Daphne's Questionable Bet, page 9
I twisted off the lid of my Cherry Coke, taking a sip, keeping my eyes on Kimber, my head bopping as “Eye of the Tiger” played in my head. I wanted her to know she didn’t intimidate me.
Heidi cleared her throat. “Laura, you should join the planning committee! You always have the best ideas.”
“The committee is pretty full,” Kimber said, her “sophisticated” smile cranked high.
Heidi waved her hand. “One more person won’t make a difference. Besides, Joanna is about to go into labor any day now. She’ll need to focus on her newborn for the next couple of months.” She grabbed Mom’s hands in a plea. “Please say yes. We need you, Laura.”
I tried to pull the cart back, wanting to leave the conversation, but Mom held onto it like it was the only thing stopping her from pouncing on Kimber.
Grabbing my soda and candy, I grinned at them. “I’ll let you ladies talk about your reunion. I’m going to go gander around. Maybe check out the lip gloss aisle.” I winked at Kimber. “Gotta be prepared for prom.”
I scurried away before she could say anything.
Poor Mom. I felt bad for leaving her, but stupid things wouldn’t stop coming out of my mouth. It was safer for everyone that I left.
I ended up on the makeup aisle, my brain probably still thinking about lip gloss. After a search of the area, I found one named kissalicious, and another named seduceology, so I held onto them. Maybe I could make a show of asking which one I should get when I got back, though I already knew I was going with seduceology.
“Why are there so many choices?” A panicked voice rang out from the next aisle. A voice I knew.
I hurried around the corner to find Weston standing in the middle of the feminine products aisle, staring at the shelves of tampons. He held his phone in his hand, talking to the screen.
“Ivy, just tell me what to get,” he pleaded.
“Tampons!” she yelled.
He threw out an arm. “There’s like a million of them! Different sizes and scents.” He picked up a box, grimacing at it. “Why would you want a scented tampon?”
There was a loud sniff on the other end of the call. She was crying.
I rushed over, snatching the box from his hands. “Never go scented. Ever.” I set them back on the shelf.
Weston stared at me, beet red, his mouth slightly hanging open.
“Weston!” Ivy yelled from the phone. “Who is that?”
I handed Weston my soda, candy, and lip glosses so I could take the phone from him. I smiled at the girl on the other end. “Hey, I’m Daphne. Are you Weston’s sister?”
Ivy wiped at her eyes, nodding. Man, she was adorable. Strawberry blonde hair, light freckles, and green eyes. She looked maybe twelve?
Oh. No.
“First time?” I asked.
She scrunched her face like a fresh round of tears was about to attack. “Mom’s gone! They went out of town, and she’s not answering her phone! I don’t know what to do! Why did they pick this weekend to go to her cousin’s wedding?”
“First,” I said, trying to sound calm, “take some deep breaths. It’s going to be okay. This is totally normal and natural.” I scanned the shelves, taking in all the options. “Are you sure you want to start with tampons? Pads might be easiest until your mom gets home.”
She shook her head, her eyes wide in horror like I’d just suggested she put scorpions down her pants. “No one in middle school wears pads!”
“I’m sure that’s not true—”
“None of my friends do!” She bit her lip. “I’m the last one to … you know.”
I smiled at her. “Don’t worry. I’ll help Weston pick out the correct tampons.”
She wiped at her nose. “Are there instructions on the back of the box or something?”
Weston whimpered next to me. When I glanced at him, he mouthed, “Help me.”
I turned my attention back to Ivy. “I’ll tell you what. I’ll come over and walk you through the whole thing. Okay?”
Using her palm, she wiped the tears from her cheek. “Okay.”
“Oh,” I said. “What’s your favorite treat?”
“Um. Kit Kats.”
“Got it.” I waved at the screen. “See you soon, Ivy.”
I turned to hand the phone back to Weston, only to see him scarfing down my Watermelon Sour Patch Kids.
“I so didn’t sign up for this,” he said, mouth full.
