“No,” I sigh, “I’m not mad. I’m just really busy.”
She goes silent, causing me to feel a little guilty.
“Okay, okay. I’ll wait, but I must be out the door by five at the latest. So no wine, or Tequila, or Vodka.”
She laughs, “Did you miss the part where I have Ellie?”
“I guess I did,” I giggle, ending the call. I can’t tell her I was distracted thinking about how I was just cuddling with Eric this morning and how in the hell I was going to tell her about it. I am wondering what I just agreed to and what she could possibly need to give me.
I walk around my apartment, stopping at the doorway to my bedroom. The bed sheets are ruffled, and it makes me wonder if they smell like Eric.
Oh my God. What if Hanna could sense that he was here?! What if she can like smell him or something?
I panic, attempting to erase any trace that he was here. The laundry room harbors some Febreeze, so I spray my bed, the couch, and any other piece of furniture that he might have even touched and call it good. Ten seconds later, the doorbell rings, and I let Hanna and Ellie inside.
“Hey, guys!” I sing, “Hey, Ellie bear.”
“Hey, aunt Karly!” She beams, pushing past me to dive onto the couch.
“For you,” Hanna smiles, passing me a small box.
“What is it?”
“Open it, you goof, and you’ll see.”
Ellie turns backward to look over the back of the couch, “Yeah, open it!”
I pull the tiny bow on top, allowing the ribbon to fall around it, and slip the lid off, but I’m confused by what’s inside.
“What is it?” I ask, pulling a small trinket out.
“It’s an ornament!” Ellie squeals, “For your Christmas tree! I made it all by myself back when I was in Kindergarten, and I forgot to give it to you.”
I take a closer look and realize that she’s used Mod Podge to attach a picture of the two of us onto a wooden snow globe.
“Oh, Ellie. I love it so much! I don’t have a Christmas tree to put up, but this makes me want to get one.”
I look at Hanna as she looks at Ellie admirably, “Told you she’d love it.”
“I really do, I love it so much.”
I walk around the couch and give Ellie a hug. She asks me where the remote is and turns on her favorite show. When I turn back around to Hanna, she is staring at the kitchen counter.
Shit. Shit. Shit.
“Karly, are you seeing someone!” She whisper-shouts, her eyes going wide. “There are TWO coffee cups over there and two plates in the sink.”
She looks at me, “Eric had a hoodie exactly like that! OH-EM-GEE, you are totally seeing a man!”
I glance down at Eric’s hoodie. It’s red with a G on it for Georgia. I forgot that I was wearing it, but it’s not like other guys wouldn’t have this same hoodie, right? It’s popular.
Blushing, I blow it off. “Oh, no. This old thing? No, it’s just something I found at the laundry mat.”
She grins, “You dirty little liar! Who is he? Is he hot!?”
I step backward when she gets a little closer, worried she might smell me. Well, Eric.
“It’s nothing, Hanna. Really.”