“Thank
you,” I said.“Also, you should know, he hates throwing up. He usually refuses to eat anything even when he can because the memory’s fresh in his mind.”
She nodded. “I’ll keep that in mind.”
I was at the threshold of the front door when I paused and leaned against the doorframe. Kristen looked at me sympathetically, and after a moment she put her hand on the side of my face.
“What’s wrong?” she asked kindly.
I just wanted to turn into her arms and let her comfort me like she had done that first night. But I resisted the urge. “I’d forgotten…” I admitted.
“You’d forgotten what?”
“How hard it is when you’re the one who has to show up for everything,” I said. “The last year I’ve been palming off my responsibilities on babysitters so that I could focus on building this company.”
“You’re juggling a lot on your own,” Kristen said. “Don’t beat yourself up about that. You were there for him this morning when his teacher called, weren’t you?”
“I was prepared to send someone else in my place.”
“But you didn’t,” she pointed out. “You went yourself.”
“Because I had no choice.”
“No one ever said being a single parent was easy.”
I sighed. “You’re kinder than I deserve.”
Kristen leaned in and kissed me softly on the cheek. I desperately wanted to pull her in for a long and passionate kiss, but this was not the time, and I was already late.
“Go,” she said as if she could read my mind. “Noah’s in good hands.”
“I know,” I said.
It was amazing how quickly and unexpectedly it had happened, but I realized as I made my way down to the car, that of all the people who’d come in and out of my life in the last three years, Kristen was the one I trusted the most.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Kristen
Once I’d finished sorting through the ledgers, I closed my laptop and went to check on Noah. He was still sleeping soundly, so I shut the door quietly and went back to the living room.
Daphne’s picture was directly facing me, and again, I felt as though her eyes were following me around the room. It was sad to think we’d missed out on a potentially great relationship, but Daphne hadn’t been ready, and I had been forced to accept that.
I remembered the morning we had met for the first time. And just like that, I was back in Michigan. I was sixteen again. I was standing in front of the sister that I’d always wished for.
We had agreed to meet in the park by the water fountain. I had spent an hour trying to figure out what to wear. Ultimately, I had decided on jeans and a thin blue sweater that was simple and practical. Then I’d showed up by the water fountain, forty minutes early and so nervous I felt as though my stomach were going to drop right out of me.
She had shown up five minutes late in jeans that were similar to mine and a gray long-sleeved t-shirt underneath a cool beige jacket. Her hair was the same color as mine, and her eyes were a similar hazel. I felt my heartbeat increase instantly, and I prayed she would like me.
I should have realized that her body language suggested hostility, but at the time, I was young and naïve. When she approached, I all but ran to her, eager to prove that I wasn’t an awful person.“Hi.”
“Hello,” Daphne’s eyes were cold.
“I’m Kristen.”
“I know who you are,” she nodded. “Why did you want to meet me?”
I raised my eyebrows. “I… We… I just thought…”