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“Right. By the time you’re thirty.” How had she forgotten just how young Tori was? She certainly didn’t act young, except for moments like this when she acted way younger than her actual age. “Then you should be on a date and not cooking me…tacos.” Miranda added the pause, hoping it would come off as a joke. Two could play with fire, couldn’t they?
“Yeah. I think Siena is planning on a big birthday bash, too.”
“When is your birthday? For all I know you could have a month to find your soulmate. A real U-Hauler if that’s the case.”
Tori giggled and rested, turning slightly to face Miranda better. “I have some time.”
“Fine, be skittish on sharing the day.” Miranda swiftly finished her drink. Rebel was back in her lap, and she wrapped a couple curls around her finger and twisted it into shape.
“My birthday is in the spring. April fifteenth.”
“Tax day.” Miranda winked. Why did she just do that? Hell, the vodka was going to her head already. That definitely needed to be her last one. “You better get on some dating sites if you plan to find Mrs. Right in the next nine months.”
“Yeah, already on it.” Tori’s cheeks were bright red. She was just about to say something else when there was a knock on the door.
“Mom!” Harley screeched, getting up and running.
Miranda tensed, every alarm in her head going off. She had forgotten Siena was coming. And she wasn’t prepared to meet her. Then again, she had nothing to lose. It wasn’t like she was dating Tori. It wasn’t like Siena had to size her up or decide if she was worthy of her ex-wife. The door snicked open, and Miranda’s stomach dropped. Siena was a bombshell, and also much older than Tori. What the hell had she been thinking?
eleven
“Hey.” Tori pushed herself up from the couch and met Siena at the door. Harley was wrapped in her arms, her face buried in Siena’s shoulder.
“Hey.” Siena’s smile was tight as she looked over Tori’s shoulder and then back again, giving Tori a knowing glance.
“Ouch, Mom.” Harley giggled. “Too tight, too tight.”
“Oh.” Siena blinked, surprised. “Sorry, Munchkin.” Siena kissed Harley on the cheek and placed her back on her feet on the floor. Squaring her shoulders, she looked directly at Miranda, as if sizing her up.
“Harley, go grab your bag for Mom.” Tori ruffled Harley’s hair.
“All right,” Harley raced off to her room.
“Come on in,” Tori said. “You know how long she ends up taking to get her stuff, even though they packed it up ages ago.”
“They?” Siena asked, keeping her eyes on Miranda and Rebel. Just what was she thinking? Tori wished she had some insight into that mind of hers. Siena had never shown any form of jealousy before now.
“Yeah, she loves showing Rebel everything.”
Siena stopped Tori with a hand to her arm. “If you were busy, you didn’t have to swap weekends with me.” Siena looked pointedly at Tori with raised eyebrows and then a fast flick of her eyes to where Miranda sat comfortably.
“Oh no, this wasn’t a planned thing. They just stopped by for a visit. Harley loves it when she gets to play with Rebel. They’re like newfound best friends.” Tori smiled, trying to both understand and ignore the tension that seemed to seep into the room. Uncomfortable, she checked in on Miranda silently to see just what was going on.
Siena turned a smile toward Miranda. It was as chilly a look as Tori had ever seen. Tori’s breath hitched in her chest as her mind supplied Miranda’s face over Siena’s. They did look eerily similar in some ways. The same coloring, the same age. What the hell? They were nothing alike. The vodka must have been affecting her more than she had realized. The two she’d had should probably be her last before she did anything stupid.
Tori had better make introductions before this awkward silence continued between all of them. “This is Harley’s mom, Siena. Siena, this is Miranda. She’s looking after her niece, who goes to Harley’s daycare.”
“The aunt? The one you asked about clothes and toys for?”
Tori’s cheeks warmed and a groan begged for release from her throat. Her spine stiffened. Offending Miranda was so easy to do. Walking on eggshells was tiring and painful. But she couldn’t control what Siena said or didn’t say.
“Yeah, I just wasn’t sure if what I had here would be enough for what she needed.”
“Uh-huh.” Siena swallowed audibly and then stretched her smile, fake but wider. “Well, I’ll grab Harley, and we’ll be out of your hair.”
“What?” Tori asked, her chest tightened, unable to ignore the energy in the room any longer.
“I won’t be long, I promise.” Siena didn’t wait for an answer. She all but ran down to Harley’s room.
