Page 100 of Breadwinner

Jamie’s expression softened before she responded. “Yeah, no problem.”

Sarah’s throat was impossibly tight as she met Jamie’s brown eyes once more. She didn’t know what to say to Jamie that wasn’tSorry I’m throwing off the family dynamic because my dumb ass needs to take the time to actually get over my ex-wife.“Do you play pickleball?” Sarah blurted out instead.

“Pickleball?” Jamie asked, leaning her forearms against the car window.

“Yeah.”

“Occasionally. Why?”

Sarah shrugged. “We should play sometime. It would be fun.”

Jamie grinned. “I’m pretty competitive.”

“So am I,” Sarah replied. Their laughter fell into silence before Sarah spoke again. “Thank you for understanding that I need a little time, and for taking such good care of our family.”

“Don’t mention it.” Jamie’s voice was easy as she pushed herself back, away from the car. “Have fun with Nell. We’ll miss you on the flight home.”

Jamie gave her that same knowing look from the night before, the one that made her feel like she was made of translucent glass that was starting to crack.

She took a moment for herself. What a fucking whirlwind the weekend had been.

Sarah 10:05 AM

I need the address and gate code. I’m getting ready to leave the hotel. Did you take care of the ducks?

Nate 10:06 AM

Just sent the location. Code is 4684. Ducks have been handled.

She opened up the map application and entered the address, took a breath, before heading to Nell’s.

Exactly fifty-two minutes later, Sarah pulled up to a keypad. A metal gate stood between her and the bottom of a long, winding drive. Once she’d keyed in the code Nate had given her, the gates creaked open, granting her entrance. She followed the road through towering oak trees decorated in little green buds about to burst with new leaves. Through a covered bridge and around the last turn, Nell’s house came into sight, and, luckily, no ducks this time.

Nate 10:58 AM

Park anywhere in the circle. Leave your keys. I’ll take care of moving the car.

She followed Nate’s instructions, leaving the keys on the dashboard as she got out and approached the front door, pressing her finger to the doorbell. The heavy wooden door muffled a deep set of bell chimes. As they quieted, Sarah heard the lock turn.

Nell’s steel-blue eyes met hers with shock and disbelief. “Sarah! How—what on earth are you doing here?”

“Had a hell of a weekend, and, to be honest, you’re the only person I wanted to see to talk about it. I was in the neighborhood and thought I’d swing by.” Sarah couldn’t help how her smile spread, nor how suddenly that low simmer she had existed at for the entirety of the weekend seemed to evaporate completely. Was that the effect Nell had on her? The ability to bring an immediate calmness? “So, can I come in? Or do you want me to beg for it a little first?” she teased.

Nell’s shock gave way to a brilliant smile as she held the door open wide enough for her to enter the house. Morning light hit her body, and that’s when Sarah noticed what she was wearing, as an eruption of refracted light scattered across the opposite wall of the foyer.

“What is with the glittery spandex this early on a Sunday?” she asked, half amused, half genuinely curious. Nell was dressed in an all-black, sparkling ensemble, her hair braided over her left shoulder in the fishtail style Sarah loved, but there was something familiar about this look that Sarah couldn’t quite put her finger on.

Nell gave her a sly smile. “Do you think you’re ready for that answer?” she asked, meeting Sarah with the same teasing tone she had used first.

Sarah considered her momentarily. “You know what? After the weekend I’ve had, I’m ready for anything.” She couldn’t wait to see what Nell had in store for her.

“Okay, then. Follow me.”

Nell’s hand slid into her own, and she guided Sarah through the foyer, into the kitchen, and up the back steps. Sarah remembered the layout from her previous visit for Thanksgiving. As they approached the final door at the end of the hall, her pulse started to flutter at the thought of discovering what was behind the only closed door in Nell’s home.

They stopped in front of the door, Nell studying her.

“The game room?” Sarah asked, her excitement getting the better of her.