Page 26 of Antagonist

“Relax, woman. My insurance doesn’t cover whiplash caused by ex-wives.”

She elbows me. “So, what did I miss?”

“Not my coffee.”

“You know better than to deny a tired nurse her coffee. You basically just increased your life expectancy by at least a year with your generosity.”

“But it’s going to be the saddest, most under-caffeinated year of my life.”

Stella gives me her as-if smile as she surveys the parents in the class. There’s something different about her. I can tell she’s tired from her shift at the hospital, but her eyes are smiling and she looks…I don’t know, just different.

Maybe I underestimated the anxiety caused by the car accident. She never talks much about the impact it had on her, choosing to focus on Megan and her safety, but maybe Stella needed this move too.

Am I the only one still struggling? And what am I struggling with? I’m happy-ish at my job, and I have a nice house with a small backyard that leads to a field. What else can I possibly want?

I begin to ask Stella about her light mood when she elbows me.

“Who’s that? And why is he looking at you like he wants to either fight you or eat you?”

I follow Stella’s line of sight, not that I need to. It’s an easy guess who she’s talking about.

Fletcher’s blue eyes are intense, and for the second time since I walked into the classroom, I find myself staring.

“Harrison.”

“Sorry, what?”

“Are you okay?” Stella asks.

“Yeah, um…that’s Fletcher. He’s George’s dad.” I don’t need to say anything else. I mentioned the incident to Stella when I dropped Megan off on Sunday.

“Really? That’s so not what I expected him to look like,” she says.

“What do you mean?”

Instead of answering, she walks over to Fletcher. He breaks eye contact with me when he sees her.

“Hi, I’m Stella, Megan’s mom and Harrison's long-suffering ex-wife.” Stella holds out her hand. Fletcher gives me a brief look before shaking her hand.

“Nice to meet you, Stella. I want to—” he starts.

“If you’re about to apologize because your kid behaved like a kid, you better get me a coffee first. I also don’t apologize for my kid being a kid on an empty stomach, so you better grab me one of those magic cookies too.”

Fletcher’s smile widens, and he wraps his arm over Stella’s shoulder, turning her toward the Lovely Buns and Bittersweet table.

“Stella, I have a feeling we’re going to be great friends.”

“Great,” I mumble.

“Oh, come on, love puff, I need your ex on my side if we’re going to be one big, happy family one day,” he says. “Come on, Stel, let’s fill you up with Stillwater’s goodness.”

My mouth is still gaping when Stella turns her head to me so she can mouth,we’ll talk later.

Great.

“Sooo, Stel, I need to know everything about you. From your favorite nail polish to how you acquired the magical powers required to get that scowly man to chill.”

“I’m a nurse, so I rarely wear polish, but if you want the shortcut to my heart, it’s through funky headbands and coffee,” Stella says as she surveys Liv’s cookies.