I patted his shoulder. “None of us did.” I grabbed a variety box of tampons and threw them in the basket he was holding. Then I found a bag of panty liners and threw them in there as well.
Taking Weston by the arm, I steered him toward the candy aisle where I got a jumbo size Kit Kat and threw it in the basket with everything else.
I snapped my fingers. “Wet wipes might be good.”
After we grabbed some, I had Weston wait for me up front—he didn’t want to go through the checkout alone—and turned to go find my mom, only to see her coming out from an aisle, a scowl on her face.
Uh-oh.
I tiptoed toward her, like a gazelle approaching a hungry lion, knowing it could end in my death. “Hey, Mom.”
She snarled. “I’m on the stupid committee.”
“At least then you can make sure the reunion doesn’t suck.”
She braced her arms on the handle of the cart, the snarl fading. “I don’t even want to go, Daphne. Not without your dad.”
I wrapped an arm around her. “I know. But just because you’re on the committee doesn’t mean you have to go.”
“I said I would,” she grumbled.
“Okay, well.” I tapped my lips. “A lot can happen between now and then. We can find you a hot date.”
She softly smiled. “Maybe I could rope Cody into going with me.”
Well, not where I wanted that to go. That would mean she and Cody would still be dating months down the road. Ugh.
She looked past me, taking in the pale version of Weston. “Is he okay?”
“His sister just started her period, and their parents are out of town,” I said.
Mom made an “O” with her mouth. “Poor girl.” She pursed her lips, checking her watch. “Should we help?”
She had a date with Cody, and while I loved the thought of her canceling the date, I couldn’t force myself to do it. Not when she looked so stricken at the thought of missing it.
“I picked everything out and said I’d go over and help.”
Mom rubbed my arm. “That was sweet of you.”
Weston came up, holding out the empty candy bag, and now empty soda bottle. “Sorry.”
I took them from him, then set them in our cart so we could pay for them. “No worries.”
He glanced at them in the cart. “Maybe I should pay for them.”
I waved a hand. “You’ve been traumatized enough for one day. We got it.”
He handed me the lip glosses, his eyebrows twerking up in amusement.
I took them with a frown and showed them to my mom. “I wanted to make a big show of getting these in front of Kimber.”
“She already left,” Mom said, smiling at the names of the lip glosses. She tossed them both in the cart. “We’ll find a way.”
Weston ended up giving me the cash and making me get the stuff alone while he waited out in the minivan. He kept quiet the whole ride to their house, where we found Ivy locked in the master bathroom.
I knocked on the door. “Ivy? It’s Daphne. How are you feeling?”
“Really weird,” she said. “I can’t really explain it.”
I glanced over my shoulder at Weston, who stood in the doorway to the master bedroom, shuffling uneasily. “Why don’t you go order some pizza for all of us? I can take it from here.”
Weston sighed in relief. “Now, that I can do.”
“Ivy,” I said, leaning into the door, “you’re going to need to unlock the door for just a second so you can grab the bag of supplies, okay?”
There was a shuffle of steps before the lock clicked, the door opened, and her arm stuck out, snatching the bag from my hand before the door was back to being closed and locked.
I walked her through the steps, calming her every time she freaked out. Fifteen minutes later, she finally came out, immediately throwing her arms around me.
“Thank you,” she said.
“Happy to help,” I said, hugging her back. “Weston has my number, so if you ever have any questions, you can reach out to me. Us girls gotta stick together.”
After stuffing our faces with pizza, we lounged on the couches, watching High School Musical—Ivy’s favorite movie. She took up the whole couch, laying down, covered in a blanket, and munching on the huge Kit Kat.
Weston and I sat on the loveseat, snacking on Watermelon Sour Patch Kids. He’d gone back to the store and bought some more, along with other treats for the night.
“I’m so glad you were at the store,” Weston whispered, leaning toward me. “That was my worst nightmare coming to life.”
I snickered. “If that was your worst nightmare, then you must be living a cushy life.”
He scoffed. “It was awful. All the crying. People staring at me at the store. So. Many. Tampons.”
