Page 227 of Spicy Ever After

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No dots.

I count to twenty.

Still no dots.

“Shit,” I mutter into my empty room.

I strain my ears for any movement. Any sign of what this silence means.

Then a flurry of dots and?—

Hattie: YOU WOULD HAVE???

I let go a huge breath.

Me: Hell, yes, I would have.

In another three seconds, my screen is flooded.

Hattie:

My nose stings, but I chuckle. Her teary smiles are followed by a flurry of dots.

Hattie: WAIT… BUT WHY? WHY YES TO AND NO TO ?

I suck in a deep breath and let it out.

Me: I don’t really know.

It’s an honest response, but I know it’s not good enough.

She goes quiet.

I wait, my stomach pitching.

Dots.

Nothing.

Dots.

Nothing.

Hattie: I THINK I KNOW.

I blink at the screen.

Me: You do??

I wait.

And wait.

I can feel my heart chugging in my chest, nervous and heavy.

Remembering what she said before she left me on the porch, what she said about underestimating her, about not trusting her to make her own decisions, and how I disappointed her, my thumbs fly over the screen.

Me: It’s not because I don’t have faith in you and your independence. I swear, Hattie. It’s not that.

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