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Me:And yet, I’m okay. I’m not afraid and I want to learn. If you can’t help me, I’ll call Miles.
I clamp my teeth onto my bottom lip. It’s low, and another fib. I don’t have Miles’ number and I want Levi to teach me. I can’t give a reason. Not really. Just that I do.
There’s a pause, and for a second I think maybe he’ll tell me that’s fine, he’ll be done with me, and he’ll pass me on to his younger brother. He’ll even provide me with Miles’ number.
Levi:Doctor said two weeks. Come by next week.
My cheeks ache with my grin.
Me:See you then.
Iwait for Nikki at the park. I don’t have Lilac for her to ride, but I do have another batch of cookies. I’ve brought her two more batches this week. They’re all the same. Salty. Not horrible. But not good.
“Has he texted again?” I hear her voice from behind.
“Hey,” I say, turning around. “No. It’s been all quiet. I’m not surprised though. I didn’t expect him to.” I open my to-go container. “Here, try this one.”
She takes a bite and her nose scrunches—which means I’ve failed at baking again. Baking and biking—maybe they just aren’t my things. “You tried a different recipe?”
“I did. But they all taste the same to me. Bob says I have to stop baking. He’s the only one who will eat my salty cookies. He’s diabetic and he’s gained two pounds this week. I’m pretty sure I need you if I’m ever going to get this right.”
Nikki giggles. She looks almost happy today. She pulls out her phone. The one she usually flips in her lap or stares down at with tears in her eyes. Every time she looks at that phone I want to throw it in the garbage can. It doesn’t matter how many friends she texts, they don’t respond. And once, she was included in a group text by accident. Someone asked who was invited to the movie—then they specifically asked about her. And the person said that no she was not invited. That’s when the other agreed to go. I don’t know why kids are so cruel. Don’t they know how lucky they are? I guess that’s just it. They don’t.
But Nikki is nice and smart, and yet, they don’t like her. At least not these kids. Not the ones in her phone, the device that may one day go missing… but will really be spending the rest of its life in the bottom of a well, right where I put it.
Nikki taps her screen and then the line is ringing. A FaceTime call. Though I don’t know who she’s calling.
A woman older than me by at least a decade fills the screen.
“Hi Mom,” Nikki says.
“Nik, I took a break, but you’ve got five minutes,” the older version of Nikki says.
“Right. Okay. You know Meredith?”
“The quirky lady you’ve been meeting at the park?” Her brows raise—Mrs. Angelo doesn’t realize I’m sitting right next to her daughter. Or maybe she does and she doesn’t care if I hear her. I can respect that.
“Yep.Her.” Nikki swivels the screen so that I’m the one now featured.
“Nik,” her mother groans. Yep, I was right the first time—she didn’t know I was here.
“Mom, this is Meredith Porter. She sucks at baking. Meredith, this is my mom, Lila. She’s overworked and a little lonely.”
“Nikki!” Lila growls.
“You called her quirky. I thought she should get a harsh truth back about you.” Nikki is unapologetic for her descriptions. I don’t really care. My baking needs help and quirky isn’t something that surprises me. I’ve watched enough 90210 and Pretty Little Liars to know that I’m not exactly trendy. “Mer needs help baking cookies.”
I hold up one of my salty cookies. “I really do.”
“If she comes to our place, can I help her?”
Lila looks from her daughter back to me. “You want to bake, Nik?”
Nikki moans. “It’s not a big deal, Mom.”
“You want to do something other than stare at your phone?”
“Forget I asked.” She rolls her eyes, and I’m not exactly sure what’s happening here. Am I getting rejected by Lila or put off by Nikki?
