Youniverse? “Uhhh… Is that supposed to be universe?”
My niece smiled. “Nope. Y-O-U-niverse. It’s a person who’s full of themselves and thinks the world revolves around them.”
My forehead wrinkled. I read another word on the board.
Carcolepsy? “What the hell is carcolepsy?”
Hailey answered again. “It’s what an annoying passenger who falls asleep as soon as they get in the car with you has.”
I read another. “Snoot?”
“It’s the dirty, sooty looking snot that comes out of your nose after you’ve been playing in dirt.”
“Internest?”
“The big pile of blankets you bury yourself in when you don’t feel like getting out of bed and you spend the day surfing the Web.”
I chuckled. “Interesting Scrabble game.”
Elodie stood. “It’s more fun to play with made-up words.”
“If you say so.”
Hailey pushed the board game down to the end of the table, and Elodie went to the kitchen. She took the lid off a pot and stirred. “It’s ready when you are. There’s angel hair pasta in the cabinet to have with it. You just need to boil water.”
“Thank you. If it’s half as good as the shrimp thing you made last night, I’ll be in a food coma by eight.”
Elodie smiled. “Well, I made extra since we won’t have time to cook tomorrow.”
“Do you guys have other plans or something?”
Her smile wilted to a frown. “Tomorrow is the year-end family picnic.”
“The what?”
She walked past me and into the dining room. “Hailey? Did you forget to tell your uncle about the picnic at school?”
My niece shrugged. “I didn’t think he’d want to go.”
Elodie sighed. “It starts at three o’clock, right after school.”
Great. Smack in the middle of the damn day. I had to check my calendar, but I was pretty sure I had a meeting at four. My face must’ve given away that the time wasn’t exactly convenient.
“It’s fine,” Hailey said. “Elodie is going to come. You don’t have to.”
Well, now I felt like a dick. “No, of course I’ll be there.”
Elodie told Hailey to go finish her homework, and the two of them said goodbye.
“I’ll walk you out,” I said.
Just like yesterday, we waited until we were in the hallway and out of earshot from prying ears.
“Thank you for the heads-up about the cell phone software.”
She nodded. “What are you going to do about it?”
“I closed my account, so neither of us can listen to each other’s calls anymore. Since she hasn’t brought it up, I think I’m going to leave it be and see if we can just move on.”
Elodie pushed the button to call the elevator. “I think that might be best. Can I ask what you were hoping to hear by listening in on her conversations?”
“After I found out my brother was in prison, I told her where he was. I didn’t want her thinking the worst. She asked if she could talk to him, so I put some money on a prisoner calling account so my loser brother could call his kid.” I shook my head. “I don’t know what I was hoping to hear when he called.”
Elodie smiled. “I can understand why you’d do it, of course. But you’re going to have to have a little trust in her, if you want her to have a little trust in you. We haven’t talked about him yet, but I’m sure she’s angry at her father for abandoning her and getting himself in trouble. I’m guessing she also feels like there’s no one in this world she can depend on and trust.”
I blew out a deep breath. “And her finding out I was doing shit behind her back just added to that.”
She nodded and the doors slid open. “You’ll get there. Look at how well you’re doing with using words for greetings already.”
I chuckled. “How come you can let things slide with Hailey, but you have to call me out on everything?”
She stepped into the elevator and pushed the button on the panel. “For the same reason Hailey and I get along. We both want to make all men pay for the sins of others.”
The doors started to slide closed, but Elodie jabbed a button on the panel to keep them open.
“We’ve discussed Hailey’s father, but you never mentioned why her mom is no longer in the picture. What exactly happened there?”
I frowned. “She died when Hailey was two. Hailey doesn’t remember her at all. Which is for the best, considering she’s the one who found her.”
Chapter 9
* * *
Hollis – 12 years ago
“When did your mom get this? Is it real?”
Anna picked up a necklace from the kitchen counter. The piece of crap had an obviously fake diamond dangling from a rusty-looking chain.
I frowned. “No. My half-brother showed up at our door last night to sell it to my mother. Can you believe that shit?”
“Stephen? I didn’t realize you guys kept in touch with him after your parents got divorced.”
“We didn’t.”
Stephen was my father’s son with his first wife and a few years older than me. When my parents were married, he’d come visit once or twice a year. He was always trouble—smoking at eleven and sneaking out of the bedroom window in the middle of the night. And when my father walked out on my mother a week after her diagnosis, we never heard from either of them again. Good riddance to both, if you asked me.
“So he just stopped by out of the blue?”
I nodded. “And he brought his pregnant girlfriend with him. Claimed he was in the neighborhood and thought he’d stop by to see how we were doing. But then he gave my mother some sob story about how they’ve been living in shelters and really want to get an apartment to make a nice life for their baby. Somehow he managed to squeeze fifteen hundred bucks out of my mom. He gave her that piece of shit and told her the pawn shop appraised it for three grand, but he thought she’d like it so he gave her an opportunity to buy it first.”
Anna brought the necklace up to examine it closer. “Your mom had to know it wasn’t real.”
