Series: Webs We Weave Series by Krista Ritchie
Total pages in book: 167
Estimated words: 162520 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 813(@200wpm)___ 650(@250wpm)___ 542(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 162520 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 813(@200wpm)___ 650(@250wpm)___ 542(@300wpm)
I put the bags and donut box near the register. “You have to be giving her to us coked out on sugar.”
Hailey plucks a fairy-tale children’s book from the shelf. “She’s feeding off your energy.”
“We’re calm,” Rocky and I say in unison, to which Jake and Hailey look at us like we’re deranged.
We’re not high-strung. We are very mellow. Chill.
No time for them to put up a strong rebuttal, the doors chime as Trevor pushes into the store with a blonde girl in four-inch heels and the cutest baby-pink minidress.
Sidney Burke.
Yes, they are still together. Not only does she work full-time at Victoria Weekly, she lives with Trevor in the apartment across from the movie theater.
While I go behind the checkout counter, she immediately approaches me and throws a white Chanel purse on the surface. “Skank.”
“Bitch.” I unearth a pair of red Jimmy Choos from under the counter. We return our previously borrowed items. Strangely, we wear the same shoe size. More strangely, we are very good friends.
I would have never, ever, ever imagined I’d be close with Trevor’s girlfriend, but the more she hung around while Trevor had been living in the loft with me and Rocky, the more we just kind of…clicked. There was also one tearful night when she opened up and even apologized to Rocky for coming on to him so hard.
The two of us had a major heart-to-heart that ended with tissues, a bottle of Pinot Grigio, and a burnt sheet of chocolate chip cookies that set off the fire alarm.
“You on for cocktails tomorrow night?” Sidney asks. “Val said she can come.” Valentina de la Vega also works at the paper.
“Yeah, I can make it.”
“Hailey?” Sidney asks. “Girls’ night. Cocktails at the Gulp?”
“I’ll be there.” Hailey flips through a kids’ book, but she’s smiling at the pages. I feel that same smile in me. We’ve never stayed anywhere long enough to form bonds outside of each other, let alone being allowed to be honest to cultivate them. For the first time, we’ve made a couple lasting friendships.
“Me too, Mommy?” Winter asks expectantly.
“Next time, Win.” Hailey smiles, pressing the book against her Black Sabbath tee and giving her daughter all her attention. “You’ll be right alongside Mommy.”
Winter smiles up at her dad and whispers too loudly, “I love Mommy.”
“Me too, baby,” he says, his blue eyes lovingly on Hails.
“Shoot.” Sidney checks the time on her phone. “I have to go, Trev. Late for work.” She swipes the heels, then kisses Trevor. He catches her hand, making her slow down, and he gives her a much longer kiss, which causes her to smile.
Cute, cute, cute. I can cop to it. Trevor might have some moves, but even thinking about them makes me want to hurl a little.
It’s not even that he’s young, because he’s not. He’s twenty-two now. It’s just…that’s Trevor. After Sidney leaves, Rocky asks his brother about his job.
A normal, ordinary kind of job.
Trevor has been refurbishing some boats at the marina for fun. He’s always been a tinkerer. Fabricating money boxes and such. Rocky loves that his little brother has chosen to fix things rather than destroy them.
Nova barrels into the bookstore like he’s escaping a zombie apocalypse. “There are way too many fucking people out there.”
“It’s summer,” we all say.
I go to the merch wall. “You just need a Jason Voorhees machete.” I pluck off the plastic weapon. “Tell the sweaty zombies to fuck off.”
“Fuck!” Winter shouts.
I point at Nova.
He points right at me.
“You said it first,” I contend.
He groans out, “Fuuu…dge.”
“Nice save, Winchester,” Rocky says with one clap.
Now Hailey points at her brother. “You are just as bad.”
“What?” Rocky grimaces, then turns to Trevor, who’s nodding while stabbing his pancakes. “Oh come on, I’m not that fucking—”
“Ah.” I point my fake machete at him.
“Fine. Whatever.” The three of us might have been born inside a swear jar.
Winter waves heartily at Nova until he acknowledges her with a nod and a “How you doing, Winter?”
“Happy, happy,” she says certainly.
Nova gets soft and reddened in the eye. It’s probably why she often tells him, “Happy, happy.” I think she knows it makes her big strong uncle ooey-fucking-gooey.
“Was the boat ride almost teary, teary?” Hailey asks me, knowing it can go in either direction.
“Meh, she was fine.” I hang up the machete and grab a plastic wooden stake out of a bin near the Buffy merch. Then the bell dings.
Oliver pushes inside with two trays of coffees and a contagious smile. Realizing we’re all here, he grins. “Saved the best entrance for last.”
Hailey collects the trays from him, and she rises on the tips of her toes to kiss Oliver. He nuzzles extra-playful kisses in her hair. So sweet and endearing that she has trouble hiding a smile.
Winter wiggles down her dad’s body. “Uncle Olly!” She circles Oliver’s legs with bright giggles.