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“Nothing usually.”
“Try a time out.”
Harley wrinkled her nose. “I don’t want time out!”
“No, not you, silly.” Tori brushed her fingers lightly over Harley’s hair. “But if you do something against the rules, then you get a time out, right?”
“Yep. Four minutes!” Harley held out her hand with four fingers on it.
“One minute for every age,” Tori supplied.
Miranda frowned. “She won’t stay in time out.”
“Make her stay.” Tori winked. “You just keep putting her back until she stays.”
“That sounds like torture.” Miranda twirled her wine glass in her hand as Rebel came to sit on her lap. She snuggled against Miranda’s chest, and Miranda couldn’t help but wrap an arm around her.
“It can be.”
Miranda’s stomach was in knots with the look Tori was giving her. It was a joyful one, an easy one, but also one that was filled with so much meaning and connection. She’d longed for that for years and had never found it. She guessed she did have a friend now, someone she could come to with advice on this new part of her life. At least for as long as Rebel was with her. When Rebel went home with Tierney, their friendship would likely end.
Sadness ripped through her, and she wasn’t quite sure why. They hadn’t exactly known each other long, and it wasn’t like they had gotten off to a great start. That was mostly Miranda’s fault. Her cheeks burned with embarrassment from that.
“I’m sorry I was such a…” What word was she supposed to use with kids around? “…I’m sorry I wasn’t nice when we first met.”
“You were stressed. Reasonably so.” Tori leaned over and took Miranda’s hand and gave it a squeeze. “But thanks for the apology.”
Miranda dragged in a breath of fresh air, the tightness in her chest easing a bit. “Thank you again for the clothes and toys.”
“Any time.” Tori seemed to take the hint. She took the folded clothes they had sorted and put them back into the bag. They hadn’t even gotten a quarter of the way through it.
Shifting to help, Miranda had to stop. She glanced down, finding Rebel passed out against her chest, her body heavy and warm from sleep. She let out a small snort and brushed her fingers through the curls on her forehead, the ones she had managed to untangle. “I’m going to have to deal with that soon.”
“Deal with what?” Tori raised her gaze.
“Her hair. It’s been sorely neglected, and I haven’t managed to get her to sit longer than a few minutes at a time to comb through it.”
Tori hummed and then got Harley’s attention. “Go get your detangler from the bathroom, Pumpkin.”
“Okay!” Harley got up and raced off, her feet pounding heavily on the carpet.
“I don’t know if it’ll help because Rebel’s tangles are massive, but Harley likes it when hers gets bad.”
“Thanks. I really appreciate it.”
Harley came back and handed the bottle over. Miranda studied it for a minute before setting it down next to her. She had to figure out how to stand up with a sleeping Rebel in her lap, and she wasn’t as young as she used to be. While she routinely did heavy lifting, it wasn’t usually from a sitting position.
Tori must have caught on, because she came over and leaned down. She scooped her hands under Rebel’s body, across Miranda’s stomach and chest as she lifted the sleeping toddler. Miranda’s heart raced, not just at the touch but at the closeness. She missed that. Getting up, she took Rebel back and rubbed a hand slowly across her back.
“I’ll help you out with the bags.”
“Thanks,” Miranda murmured.
They walked together, Miranda carrying Rebel, and Tori carried one of the black bags. As Miranda strapped Rebel into the seat, she let out a sigh of relief. Her back ached, her heart ached, and she wanted nothing more than to go home, curl up with Rebel in bed, and fall asleep for a good long nap.
“Here’s the second bag.” Tori put it into the trunk of her car and shut it. She stepped back, her hands on her hips, her young body taut.
Miranda had to stop thinking those things. Tori was the same age as her kid sister, and while they were both essentially parents, a family wasn’t something Miranda wanted. Not then. Not ever. She had enough problems in her life at the moment. They couldn’t be friends. What in the world had she been thinking? They had nothing in common. Once Rebel went back to live with Tierney, whatever flimsy connection they had would be gone, and Miranda would never see Tori again. She swallowed down the attraction and nodded her head sharply.
