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Will and I both shared a look.
Channing was talking as if they weren’t in the way where they could afford to send their kids to that school. They could. They could afford to send thirty kids through that school if they wanted. They’d franchised his wife’s local bar in other locations and they were doing well. They were doing very well, but I shook my head slightly to Will. We didn’t bring it up. I didn’t care about it enough to bring it up.
Seeing Billie trying to hide a yawn as she was going through some boxes, I said briskly, “It’s time for you to say goodnight, Monroe.”
He paused, his eyes skirting my way and then toward Billie before he dipped his head down. “You’re right. It’s that time.” The goodbyes happened quickly, no fuss about it because it’s how we were. He finished his beer, then headed out, holding up a hand to Billie. “It was good seeing you again.”
Billie looked up, swallowing a second yawn. “Hi! Yes. Thank you for your help, Chandler.”
It was a joke now between them, and Channing flashed her a grin. “Heather will kick my ass if I don’t remind you that she’d love to come and help you unpack.”
Billie flushed before nodding. “I—yes—I’ll give her a call in the week. Just need to get my bearings until then.”
Channing held up his hand in another wave before he was gone.
I was watching Billie, but Will was watching me. I felt his attention and wasn’t surprised when he noted quietly, “Something going on there? Between Monroe’s wife and Billie?”
I shook my head. “No. Billie’s just content with keeping a small circle. It’s how she operated growing up. That’s all.” That was true, but Channing’s wife made it known she’d love to befriend Billie and all that would come with that. She had a group of friends that came with her, but there’d also be a load of support that would also come with them. Billie wasn’t used to it. Took half her life to finally accept Vicky and Howard as her parents and Lo as her sister. Small steps. That’s how Billie was right now.
Whatever Billie wanted. Whatever made her happy.
“That’s nice of them, though. To extend that friendship branch.”
Will was watching Billie now. She was moving around in the kitchen by herself, but she was doing it happily. He spoke quietly even though Billie couldn’t hear. The house was that big. “Stevie wanted to come over to help Billie so bad. We just felt with school starting tomorrow, and it’d be late when we got here, it was better for her to wait to come over later in the week.”
“Solid thinking.”
He flicked his eyes up. “Harmony’s coming around—”
“Will.”
He stopped at my sudden firm tone.
I said, “Don’t do that. Don’t start to say some shit that’ll be some excuse why your wife isn’t coming around when our niece would move in here if all of us allowed that. We both know what’s going on, and while it doesn’t make me really like your wife that much, I probably wouldn’t have liked her anyway because she’s got a personality where she cares what other people think about her. I’m not like that. Billie’s not like that. She’s not hurting because your wife is scared of befriending her. It is what it is. I know your wife is getting some asinine opinions put in her head and I know who’s putting those asinine ideas in there. So let’s just say that we’ll make sure to come to family holidays when certain people make their leave. However, Harmony isn’t a bad person either. You love her. She loves you. She also loves Stevie, Georgie, and Sammy, so there’s no bad blood between us either.”
Will picked up on who I wasn’t including, and who else might’ve been at their family holidays.
He nodded, sighing. “It bothers me, though.”
“But it doesn’t bother Billie.”
We were in agreement there, sharing another look.
He said, “We need to have a talk about how much we’re going to let Stevie come over here. She’d come over tomorrow before school if we let her.”
“Sure.”
“Just talk it out with Billie about what you guys want, and I’ll talk to Harmony too, see what she’s okay with as well. We know Stevie will be here a lot, and I know it somewhat hurts Harmony’s feelings, but we’ll deal with it. We can all tell that it’s good for Stevie to be around Billie.”
I agreed.
He left after that, finishing his non-alcoholic beer before going over to hug Billie and say his own goodbyes to her, whispering something to her which got him another tighter hug and lots of smiles from Billie.
She swung her eyes my way, still smiling, but I also caught a shadow there. She didn’t come over so whatever it was, she’d tell me later. If she didn’t, I’d be bringing it up. I didn’t like seeing that shadow over my woman.
She liked the sunshine, and I’d make sure to remind her of that tonight.
No more shadows.
