Julia couldn’t hide her grin. “Are there any trees still standing?”
“Don’t you have children to raise somewhere?” Amanda shot at her.
“Nope, I’m having my mother raise them today.” Julia chuckled.
“Okay, girls, no fighting,” Tess said as Math walked into the house and right into her arms.
“But, Mom, if we don’t fight, we don’t talk,” Julia said in a nagging voice to Tess.
“Go. Everybody out of my kitchen, and go watch TV.” Tess pushed Math away and sent everyone to the living room. Math’s house was not an open concept, and all the rooms were divided by walls. Usually, it was annoying, but today she liked the distance from everything.
“Me too?” Amanda asked her friend. Hue had rested his hand on her back when they stopped in the middle of the room, and now, since she was not moving, he slid it across until it was gone. She hoped nobody noticed.
“You can stay. If you don’t fight. Kit already left,” Tess informed her.
“I’m sorry, I was just tired of being jostled around,” Amanda explained, walking to the counter to help with food preparation.
“Just saying.” Tess shot her one last look.
They worked in silence, with the only noise being voices from the living room. Amanda tried not to listen for Hue’s voice in the mix but couldn’t help it. It was his voice she was focused on.
Tess slid a pan of uncooked lasagna into the oven and turned to Amanda. “So, you seemed to be feeling better after yesterday. Aside from how you acted toward Kit. Anything you want to talk about?”
“No,” she said quickly. Too quickly. “I mean, I just finally got a good night’s sleep last night, so I’m feeling better today. And I found this diet I’m going to try.”
Tess leaned against the counter and shook her head at the last comment. “I’m beginning to wonder if your mom even tries to control what she says around you kids. I mean, she has a little dig for you all. You’re fat, Kit’s single again, Julia never comes home, Math was single and now is not married. Some days I love her, but some days…”
“It’s always been that way. If there’s something in your life you don’t want to think about, she brings it up.”
Her mom had been the negative voice in her head forever. Though Dolly was proud of all her kids, they could always be better. Dolly pushed for that. It was just how her mom was, and mostly Amanda was used to it, but some days she couldn’t stop it from bothering her.
“So yesterday, your mom was trying to get Kit and Hue together. I mean, it would be a good match, him not having kids, and her having a ton. But neither were into it. Neither even noticed it was happening. I watched her all day, trying to get them to sit together, but Julia sat next to him instead. Then after she tried to get them to take a walk, but instead, Hue left early. It was fun watching her get frustrated.”
Amanda stared at her. Her mom had tried to set him up with her sister? Never once had she tried to set him up with her. Never once. What was so wrong with Amanda that she would prefer to see Hue with Kit than her? Reining in her anger, she told Tess, “The joke’s on my mom. Kit’s met someone. She just hasn’t told Mom about it yet.”
No way was she telling her friend about her and Hue last night. That was hers to know and nobody else. For now, at least.
“That’s good. She needs someone in her life. I wanted to tell her that if Hue had ever had any interest in one of the girls, he would have acted on it before yesterday. I mean, he’s around you guys all the time,” Tess said, watching her closely.
Was it too closely?
Could Tess already know?
Looking right back into her friend’s piercing eyes, she lied, “Yes, if he had been interested, it would have happened long before now.”
“That’s what I thought, too,” Tess said as Julia came into the room.
“They’re just talking sports now. Boring. What are you talking about?” Julia complained.
“Nothing much. Just your mom,” Amanda said, knowing that was a topic Julia was deeply interested in. And it would get the topic away from Hue and his interest in any of the Nordskov sisters. Mainly her.
“Thanks Mandy, for taking her attention off me yesterday. Between you and Kit, she could forget that she had another daughter,” Julia said, taking a carrot from the counter and biting into it.
“Your day will come,” Amanda informed her.
“Oh, I know. And you will all thank me for getting her off your backs for months when she finds out Kyle left me.” Julia pointed her carrot at them.
“No, Jules, really? When?” Amanda turned and hugged her sister.