Page 13 of July (New Orleans #7)

W illa had no idea what she was doing, so she texted her sister.

“I’m about to go into a client meeting. What’s up?”

“I texted you,” Willa replied into the phone.

“I know. I’m calling you back.”

“But I just texted. Why did you call?”

“Willa, I love you, but if you don’t get to the point of what the hell you meant when you said you didn’t know if you should go or not, I will hang up on you and get back to work.”

Willa let out a deep breath and said, “Wally, I met a woman.”

“You did?”

“Her name is Jill. She’s twenty-six. She’s beautiful and funny and really kind, but I don’t think she realizes that she’s kind. She just does it and feels guilty when she doesn’t.”

“What?” Wallis laughed.

“I just mean that she’s nice, and I like her a little.”

“Well, if you’re calling me, we are not talking a little .”

“True. Anyway, she invited me to dinner.”

“What’s the problem here? Go to dinner.”

“She’s the older sister of a student.”

“Hold on. What? Your students are, like, ten. How old is this woman?”

Willa laughed and said, “She’s twenty-six. I just told you that.”

“Oh. I was only half-paying attention. Big age difference, huh?”

“Half-sister.”

“Okay. So, why are you thinking about not having dinner with her?”

“The sister will be there. Jill is taking care of Juni for her mom right now, so I would be having dinner with them at their house.”

“Jill lives there, too?”

“No, she’s staying there.”

“Okay. She invited you?”

“Yes.”

“Then, go. Don’t make it weird,” Wallis told her. “Just go, have fun, and see if there’s something there. If she invited you, it means she’s probably interested, right? Is she gay?”

“Yes, but I don’t know if she’s interested. She might just need a little support tonight. Her mom seems like kind of a flake right now.”

“Then, ask her if she wants more.”

“I can’t just ask her. Who does that?”

“An overworked attorney who bills a million hours a week and doesn’t have time for BS or games.”

Willa laughed and replied, “Well, I’m just an underpaid teacher with a part-time job and no real hobbies.”

“Have fun playing games, then. They just don’t work for me. When I meet a guy, I want to know what his intentions are. If he wants to get laid, I’ll consider it. If he wants to see if it could be something, fine. I just need to know.”

“I can’t just ask her if she wants to get laid with her ten-year-old sister sitting across the table. What do I say? Juni, will you pass the breadsticks? Also, Jill, do you want to take me against a wall later?”

“Well, that’s one way to do it.”

“You’re not helpful,” Willa replied with a laugh.

“Willa, go or don’t go, but if you like the girl, you should tell her.”

“I just met her the other day.”

“So? Who cares?”

“I don’t know. It just feels a little different.”

“Go to dinner,” Wallis repeated. “And call Wade if you need to talk more. Or Mom. You know she would love to talk about your love life. But I have to go.”

“Fine. Thanks for nothing.”

“Anytime,” Wallis said before hanging up.

Willa looked down at herself then. She was dressed and ready to go.

She’d known all along what she was going to do.

She’d just wanted some sort of confirmation from her sister that this dinner was a good idea, so now that she had it, she grabbed her purse, stuffed her phone inside, and got in her car, using the directions Jill had texted her earlier to get her to the house.

She wasn’t sure if she should park in the driveway, so she parked on the street and swallowed before getting out of her car.

“Miss Mailor?” Juni asked when she opened the door to Willa.

“Juni, I told you not to just answer the door. It could be a stranger or–” Jill came into view and smiled immediately when she saw Willa. “Hey. You’re early.”

“Oh, sorry.” Willa looked down at her cheap department-store watch. “Traffic wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be.”

“No problem. Come on in.”

“Why is Miss Mailor here?” Juni asked Jill. “Am I in trouble?”

“What? No,” Jill replied as she placed her hand on her sister’s shoulder. “Miss Mailor and I became friends at the bake sale, so I asked if she wanted to come over and hang out with us tonight.”

“Oh,” Juni said. “Um… Can I go to my room until the food is here?”

“Sure.”

As soon as she’d gotten her response, Juni hurried off, leaving them alone.

“Should I be here? She doesn’t seem to want me here,” Willa said.

“That has nothing to do with you.” Jill pointed in the direction Juni had just walked. “I felt bad because our mother is being a pain in the ass, so I let her play on her tablet before doing her homework. If she turns something in late or it’s bad, you can blame me .”

