“Yeah, she naps a lot.” Back at the cabin, I found her sleeping on the couch in the living room many times. Growing a human seemed to be an exhausting job. “When she wakes up, she’s going to be hungry, though.”
“The pizza will be here soon.”
“No. She always has a craving after a nap.” I set my empty glass on the counter. “Do you have Oreos and pancake mix?”
“Probably. Should be in the pantry.” She pointed to the small door beside the fridge.
“Sriracha?”
“Oreos. Pancakes. Sriracha.” She gave me an odd look. “Do I want to know?”
Laughing, I opened the pantry and pulled out the dry ingredients I needed. “Trust me. When Amara gets up, you’ll be thanking me.”
Washing my hands, I got everything ready to fry the Oreos. By the time I was pulling the last from the oil and sprinkling them with powdered sugar, Amara walked into the kitchen. Her eyes still half closed, she walked right up to the stove and grabbed one of the fried Oreos. “Sriracha,” she mumbled sleepily.
“Here, Mar,” Riley told her, putting the dish of hot sauce in front of her so she could dip her cookie in it.
As she bit into it, she moaned in pleasure. “Perfect,” she said with a sigh as she chewed. “Riles, how did you…” She trailed off as her eyes finally lifted and she spotted me standing by the fridge, fighting the temptation to grab a few of the Oreos for myself. “You stopped by to make these for me?” Then her gaze took in what I was wearing. “And decided to spend the night?”
“I live here apparently,” I told her, finally giving in and snatching a cookie.
“Wait, what?”
“Aunt Emmie set up the apartment for Angie because she didn’t want to live on her own while I was gone. But then Jenna asked Angie to move in with her, so Angie gave the room to me,” I summarized for her. “Riley said you had a run-in with Doris Mathias. You okay?”
Amara took the plate of cookies, stuffing her mouth with one while she contemplated my question. “I don’t know,” she said after swallowing. “She said some things that made me want to bitch slap her a few times. But then I realized she was just looking out for Cash. She isn’t going to be around much longer. I could sense it. I think she’s just trying to make sure he will be okay when she dies.”
“That makes sense,” Riley agreed, eyeing the plate of cookies her friend was hoarding hungrily. “Sounds like everything she’s been doing the last few months was to ensure her grandson has people to love him when she isn’t around to take care of him herself.”
“Yeah. I’m still not particularly happy with how she went about it, though.” Two more cookies disappeared before she pushed them away. “Ugh. I need a shower. We’re still going out, I swear. I just need to get myself sorted.”
“I ordered pizza. We can go after we eat,” Riley assured her.
“Save me a slice,” she ordered, leaving the kitchen.
I watched her go, thankful Aunt Emmie and Angie had set up this new living arrangement for me. I had gotten so used to having Amara around, catering to her pregnancy cravings and enjoying having someone to vent to, I’d been sad to leave the cabin.
Somewhere along the way, Amara became important to me. She was one of my closest friends now. Lucy was my best friend, nothing would ever change that, but Amara had become just as close to me.
--
We all met up out in front of the club Riley chose a few hours later. Angie, Jenna, and Santana surrounded Lucy, with Marcus just feet away when our cab pulled up out front. I helped Amara out then waited for Riley as I took in the others standing with my friends.
Sin’s girlfriend, Roanna, was there with the Blondes, but it was Kassa my eyes locked on. I hadn’t spoken to her since the night Jace and I broke up, and I honestly didn’t know what to do or say to her now. The first time Jace and I broke up, I lost all contact with her. But even though I’d gone months without speaking to her, I didn’t want to lose her friendship this time around.
She was laughing and nodding at something Lucy was saying, sticking close to Santana. My heart ached a little when she glanced over and caught my gaze. She was one of my closest friends. The day she asked me to be her maid-of-honor, I nearly cried. She was close to Santana too, and I knew it was hard for her to decide between the two of us. But we both always thought we would end up sisters-in-law one day, and that was why she picked me over Santana.
Now, we would never end up as sisters of any kind, but I didn’t want her to tell me she no longer wanted me to be a part of her bridal party.
As if she could read my mind, she walked toward me with determination in her blue eyes.
“Kassa,” I began when she drew closer, but her arms wrapped around my waist and she hugged me tight.
“I missed you,” she said with a sigh, squeezing me.
Swallowing hard, I hugged her back. “I missed you too.”
Stepping back, but keeping one arm around me, she called to the others, “Let’s go! I need a drink so I can shake my ass with you bitches.”