I looked at him, smiling. “You’re a good brother to do that for her.”
“She didn’t give me much choice.” He rubbed his neck. “She threatened to strangle me.”
I glanced over at Ivy, lying peacefully, looking so young and innocent.
“Yeah, she seems vicious.”
He bumped my arm. “You weren’t there, man. She went all sorts of crazy.”
I pointed a finger at him. “Never call her that. Especially during her time of the month. Unless you really do want to be strangled.”
He rubbed his neck again. “Noted.”
His hand came down, resting on the couch, his pinky brushing against mine. It sat there for a moment before it advanced, locking over mine, just a simple, sweet move.
Huh. I’d never held pinkies with a guy.
I had no idea what it meant, but I kind of liked it.
Chapter Seventeen
Saturday morning, I met Mom in the kitchen, ready to go to Zumba. I had on my favorite lilac Care Bear workout leggings and a lilac shirt.
Mom wore her typical black leggings and tank, her blonde hair pulled into a high ponytail. She patted to a seat at the table. “Let’s do something with that mane of yours.”
I took a seat, getting comfy. “Just french braid it. Easy, and it will be out of my face.” As she went to work brushing my hair, I brought up exactly what I didn’t want to talk about. “How was your date last night?”
I didn’t have to see Mom to hear the smile in the voice. “We had a really nice time. The art museum was amazing.” She tugged at the top of my hair, starting the braid. “We also went to this cute little Italian restaurant. It was delicious.”
“You came home really late.”
She yanked at my hair, causing me to flinch. “We sat in the car forever, just talking.”
“Talking? Or ‘talking’?” I held up the air quotes high enough so she could see them.
Mom snorted. “We weren’t making out, Daphne. Just talking.”
That was somewhat of a relief. It was weird to think about my mom making out with some twenty-four-year-old guy in his car, parked in the driveway, steam fogging up the windows, his elbow accidentally blaring the horn, everyone from the neighborhood running out of their homes in their pajamas to see what was going on.
I shook the image from my head.
The doorbell rang, followed by Alexa’s voice from the Echo sitting in the family room. “Cody Brooks is at the door.”
“What is Cody doing here?” I asked. “And you programmed him into the system?”
Mom finished up with my braid, jerking my head around with a little too much force. “Be nice, Daphne.”
She hurried over to the door, smoothing out her tank top before she opened it. I leaned over in my seat, trying to get a better view. Cody’s toothy grin greeted her, and he moved in as if to kiss her on the lips, but then his eyes traveled over to me, and he switched to a hug. Good boy.
Mom ushered him inside, where he waved at me, holding a plastic bag at his side.
His yellow shirt said, I ❤️ Zumba. “Hey, Daphne! Ready to Zumba?” He did a little dance step, shaking his hips.
“You’re going to Zumba with us?” I hadn’t meant for my tone to sound so incredulous. It just came out like that.
Cody’s smile faltered, and he turned to my mom. “You didn’t tell her?”
“I hadn’t had time,” Mom quickly said.
Cody held up the bag. “Then, is this an awkward time to mention I got you matching shirts?”
Mom beamed. “You got us shirts?”
Cody pulled them out of the bag, tossing one to Mom. “They’re the same as mine.”
Mom tugged hers over her head, covering up her tank. “I love it!”
Cody swung his arms a few times toward me, waiting for me to give the go-ahead. I reluctantly held out my hands, and he tossed me the other shirt.
I held it up against my chest, taking in all the yellow. “This is really bright. And clashes with my lilac pants.”
“You’ll just look like a Lakers fan,” Cody said.
“I’m not a Lakers fan.”
His smile faltered again, his eyes darting to Mom like he was in search of rescue. She was too busy glaring at me. If looks could kill, I’d be a pile of ash on the floor, ruining the HGTV vibe my grandparents had going on.
I went out of Cody’s line of sight and quickly traded my top for his yellow atrocity. Forcing a smile onto my face, I joined them in the entryway. “Let’s get this over with.” I pushed past them and out the door.
