Total pages in book: 53
Estimated words: 51827 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 259(@200wpm)___ 207(@250wpm)___ 173(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 51827 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 259(@200wpm)___ 207(@250wpm)___ 173(@300wpm)
Don’t try to push the organs back in.
Someone has tried that at some point, or it wouldn’t be in the book. I rub my eyes and take off my reading glasses, in need of a break.
Midafternoon sunlight streams in through the windows of the kitchen in the house Jules bought for all of us with her influencer earnings. It’s a polished space with white cabinetry and white marble counters with veins of pale gray.
I put chili ingredients in the slow cooker this morning, and the spicy scent of it fills the room. Jules is usually at Noel’s house these days when they’re not traveling. Those two never seem to get tired of each other.
She wants to put the house in my name since she and Noel will be getting their own new place when they get married, but I’m not ready to accept such a large gift.
My boys do love it here. They have friends in the neighborhood and we’re in a school district I couldn’t afford to live in on my own.
But it’s a lot, and I’ve always been proud of taking care of my sons myself. I’d rather pay my sister rent so we can stay here, but have her keep ownership of the house.
“Dong!” I bat our quickly growing gray cat away from the knife block he’s batting at on the kitchen counter. “No knives. We talked about this.”
I still don’t know why I said yes when my boys begged me for a cat. He’s a menace, and the only name they could agree on was from some robot cat on a show they watch, so now I get texts from the vet’s office about Dong being due for a checkup.
Jules just loves to ask me if I’ve stroked Dong lately. She never gets tired of that joke. And, honestly, if she had a cat named Dong, I’d do the same thing to her.
I grab a bag of chocolate chips and pour some into my hand, needing a pick-me-up to get through the afternoon of studying. It feels like it’s around two thirty, but when I glance at the clock on the microwave, I’m shocked to see it’s four ten.
Time flies when you’re studying wound infections, I guess. The school bus will be dropping the boys off in ten minutes, which gives me just enough time to check the chili, pee, wash my hands, and get a drink before they come spilling in.
When I’m washing my hands, I sigh at my reflection. I have plenty of makeup and skincare products because Jules gets so much free stuff shipped to her that we use the house’s smallest bedroom to store it in. But still, I don’t do much more than wash and moisturize most days.
There’s no reason to get my blond hair highlighted and styled or wear anything dressier than jeans and hoodies. I’m a student and a mom. When Jules used to use me for her makeup tutorial videos, I’d just end up giving my toddler a bath or studying in full glam.
I like my predictable life. I get all the hugs and kisses I need from my boys. Jules found an exceptional man in Noel, and I’m thrilled for her, but I’ve never had anyone like him in my life.
When I tried online dating a couple years ago, I met a felon and a married man. Both of them lied, and both were only looking for one thing.
That was enough for me. Jules and I were raised by a mom who didn’t take good care of us, and the only thing I want in life is to do better by my kids. I want to provide for them and be there for them in every way. Some women want a partner, but I just want to be a good mom.
“Mom!” Eli calls out when he walks from the mudroom into the kitchen.
I meet him there, and he’s beaming.
“I’m in the spelling bee,” he says. “I spelled cautious right and Harper spelled laundry wrong, so I won in my class and now I’m in the whole-school spelling bee.”
“That’s amazing!” I hug him. “Congratulations.”
“When is Magnus coming over?” Coop asks, dropping his backpack on the kitchen floor.
“I don’t know. How was school?”
“He wants to play cars. Can you call him?”
“I don’t have his number.”
“Ask Aunt Jules.”
He’s been asking about a playdate with Magnus since Saturday, when he last saw him, and he’s persisting even though it’s Tuesday now. I’m sure Magnus would love getting that call. And I’d take a semitruck load of shit from Jules over asking for his number.
“Hey. Backpacks have a place, and it’s not the floor.”
Coop drags his backpack into the mudroom.
“I need your assignment folder,” I remind him.
“I’ve had an exhausting day. Can I get a snack first?”
I try to suppress my smile. “An exhausting day? What’s worn you out, my little grandpa?”