waist. Cevin danced around our ankles, yipping as he pranced. Their enthusiasm made my heart soar.
“Hey.”
The sight of Connor standing in the doorway—bare feet, swim trunks, and wet hair—dried my throat.
I swallowed. “Hi.”
“I heard you were back.”
Because he smiled, I tried to do the same. “From Abbie, I assume.”
“No.” Connor looked uncomfortable. Right. Jodi.
“You’ll come to my party, won’t ya?” Curtis sashayed around me, his big hazel eyes dancing along with him.
“Of course.”
“We’re having a pool party.” He punctuated this with jumping a couple times. “With Spiderman! And chocolate cake!”
“Sounds sweet.” I glanced from him to Connor. Nobody said anything. “Well . . .” I took a couple steps backward. “I just came by to make sure you guys knew I was coming. To the party.”
“Can’t you play with us?” Cameron asked. “We’re gonna play basketball. You can be on my team.”
“No, I have to go. But . . .” I glanced at Connor again. “See you guys at the party.”
“Wednesday,” Connor blurted. His Adam’s apple bobbed as he swallowed. “We’ve got a church softball game on Wednesday. At 6:30. If you want to come.”
I nodded, my heart pounding. “Okay.”
He seemed surprised. “Okay.”
“Okay.” I took several more backward steps. “Bye, guys.”
“Bye!” the two little ones called after me, but I barely heard them over the pounding in my head.
12
“Do you know if Connor and Jodi are dating?”
Abbie couldn’t seem to muster the strength to lift her head off the couch. Instead she rolled her head to look at me, said, “I don’t know,” then rolled back to the TV. “Why don’t you ask him?”
“Because he might say he is.”
Abbie snorted. “That sounds like something I’d say. You’re normally much more rational.”
“I thought you hated that about me.”
“Nah.” Abbie smiled, but still directed her gaze to the TV. “One of us needs to be.”
Owen shifted on her chest and she patted his back until he resettled. His nose whistled every time he breathed. “You don’t think I should call the doctor?”
“My experience with infants hasn’t changed in the thirty minutes since you last asked me, but Mom said you didn’t need to.”
She sighed. “If nothing else, I guess he’s got his checkup on Wednesday.”
The mention of Wednesday brought a rush of heat to my face as I recalled yesterday, the way Connor choked out the word. He wanted me there. He wanted me around. Didn’t that mean something?
“What?” Abbie said.
I glanced at her. “What?”
“What’s wrong?”
“Nothing.”
“Your eye’s twitching.”
Instinctively I touched the corner of my throbbing left eye. “I didn’t know you knew about my eye.”
“I didn’t.” Abbie turned back to the TV. “Connor told me.”
“Snitch.”
“Have you ever noticed on TV or in movies that characters randomly come and go from rooms?” Abbie asked. “They come in for no apparent reason, say something poignant to our troubled main character, and then walk out for no reason. That never happens in real life. I’m annoyed.”
“Want to turn it off?”
“I’m not that annoyed. And it’s giving me something to think about besides poor Owen.” She patted his back. “So what’s the verdict? Are you giving Connor another chance?”
I sighed. “I don’t know. You think we could ever get past what happened with Jodi?”
“Sure.” She didn’t give the question the consideration it deserved.
“No, really think about it.”
“I don’t need to. You love him. He loves you. Why’s Jodi an issue at all?”
I frowned at this. I didn’t like it being phrased so simply. “He broke up with me for her, yet you want to know why she’s an issue?”
“He didn’t break up with you—you broke up with him.” “Because he admitted he had feelings for her.”
“You practically pushed him into feeling them, Skylar. He was trying to get
“Hey.”
The sight of Connor standing in the doorway—bare feet, swim trunks, and wet hair—dried my throat.
I swallowed. “Hi.”
“I heard you were back.”
Because he smiled, I tried to do the same. “From Abbie, I assume.”
“No.” Connor looked uncomfortable. Right. Jodi.
“You’ll come to my party, won’t ya?” Curtis sashayed around me, his big hazel eyes dancing along with him.
“Of course.”
“We’re having a pool party.” He punctuated this with jumping a couple times. “With Spiderman! And chocolate cake!”
“Sounds sweet.” I glanced from him to Connor. Nobody said anything. “Well . . .” I took a couple steps backward. “I just came by to make sure you guys knew I was coming. To the party.”
“Can’t you play with us?” Cameron asked. “We’re gonna play basketball. You can be on my team.”
“No, I have to go. But . . .” I glanced at Connor again. “See you guys at the party.”
“Wednesday,” Connor blurted. His Adam’s apple bobbed as he swallowed. “We’ve got a church softball game on Wednesday. At 6:30. If you want to come.”
I nodded, my heart pounding. “Okay.”
He seemed surprised. “Okay.”
“Okay.” I took several more backward steps. “Bye, guys.”
“Bye!” the two little ones called after me, but I barely heard them over the pounding in my head.
12
“Do you know if Connor and Jodi are dating?”
Abbie couldn’t seem to muster the strength to lift her head off the couch. Instead she rolled her head to look at me, said, “I don’t know,” then rolled back to the TV. “Why don’t you ask him?”
“Because he might say he is.”
Abbie snorted. “That sounds like something I’d say. You’re normally much more rational.”
“I thought you hated that about me.”
“Nah.” Abbie smiled, but still directed her gaze to the TV. “One of us needs to be.”
Owen shifted on her chest and she patted his back until he resettled. His nose whistled every time he breathed. “You don’t think I should call the doctor?”
“My experience with infants hasn’t changed in the thirty minutes since you last asked me, but Mom said you didn’t need to.”
She sighed. “If nothing else, I guess he’s got his checkup on Wednesday.”
The mention of Wednesday brought a rush of heat to my face as I recalled yesterday, the way Connor choked out the word. He wanted me there. He wanted me around. Didn’t that mean something?
“What?” Abbie said.
I glanced at her. “What?”
“What’s wrong?”
“Nothing.”
“Your eye’s twitching.”
Instinctively I touched the corner of my throbbing left eye. “I didn’t know you knew about my eye.”
“I didn’t.” Abbie turned back to the TV. “Connor told me.”
“Snitch.”
“Have you ever noticed on TV or in movies that characters randomly come and go from rooms?” Abbie asked. “They come in for no apparent reason, say something poignant to our troubled main character, and then walk out for no reason. That never happens in real life. I’m annoyed.”
“Want to turn it off?”
“I’m not that annoyed. And it’s giving me something to think about besides poor Owen.” She patted his back. “So what’s the verdict? Are you giving Connor another chance?”
I sighed. “I don’t know. You think we could ever get past what happened with Jodi?”
“Sure.” She didn’t give the question the consideration it deserved.
“No, really think about it.”
“I don’t need to. You love him. He loves you. Why’s Jodi an issue at all?”
I frowned at this. I didn’t like it being phrased so simply. “He broke up with me for her, yet you want to know why she’s an issue?”
“He didn’t break up with you—you broke up with him.” “Because he admitted he had feelings for her.”
“You practically pushed him into feeling them, Skylar. He was trying to get
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