Tires squealed as the Winters’ SUV pulled into their driveway. “Don’t Start Now” by Dua Lipa blared from the vehicle. I immediately started dancing toward Cody’s car, feeling the music. I loved that song.
Mom joined me, an impromptu dance party starting in our driveway, Cody impressing me with his own moves.
The music suddenly cut off, and the door to the SUV slammed shut. I glanced over to see Kimber standing there in workout clothes, her hand on her hip, glaring at us.
I gave her a thumbs-up. “You have great taste in music.”
For a second, she looked taken aback by my comment. She quickly covered it up, her eyebrows quirking up as she took in our matching shirts.
“Did you accidentally sleep in?” she asked, all proud, like the fact that she’d already completed her workout made her ten times better than us.
“Don’t want to wake up too early,” I said. “Gotta get that beauty rest.”
Kimber looked at Cody, then switched her attention to Mom. “I wasn’t aware you had another kid. I have a boy as well. Looks just like his father.” Her eyes narrowed at Cody. “Not seeing the resemblance to Ian, though. Different father?”
Wow. Cody looked young, yeah, but obviously he was older than me. I mean, the guy had a full-grown beard. Which meant Mom would have had him in high school, something Kimber would have known about.
A part of me wanted to jump over the bushes and maul Kimber for being so disrespectful to my mom. Only I could give her a hard time about her young boyfriend.
Ugh. Boyfriend. So didn’t want to refer to Cody that way.
Cody, not missing a beat, put an arm around Mom’s shoulder, pulling her close to his side and giving her a soft kiss on the temple. All the tension in Mom fell away, saving Kimber from a beat down. I hated that I was liking this guy, but I was.
“You must be the eccentric neighbor I’ve heard so much about,” Cody said through his genuine smile. “Heard your husband’s a cop. My dad is a detective, so they might know each other. Is your husband here? I’d love to meet him.”
Kimber’s eyes went wide for the briefest of moments. She scratched at her forehead, letting me see that her ring finger was bare, which didn’t mean too much since she’d just been working out. A lot of people took off their rings to exercise.
“Already at work,” she said. When she saw me checking out her hand, she rubbed her thumb over her ring finger. “It’s being resized right now. My wedding ring. I’ve lost some weight recently, so it didn’t fit anymore.”
“Good for you!” Cody said. “It’s never easy to lose weight. Especially as you get older.” He smiled at me, then at my mom. “Well, ladies, we should probably get going. Don’t want to be late.” He waved at Kimber, his hand rubbing Mom’s arm as he did. “Nice to meet you. Kimmy, right?”
Her jaw clenched as she forced a smile on her face. “Kimber.”
“Well, have a nice day, Kimber.” Cody turned around and opened up both passenger side doors, holding them for Mom and me. As we drew near, he spoke quietly, not hiding his disdain. “Man, she really is a piece of work, isn’t she?” He winked at Mom. “Safe to say Ian made the right choice all those years ago.”
So, Mom had told him everything about her past. And he was still here, happy to get to know her and her teenage daughter. I loved that he’d said my dad’s name with such ease, like he didn’t mind talking about him and knew he was a big part of our life.
And I hated that I loved it. I was supposed to loathe Cody.
I’d find another reason.
Chapter Eighteen
Cody tried all the small talk he could on the way to the class, but I was too busy taking in his car to pay attention. Nice blue Honda Civic Hatchback. Four doors. Backbench kept exceptionally clean. Had the new car smell I absolutely loved. Tinted windows, which would help on sunny days. I ran my hand along the smooth leather seat.
“Those heat up,” Cody said, really loud so I’d actually hear.
“Really?” I asked.
He nodded. “I can turn them on if you want.”
“I’m good, but thanks.” I finally turned my focus to him. “What’s the gas mileage?”
“Forty on the highway,” Cody said, all business. “About thirty in the city.”
Not bad.
We pulled into the parking lot, and I got out of the car as quickly as I could. I enjoyed it way too much. I couldn’t like anything Cody. Those were the rules.
