“I don’t really care about football,” said Lena.
“Do you care they’re in trouble?” Marissa shot back.
“Boys are stupid,” observed Lena. “I’ve got two brothers. I know.”
Harley was starting to feel uncomfortable. She was trapped with a clique of Marissa’s friends who may or may not be on Harley’s side. They could blast her as well as defend her. It was too early to tell. They were all planning to go to the Friday night game, and they hadn’t asked Harley to meet them. She probably could just join in, but she still felt like an outsider.
“Uh-oh,” Marissa whispered as they broke from the group.
“What?”
Harley looked over to see her mom talking to Marissa’s. Harley braced herself, too; Marissa had told her how her mother had gone nuclear upon learning about the spreading of Grandma’s ashes.
“Why’d you tell her? You said you weren’t going to tell her,” Harley had reminded her fiercely.
“It just came out, okay? She was grilling me. And your mom said not to make it a big deal!”
By the looks of things now, it was a big deal. The two women were facing off.
* * *
“It wasn’t appropriate,” Laura Haynes said sharply for about the tenth time. “I really hardly know how to talk to you if you can’t see how inappropriate that was.”
Jamie, who’d been accosted as she was getting out of her car, had weathered about five minutes of this conversation. She’d apologized and agreed with Laura, saying yes, she should have said something to her earlier, but after admitting she was wrong, she refused to engage further. Though the last thing she wanted was to make an enemy of the mother of Harley’s closest friend and Cooper’s ex-wife, she’d basically dropped out of the conversation and was currently just waiting for Laura to wind down, which looked like it could take a while.
“I understand this was an important family rite, but my daughter should not have been there, and I should have been told what was happening.” Laura looked at Jamie through wide hazel eyes. She had blondish-brown hair like Jamie’s own. She was trim and fit in yoga pants, a ponytail, and sneakers. And she felt empowered.
“Mom!” a female voice cried.
Marissa.
Jamie looked over to see their daughters approaching. Thank God. Laura fixed her attention on Marissa.
“Get in the car. We’re going to be late for class,” Laura told her.
“What class?” Harley asked.
“Tae kwon do,” said Marissa. She and Harley exchanged a look that could have meant anything.
Marissa climbed in Laura’s car and Harley followed Jamie to theirs. They both watched Laura head out of the parking lot from inside the Camry and Harley asked, “What were you two talking about?”
“One guess.”
“Oh.” Harley made a face.
“Yeah.”
At the house, Harley grabbed up her backpack and waited for Jamie as she got out of the car. “I . . . uh . . . Marissa wants me to go to the football game on Friday.”
“If Laura lets that happen, okay,” Jamie said. She wished she could park in the garage instead of in the driveway, but her mom’s car was inside. It seemed strange to think the Outback was really hers now.
“And she wants me to babysit the Ryerson twins with her on Saturday. Is that okay? Please? I need to make some money. I really, really need a phone. All the kids have ’em, and I know that’s not a reason, according to you, but I really want one.”
Jamie looked into her daughter’s anxious face. She didn’t know how to tell Harley that she wanted that for her, too. It just hadn’t worked out so far. But now, with her mother’s money . . . maybe there would be enough after the dishwasher was fixed. “Maybe we can work something out,” she said slowly. “I could get a new one, perhaps, and you could have mine.”
Harley’s mouth dropped open. “Seriously? Oh my God! Really?”
“I think we can manage it,” Jamie said and Harley emitted a whoop of joy.
“I’ll tell you all about the meeting with the lawyer today. And my old friend, Gwen, who’s a psychologist or therapist. It was an interesting day.”
But Harley was already gone, having bounded up the back steps and using her own key, which Jamie had copied from the one under the gnome, shoved into the house.
Theo was bringing Emma home tonight, so Jamie followed in Harley’s wake, wishing she didn’t feel so bad about Laura Haynes. A text came in on her phone as she was pulling out the salad in a bag and makings for homemade chili. They’d been having pasta practically every night and Jamie needed a change, even if it was Emma’s favorite. She had ended up using the bucatini for spaghetti, not for carbonara, much to Emma’s chagrin, and had promised she would buy some more . . . later . . . after they had something else to eat.
Checking her phone, she saw it was from Icky Vicky and several other phone numbers on the chain, likely her friends.
Leander’s. ASAP.
Can’t make it, Jamie texted back. Dinner for the family.
In an hour. We have to talk about last Friday! It’s hit the fan!
Jamie stared out the kitchen window, which overlooked the driveway. She was thinking how to respond when Harley, still jubilant, slid into the kitchen on sock feet.
“What?” Harley asked.
“Oh . . . one of the moms wants me to join them at a wine bar, but I said—”
“Go. Go! I can make chili,” she added, looking around the kitchen at the supplies spread across the counter.
“I don’t know if I want to go.”
Harley gave her a stern look. “You need friends if we’re going to stay here. And I don’t think it’s going to be Marissa’s mom.”
Jamie gave a short laugh. “Yeah . . . likely not.”
“Go have fun. I’ve got this. I’m in charge,” her daughter said, with a smile
