse on the kitchen table. They’d only seen that one fifty times in the last month, but who was counting?
“If you insist.Afteryou eat all your broccoli.”
“Okay,” she sang as she hurried to her room.
Nora entered the kitchen and set the oven to preheat. When she opened the freezer to take out the nuggets, she saw a forgotten bag of sweet potato fries and decided that should beon the menu, too. After she filled the baking sheet with enough for two, she rummaged through the fridge for the necessary ingredients to throw together the cheesy broccoli. Twenty minutes later, dinner was almost ready; but before Nora called Evie to the table, there was a knock at the front door.
The sound made Nora freeze from where she stood at the stove. She wasn’t expecting any company. Neither was she mentally prepared to receive anyone.
“Can I get it?” called Evie as she hurried toward the door. Nora didn’t have a chance to respond before Evie inquired, “Who is it?”
“It’s me, Jay,” came the reply from the hallway.
Nora willed herself to relax as Evie murmured, “Mommy?”
“Yeah, baby. You can open it.”
“Hi, Miss Jay,” greeted Evie politely, stepping aside to let her inside.
“What’s up, Evie-B?”
“Me and mommy are gonna watchEncanto. Do you want to watch with us?”
“What?” Jay cried exuberantly, shutting the door behind her. “I’ve never seenEncanto. That sounds so cool. I’m definitely gonna watch it with you.”
“Hey, Jay. Um, I wasn’t expectin’ you. You’re welcome to stay, but I only made dinner for two.”
“Oh, sweet—you took care of dinner? Even better.”
Frowning in confusion, Nora shut off the burner on the stove and turned to speak to Jay directly. “Evie, baby, go wash your hands. It’s almost time to eat.” Once her daughter was out of earshot, she folded her arms across her chest and tried to make sense of what might be happening. “Jay, what are you doin’ here?”
“Apparently, I’m going to chow down on whatever you made for dinner and then watchEncantowith Evie.”
Nora sighed, letting her arms fall to her sides. She was too mentally exhausted to make Jay make sense. “What are you talkin’ about?”
“In approximately forty-five minutes, there’s gonna be another knock on this door. Except, he will not be stayin’ to watch a movie with Evie and me—he will be pickin’youup for a hot date.”
Nora’s stomach dropped.
“Wait, what?”