“You’re a bad influence,” Willa teased.

“You have no idea,” Jill replied. “She wants to talk to Mom, but I texted her to see if she’d get on the phone for Juni, and she still hasn’t responded.”

“Really?”

“And she’s–” Jill stopped. “You know what, you came over here for dinner, not to listen to my family drama.”

“Jill, I don’t mind,” Willa said and reached out for Jill’s hand, giving it a squeeze. “I’m here if you need someone to talk to.”

“But as my friend, not as Juni’s teacher, right? I don’t want the school to know what’s going on yet. I don’t know how things work or what the rules are.”

“Well, I’m here in a non-teacher capacity, but I am legally required to report certain things to law enforcement. Things like abuse or neglect.”

“Neglect?” Jill asked, looking concerned.

“Do you want to get out of this hallway?” Willa asked. “We can talk more.”

“Yeah, let’s go into the backyard, if that’s okay. Juni can’t overhear us out there.”

Willa followed Jill through the modestly furnished house and out the back door until they were seated at a four-seater patio table.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t get you a drink.”

“I’m okay, Jill. I’ll drink something at dinner. What’s going on?”

“My mom didn’t go visit my grandparents. They’re not sick.”

“Where is she?”

“I don’t know. She texted me today that she’s fine and gave me some facts so that I know it’s her.

I told her I was going to file a missing person’s report.

She asked me not to, but if I don’t hear something from her tonight, I’m going in tomorrow.

I don’t know what that means for Juni, though.

I’m her sister, not her legal guardian. If there’s something up with my mom, would they just take her away? ”

“I don’t know,” Willa replied.

“Rory is in school for social work. I asked her what she thought, and she said I could file an emergency petition for custody.”

“That sounds right.”

“But it would mean I’d be her guardian and in charge of her.

I know this is wrong to say, but I’ve got a life.

I have a job that I don’t think I’d lose because Melinda is the best, but I have to work to get paid, and I can’t keep taking time off all the time to get her to and from places.

That’s fewer tours, and those tips are important this time of year when we’re the busiest. I don’t want Juni to end up in foster care, though, so I don’t know what to do. ”

“I’m so sorry,” Willa replied and leaned over the table to take Jill’s hand, entwining their fingers. “Can I do anything?”

Jill’s phone rang, interrupting this moment of Willa putting herself out there. She had hoped she and Jill might talk about how Willa didn’t usually hold hands with women whom she wasn’t dating, but Jill had a call to answer instead.

“Mom, where are you?” Jill said into the phone.

Willa kept their fingers linked to offer any kind of support she could as she looked around, wondering if she should head inside to give them a moment alone.

“Mom, what are you talking about?” Jill paused, looking worried. “She’s your daughter. We both are.” Another pause. “You’re a parent. How can you–”

Willa squeezed Jill’s hand to let her know that she was still there while she silently plotted what she would say to Jill’s mother for putting her through this.

“I know he’s gone, and that’s awful, but your kid is still here. She’s in her room, asking why her mom hasn’t called her since she left. Why are you doing this to her? To me?” Jill’s eyes welled with tears. “Mom?”

Willa almost teared up herself at hearing Jill’s pleading voice. Then, Jill pulled the phone from her ear, stared at it for a moment, and set it on the table. Willa stood, moved to her, pulled Jill’s face against her chest, and held her there.

“She said she can’t do this anymore.” Jill sniffled. “Be a parent to Juni. She misses Juni’s dad too much. She said it’s been too hard. I don’t–” Jill sniffled again. “She said she’s not coming back. What do I tell Juni?”

“Pizza is here!” Juni yelled from just inside the screen back door.

Jill moved away instantly and wiped her eyes, likely trying to cover up the fact that she’d been crying.

“I’ll get it.” Willa smiled down at her softly. “Meet us inside when you’re ready?”

Jill nodded and turned away from the door.

“Okay, Juni. Let’s get dinner,” Willa said.

She walked with Juni to the front door and checked the peephole before opening it and taking two pizza boxes from the delivery guy.

“Can I carry them?”

“Sure,” Willa replied and handed them to her, making sure to lock the door.

They walked back into the kitchen, and Jill was by the fridge, getting them drinks. Willa heard her sniffle but said nothing. She walked over to her, though, and placed her hand on the small of Jill’s back.

