“Let’s get you to bed, my little bug,” I murmured to Charlotte as I carried her up the stairs, her head tucked against my shoulder, her small hand fisted loosely in my shirt.
A few minutes later, she was tucked in, her breathing slow and even, and I stood there for a long moment, just watching her.
“Sleep well,” I whispered, kissing her forehead. Then I quietly pulled the door halfway closed and headed back downstairs.
The rest of the house was still when I got down to the kitchen.
Nora wasn’t home yet.
I checked the time.
It was a little after ten.
Hopefully, Nora and Lucy were having a good time together.
I was sitting in the living room, just finishing a chapter from the book club book for the next month, when I heard the front door open.
A second later, Nora stepped inside.
“Hey,” she said, pausing when she saw me, like she hadn’t expected me to still be up.
“Hey,” I replied, setting my book down on the end table.
There was a brief moment when neither of us said anything.
Then, deciding to play along with what she’d told me earlier, I asked, “How was your day? Were you able to find everything you needed at the store?”
“I did,” she said, holding up a shopping bag as she leaned against the doorframe. “It was good. I found a new swimsuit and some flip-flops, so that should be nice for the beach.”
“Nice,” I said with a small nod. “And how was hanging out with your hockey friends?”
Her gaze shifted away almost immediately. Like she was deciding whether to stick with the story from earlier.
But then, she looked back at me.
“I actually didn’t hang out with them,” she said, rubbing her hand over her forearm. “I spent the evening with Lucy instead. Which was fun.”
“Oh, that’s great,” I said, relief filling my chest. “I’m sure Lucy loved that. You two haven’t been able to see each other as much now that you’re living here and she’s staying with Owen.”
“Yeah,” she said, meeting my gaze again. “It was good.”
For a brief second, I wondered if Lucy had said anything to Nora about our conversation.
If she knew how stressed I’d been before my sister had helped ease my mind and encouraged me on a few things.
But when she didn’t give anything away, I decided not to go digging.
Though… there was one thing I probably should clear up.
Shifting slightly in my seat, I said, “This might be kind of random, but… just in case it came across differently earlier, Amanda and I are just friends.”
“You are?” she asked, something flickering in her expression.
“She’s great,” I said with a nod, trying to keep my tone light, “but I don’t really see us going on any future dates. I know getting flowers for a woman probably looks a certain way, but I only meant for them to be a ‘hope you get some sleep and feel better’ kind of gesture.”
“Oh…” she said, her mouth parting, like she wasn’t sure what to do with that. “That’s… good to know. It’s always nice to get flowers.”
“That’s what I thought,” I said.