“Of course, she did. But you know how she is. She’ll help anyone. It’s her best quality and her worst. She was hooked the minute he had her feel the baby move in his crackhead girlfriend’s stomach.” I shook my head. “I wouldn’t be surprised if it wasn’t even his kid she was carrying. He could’ve just rented some pregnant addict for an hour to come help con my mother out of cash.”
Anna sighed. “Your mom doesn’t have fifteen hundred dollars to give away anymore.”
“Of course not. But my father’s spawn doesn’t care about that. He’s selfish, just like his dear old dad. He didn’t even ask how my mom is feeling. I doubt he knows she’s been fighting cancer for six years or that she went back to work less than a year ago when she finally went into remission.”
“I’m sorry he showed up and did that to Rose. It makes me sad that people take advantage of her good nature.”
“Me too. So why don’t you come over here and cheer me up?”
Anna smiled. We’d been together for a long time now, but the way her face lit up at the thought of me putting my hands on her never grew old. She walked over and wrapped her arms around my neck.
“Sorry. You’ll have to take a raincheck on that cheering up. I have to babysit in fifteen minutes.”
I pouted.
She laughed. “You’re adorable when you sulk.” Giving me a chaste kiss, she said, “Call me the second the mail comes, even if you don’t get anything today.”
“Okay.”
Anna had gotten her acceptance to UCLA yesterday, along with almost a full academic scholarship. We’d sent in our applications the same day, but I still hadn’t heard anything.
I walked her to the door and opened it, only to find the mailman approaching with a thick stack of mail in his hand. Anna grabbed it from him and ran to the table to start rifling through.
“Medical bill.” She tossed an env
elope to the side.
“Medical bill.” She tossed a second envelope to the side.
“Medical bill.” She tossed another.
“Electric bill.” She tossed again.
On the fifth envelope, she froze. “UCLA! Oh my God. It’s here!” She held it out to me. “Open it! Open it!”
I shook my head. “You do it.”
She didn’t argue. She tore into the envelope and started to read. I held my breath. Both of us had the grades to get in—that wasn’t the problem. Neither of us had the money to go unless we got a lot of financial help.
Her eyes widened as she read. “Dear Mr. LaCroix, Congratulations on your acceptance to the University of California at Los Angeles. Attached please also find your National Letter of Intent, which details information on an athletic scholarship offered on behalf of the UCLA Bruins.” Anna tossed that top letter into the air, and her eyes scanned the next few pages. She jumped up and down. “You got a full ride, Hollis! A full ride for baseball!”
I snatched the papers from her hands. There was no way UCLA was offering me that. It seemed too good to be true. But sure enough, there it was in black and white. I looked up at her, bewildered. “Holy shit. We’re going to live in sunshine three hundred and sixty-five days a year.”
She beamed. “And live together. They have co-ed dorms!”
Jesus Christ. Could it get any better than that? Sunshine, my girl, a free ride, and my mom would hit the one-year mark on her remission in just three days. Eighteen months ago, I never thought we’d get here. I had to swallow a few times to force back some threatening tears. Anna had seen me pussy out enough times when my mom was sick. Plus, this wasn’t a time for crying. This was a time to celebrate.
“No more sneaking around to find a place to get you naked.” I smiled.
“And I can get a bird!”
I chuckled. “Free tuition and my dick whenever you want it, and you’re more excited about getting a bird?”
She shoved me. “Shut up. I’m excited about your dick, too.”
“Oh yeah?” I hooked an arm around her waist. “Show me how excited you are about my dick.”
She giggled. “I can’t. I’m going to be late for babysitting. I have to go.”
I groaned.
Anna kissed my lips softly. “I’ll make it up to you later. Congratulations, Hollis. Things are finally looking up for you.”
They are, aren’t they?
“Come back right after you’re done babysitting.”
“Okay. And don’t tell your mom without me. I want to see her face!”
“Alright.”
“Actually,” she said. “Why don’t we wait three days? We’re planning that little surprise party on her one-year remission anniversary. We can tell her then.”
I smiled. “Whatever makes you happy. As long as we celebrate in private tonight.”
***
Three days later, I was pretty damn anxious. I knew my mother worried about how we were going to pay for my college—even City College would be a stretch, with loans and both of us working. But she really wanted me to have the experience of going away.
I went out to the kitchen and found my mom making dinner. She had no idea we were having a bunch of people over to celebrate later.
“The mail just came. Nothing from UCLA.” Mom frowned. “Sorry.”
I felt a tiny bit guilty for lying to her. But I was looking forward to giving her the letter. Anna was going to bring over a box to put it in and some wrapping paper.
I shrugged. “They probably go through the applications alphabetically and Benson comes before LaCroix.”
She forced a smile. “I guess. I’m just so anxious.”
I watched my mom pull down some plates from the cabinet. She looked good. She’d gained some weight back, and her complexion had darkened to its naturally tanned color. She also looked happy again. Even while she cooked, she had a smile on her face. I guess after you go through everything she’d experienced with multiple rounds of chemo, you appreciate every moment.
“Why don’t you set the table? Dinner will be ready in a few minutes.”
