I’ve just dropped off Joey when my phone rings and I see Holly’s name on the screen. Part of me doesn’t want to answer because I haven’t heard from her since Christmas, but I’ve missed her. So, I keep my voice neutral as I answer.
“Hey.”
“Hi! I’ve been meaning to call but Nathan and I were skiing in Wyoming.”
I mentally roll my eyes.
They’re always somewhere.
“Sounds fun,” I say.
“I realize I never heard from you after you sent me that text about some guy helping you when your car broke down, so I thought I’d check in.”
“Yeah, I could be chopped up in a million pieces and dumped in a field somewhere by now.”
There’s a beat of uncomfortable silence. She knows I’m annoyed so the question now is whether she’ll choose to address it. Of course, Lindy’s in the car, so I need to make sure things stay polite.
“I don’t have a lot of time,” I continue before she can say anything. “I’m taking my friend Lindy to school. And you’re on speaker.”
“Oh, you’re in the car?”
“I’m on my way to work.”
“Who’s Lindy?”
“I’m Jayne’s sister!” Lindy chirps.
I chuckle. “I have a new friend named Jayne, who has a seven-year-old sister that goes to Peachtree Academy. So, I’m bringing her with me today.”
“I see.” Holly must sense that I don’t want to discuss anything in front of Lindy so she goes with the flow. “Then I guess the damage to your car wasn’t too bad?”
“We still have no idea,” I admit. “It’s at a shop. I’m driving West’s car.”
“Who’s West?”
“Uh, my savior the night of the storm. We’ve gotten to be good…friends.”
“Oh. Wow. I guess we have a lot to catch up on.”
“We do. Are you in town?”
She hesitates. “Yes. Nathan is flying to Arizona next weekend for a golf thing, so I’m not going. You want to meet up for lunch or whatever?”
“Sure. That sounds nice.”
She pauses.
“I’m sorry I didn’t check in. I should have.”
I’m not going to say it’s okay because it’s not.
“Nathan keeps you distracted.”
“Things are…changing,” she says cryptically. “But we can talk about that when I see you.”
“Everything okay?” I really, really hope she says no, because I can’t stand him.
“I’m not sure yet. Like I said, we’ll talk more when we’re alone.”