Amanda waited for Quinn’s car to pull out of the driveway beforeclosing the door and returning to the kitchen. She found Daniella wiping thecounter and Cal drying the spaghetti pot. She desperately wanted to know theiropinions but didn’t want them to feel put on the spot.
Fortunately, Cal didn’t make her wait. “Quinn seems really cool.”
He was, hands down, the absolute sweetest boy. She so loved thatabout him. “She said the same about you.”
Cal grinned, but Daniella rolled her eyes. “I don’t know. I thoughtshe was maybe trying a little too hard.”
Cal swung his towel at her. “Don’t be mean.”
“I’m not being mean.” Daniella’s defensive tone gave her pause.
“Did you not like her?” Amanda asked. No point beating around thebush.
Daniella lifted a shoulder. “No, she was fine. It’s just, I don’tknow, weird.”
She might have taken that at face value, but it didn’t add upwith the conversation they’d had only a couple of weeks before. The one whereDaniella seemed to think her mom was overdue for a girlfriend. “Do you want totalk about it?”
Daniella shook her head. “It’s cool. I’m going to bed.”
Without another word, she picked up her phone and ran up thestairs. Cal plopped onto one of the stools at the island and looked after her,clearly confused. “What was that about?”
“I’m not sure.” Maybe the reality of her mom dating was provingless cool than the idea of it. Or maybe she felt bad about being aloof butdidn’t know how to walk back from it. She might be older than Cal, and moremature on most fronts, but she was still a teenager.
Cal shrugged. “She’s so weird sometimes. I liked Quinn a lot andI hope you keep seeing her.”
Amanda put her arm around him and rested her cheek on the top ofhis head. “Thanks, honey.”
He stood up and gave her a full hug. “I like seeing you happy.”
The comment put a lump in her throat. Not trusting herself toreply, she squeezed him tighter.
When she let go, he stepped back and offered her a bright smile.“I don’t have to be at work until noon tomorrow, so I’m going to go play Fortnight.”
She laughed. He might be a sweet and sensitive kid, capable ofsaying the exact right thing at the exact right time, but he was still ateenager, too. “All right. Not too late.”
He disappeared to the basement and she headed upstairs. Shechanged into pajamas and washed her face. It might still be early August, butwith the windows open, her room was almost chilly. She climbed into bed andpulled the blankets up. She had no use for fall or winter anytime soon, but theburrowing made her happy.
After getting settled, she pulled up her text conversation withQuinn. She’d not responded to Quinn’s last message, about liking spending timewith her every which way. She spent a minute trying to think of somethingclever, then settled on one of Quinn’s phrases. Ditto.
Instead of waiting to see if Quinn saw it or replied, sheswitched over to her group text with Erin, Jack, and Julia. Over the course ofthe evening, each of them had sent some sort of inquiry, ranging from a simple Well? to a GIF offingers drumming on a table. As much as she protested their harassment, she wasgrateful for it. She couldn’t even imagine navigating dating without her littlegroup of confidants.
Success. Dwas a bit cool, but Cal made up for it.
Erin replied first. Shefeels obliged because she hates Bella.
Maybe that was it. Paired with her current phase of being aloofand impossible to impress. Notfull on rude, but I hope she warms up.
Did Quinnpick up on it?
Amanda sighed. Yes,but she was beyond gracious.
Julia chimed in. Andthat’s why we like her.
Before Amanda could reply, a text popped up from Quinn. Shetoggled over. I hope theyliked me enough to want to hang out again before school starts.
Definitely.Maybe a picnic. She hit send and returned to the group text. Jackhad joined in with a Hoorayfor successful kid meet and a string of festive emojis. The groupwent back and forth for a bit with a mix of teasing and encouragement.Meanwhile, Quinn said she loved the idea of the picnic. The earnestness of themessage made her smile and she told her friends as much.
That set off a string of teasing about being smitten. It didn’tbother her, but she wasn’t sure she wanted the conversation to turnsentimental. I’m glad shewanted to meet the kids, but I’m mostly thinking about the next time I can getin her pants.
A microsecond after hitting send, realization hit. She’d not sentthat to her closest friends. She’d sent it to Quinn. Oh God, oh God, oh God.Why wasn’t there an undo function in texting? She immediately added a Not for you! Sorry!
Then she waited. Delivered, but not read. Seriously, why couldn’tthere be a recall option?
While she stared at the screen, the other conversation carriedon. Notifications flitted across the top of her screen, teasing her but alsoeach other. When it became clear Quinn wasn’t going to reply right away, sheswitched back over and read what she’d missed. She sighed. At least she couldcommiserate in real time. You’llnever guess what I just did.
She sent a screen shot and got line after line of laughing emojisin return.
Laugh away,but srsly, what do I do?
I think youhave to own it. Jack said. Erin and Julia agreed.
Quinn’s reply came through before she could. I hope you mean the message andnot wanting to get into someone else’s pants.
Amanda laughed. She could do embarrassed and apologetic like aboss. But what if, this time, she didn’t? She bit her bottom lip while shetyped, not giving herself the chance to second guess the decision. Yours are the only pants I want toget in. Promise.
She held her breath while Quinn typed a reply. Technically, she’djust floated the idea of being exclusive. Quinn could take that seriously ornot. Weirdly, she wasn’t sure which option made her more nervous.
Same here.Except sometimes you wear skirts and that’s nice, too.
She laughed again. Fairenough.
She took a screen shot and sent it to her friends. They cheered.She wished them a good night, then did the