She handed me the plates, and I grabbed some utensils from the drawer and a few napkins from the holder. The phone rang as I was folding the napkins into triangles like Mom liked. She had the oven door open and a hot tray in her hands.
“I got it.”
“Thanks, honey.”
I grabbed the phone from the wall. “Talk to me.”
“Hello, may I speak to Mrs. LaCroix, please?” a man said.
“Hold on.” I covered the phone and lifted my chin. “It’s for you.”
“Can you find out who it is and tell them I’ll call them back?”
I moved my hands from the receiver. “She’s kind of busy right now. Who’s calling?”
“It’s Dr. Edmund.”
Her oncologist. My heart sank in my chest just hearing the name. I looked up at my mother. “Mom, it’s your doctor.”
Her smile wilted, but she tried to recover. Setting down the lasagna, she removed the oven mitts and wiped her hands on a dishtowel. “I’m sure he just wants to tell me about the checkup scans I had the other day.” She took the phone.
“Hi, Dr. Edmund.”
I watched her face while she listened over the next sixty seconds. The television constantly played some stupid insurance commercial that said “A one-minute phone call could change your life,” but that had always seemed ridiculous. Until now. Those seconds…the way her face changed…I knew. I knew life would never be the same. She didn’t even need to repeat what the doctor said on the phone when she hung up.
I went to her and pulled her into my arms. When the first tear fell, she tried to hide it. But I hugged her tighter.
“Don’t worry, Mom. We got this. You beat it before; we’ll beat it again. Together.”
***
I called the neighbors and Mom’s two friends from work to tell them not to come tonight. Mom had gone to lie down, and I’d put off calling Anna. I wasn’t looking forward to telling her, and she showed up early, before I could call, with a box and wrapping paper hidden in her backpack. I followed her to my room, where she took out the box. The words seemed to get stuck in my throat every time I went to speak.
Her voice was just so cheery, and I was about to ruin everything. It wasn’t easy to disappoint her.
“Where’s the letter? You’re a terrible wrapper. I’ll wrap it so it looks nice.” She walked over to my desk where it had been sitting facedown the last three days. “Where’d it go?”
When I didn’t answer, she looked back at me and realized something was off. “Hollis, where’s the letter?”
I stared at the floor. I just couldn’t get the words out.
“Hollis? Did you lose it or something?”
I shook my head.
“So then, where is it?”
My eyes lifted and met hers. Her big brown eyes were filled with excitement and happiness. Still unable to get the words out, I looked over at the wastepaper basket next to my bed. The crumpled-up letter sat all alone at the bottom.
Anna and I weren’t just a couple. We’d been best friends since kindergarten; she knew me better than anyone. She followed my line of sight, and then her face fell.
“What happened?” she whispered.
I shook my head. “The doctor called with her PET scan results.”
Chapter 10
* * *
Elodie
Hailey’s school had reserved a section of the park for the picnic event. It was a beautiful, unseasonably cool day. With a cotton candy station, fried dough, and a full barbecue, the school had definitely gone all out. There was an inflatable bouncy house set up, along with other games.
Speaking of games, those were going to start soon, and Hollis wasn’t here yet. Late wasn’t his style. It was more like mine. I looked at my watch, and Hailey noticed.
“Do you think Uncle Hollsy forgot?”
I offered a sym
pathetic smile. “I’m not sure.”
“Well, I don’t want to wait for him forever to eat. They’re putting out the burgers and dogs. Can I go get one? I’m hungry.”
I looked around one last time. “Yeah. Why don’t you go get in line?”
“You’re not gonna eat?”
“No, not right now.”
“Oh, I forgot about your Keto.” She rolled her eyes.
“I can still have the burger. Just not the bun.”
“The bun is the best part! And the ketchup.”
“I’ll survive.”
While Hailey took off for the food table, I stretched my neck to see if by some chance Hollis had arrived and I’d missed him. Still no sign of him.
Seriously, Hollis? You couldn’t ditch work for one damn afternoon?
A deep voice registered just behind my ear.
“Hi.”
I turned to find a decently handsome man who looked to be in his mid-thirties standing there.
“Hi,” I said.
“I don’t think we’ve met. I’m Lawrence Higgins’s dad.” He held out his hand. “James Higgins.”
“Oh. Nice to meet you. I’m Elodie Atlier, Hailey LaCroix’s nanny.”
“I thought you might be…a nanny.”
I raised my brow and activated my scum-bucket detector. “Oh?”
“Well, no offense to anyone else…” He lowered his voice. “But the moms aren’t usually as attractive as you.”
So, that’s what this exchange is all about? Can’t even escape this shit at a middle school picnic.
“Thank you,” I said.
“You’re welcome.” He sipped his water. “How long have you been a nanny?”
“Actually, not long. Only a couple of weeks.”
Hailey appeared, interrupting our conversation. “You like wieners, right?”
Her question made my juvenile spirit chuckle. “Only if they’re all beef, which that one probably is not.”
She turned toward the man. “Who’s this?”
“This is Mr. Higgins, Lawrence’s dad.”
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