DING DONG
JESS
The bubblegum ice cream melted on my tongue; its overly sweet taste was oddly satisfying despite how I usually turned my nose up at it. I was halfway through my second bowl, shamelessly indulging in this craving, when I glanced around the kitchen. It still felt strange being here, sitting at the same table l had for years, but now knowing it wasn’t my family’s home
anymore.
“This is weird,” I blurted out, earning a confused look from Laura.
“What is?” She licked her spoon, leaning lazily against the counter, her dark hair swept into a loose bun.
“Being here.” I gestured around the room with my spoon. “This kitchen used to be ours. Now it’s yours…my best friend’s…or should I say, my sister–in–law’s kitchen.”
Laura laughed a bright sound that filled the room. “You better get used to it, sister–in–law. This place is mine now, which means you’re stuck with me.”
I smiled, but it was true–it still felt surreal sometimes.
Laura wandered over to the cupboards, giving them a thoughtful look. “I need to redecorate, though. This whole space feels so…not me. I’ve been thinking of painting the cupboards green.”
I laughed, mid–spoonful, but when I caught the serious glint in
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her eye, I choked back the sound. “Oh…uh…yeah. That would look great.”
Her sharp gaze flicked to me, suspicious. “You are the worst liar in history.”
Before I could deny it, Laura flicked a dollop of ice cream in my direction, the sticky cold landing on my arm. “Hey!” I squealed, scrambling for a napkin while she grinned triumphantly.
“You deserved that,” she said smugly, setting her empty bowl down.
“Can we just talk about how ridiculous this is?” she said,
grabbing her spoon and swirling the melted remnants of her ice cream around the bowl.
“What? The cupboards? Because yeah, green is a no,” I teased, though I knew exactly what she meant.
She shot me a look. “You know what I mean. Inviting Sarah.”
I groaned, dropping my head to the table dramatically. “Don’t remind me. He might be my brother, but he’s your husband.”
Laura leaned her elbows on the counter, her voice dropping to a whisper as if Sarah might somehow hear us from wherever she was.. “We still don’t even know how she saved their lives. No one has talked about it! Not Luke not your idiot brother- whom I love very much, of course.”
I cut in, sitting up abruptly. “Do you know what I want to do to him? Murder. Actual murder. He never thinks before he speaks, and now we’re here, waiting for Sarah like this is some casual reunion when in reality, we’re just…” I waved my hands in the air,
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searching for the right word.
I was about to retaliate with a swipe of my own when the doorbell rang, cutting through the playful atmosphere.
We both froze. My spoon hovered in mid–air, Laura’s grin faded, and an unspoken tension settled over the room.
“Do you think…?” I started, but Laura didn’t let me finish.
“It’s Sarah,” she said quietly, pursing her lips.
I swallowed hard, glancing toward the front door. “She’s early – I don’t even know what to say to her. Luke and Josh should have been here – not us. I don’t know this girl from a bar of fucking soap.” I groaned, shoving the chair back and pivoting myself upright with my massive belly.
Laura stood up straighter, wiping her hands on a dish towel. “I’ll ⚫ handle it.”
“No,” I said, surprising myself with the firmness in my voice. I pushed my bowl aside, my stomach twisting. “We’ll handle it. All I’m saying is that Susan said we need to look for signs that she might have intentions, you know. Like she might have trauma- bonded with them or something, and she can’t face the fact that she needs to now let them go and move on.”
She glanced at me, a flicker of appreciation in her eyes, and together we moved toward the door, each step feeling heavier than the last.
I held my breath when Laura’s hand finally wrapped around the doorknob. This wasn’t going to be easy. Not for her. Not for me. Not for any of us.
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