“Want me to cover for a few minutes?” she asked quietly.

“I’m okay,” Jill said, nodding as if to convince herself. “What do you want to drink?”

“Whatever you’re having is fine,” she replied.

Willa wasn’t sure if Juni could tell that Jill had been crying, but Jill did her best to put on a brave face for her little sister.

Willa marveled at how hard this woman was trying to protect Juni from this mess, and when dinner was over, Juni ran off to her room again while Jill and Willa cleaned up.

“She said she’s not coming back?” she asked.

“I need to call my grandma to tell her. I don’t know what else to do. She said she was fine but didn’t tell me where she was. She told me she never got over Juni’s dad dying, so she can’t be here anymore to raise her.”

Willa rubbed Jill’s back again and asked, “What can I do?”

“Nothing. You’re amazing. Thank you for just being here to distract her from the mess that is my face right now.” Jill laughed a little.

“Your face isn’t a mess.” Willa placed her hand on Jill’s cheek. “You’re beautiful.”

“Juni needs a bath,” Jill said, not acknowledging but also not dismissing that comment.

“I can finish cleaning up in here,” Willa offered.

“It’s okay. I–”

“Jill, will you just let me?”

Jill nodded reluctantly and said, “She’s ten. I just need to go tell her to take a shower, not, like, shower with her. I’ll be right back, okay?”

A few minutes later, Jill returned to the kitchen, and Willa heard the water running in the guest bathroom. Jill nodded for them to head to the living room, where they sat on the sofa, and Willa looked up at the stuffed deer above her head.

“Yours, I assume?” she joked.

Jill laughed loudly and said, “Yes, this is my style. I like awful patterns, old sofas, and stuffed deer. It’s a mood.”

Willa laughed and turned to her.

“Do you want me to go?” she asked.

“No, actually. I wish you could stay.”

Jill laid her head back against the sofa.

“I can, if you want.”

Jill turned her head toward her, and her eyebrows were nearly in her hairline.

“Not like that,” Willa added. “I can sleep on the couch or something. I just meant to be here if you need me.”

“I sleep in the guest room,” Jill shared.

“Oh,” Willa said.

“You could stay in there with me, if you want to. Or, you could take my mom’s bed. She’s not using it, but–”

“Do you want me to stay, Jill?”

Jill nodded and said, “I don’t have anyone else. I can tell my friends what’s going on tomorrow, but I can’t tonight. I don’t have the energy.”

“Do you want to call your grandparents while I keep Juni occupied?”

“That would be amazing. Why are you so amazing?” Jill asked but didn’t appear to expect Willa to answer.

Two hours later, after Juni was fast asleep, Willa and Jill awkwardly climbed into bed.

Willa wondered if this was the best idea because Juni was just down the hall and could walk in on them, but Jill seemed to need her right now, and Willa couldn’t leave her like this.

They fell asleep facing away from one another, but by morning, Jill’s head was on Willa’s chest. Willa smiled at that before she checked the time and realized that she needed to get up to get to work.

Thankfully, what she’d worn to dinner hadn’t been what she had worn to school the day before, so she wouldn’t have to wear the same thing two days in a row.

She slipped out of bed and changed out of borrowed clothes and back into her own.

Then, she rubbed some toothpaste on her teeth in Jill’s mother’s bathroom so that she wouldn’t risk running into Juni, and when she returned to the bedroom, she found Jill awake and rubbing her tired eyes.

Willa sat on the side of the bed and leaned over her, placing her hand on Jill’s other side.

“How about I take Juni to school for you? We’re both heading that way.”

“You don’t have to do that,” Jill replied.

“It’s good for the environment.” Willa winked.

Jill chuckled and said, “She’ll know you stayed over.”

“I’ll sneak out the back, walk around the front, ring the bell, and you can tell her I just came here to get her so that you could get to work.”

“Have you done this before? I feel like you’re really good at this.” Jill’s hand moved to Willa’s arm and ran up and down it.

Willa shook her head and replied, “First time. But she’s up and moving; I just heard her. So, decide fast.”

“That would be really great. I need to call my grandma again and get to work.”

“Done, then,” Willa said. “Let’s go so that she doesn’t find out her teacher shared a bed with her sister.”

Jill laughed.