Page 49 of Poly

We’ve finished unloading the car when Arlo calls me. “I just heard,” he says.

“Yeah, change of plans.”

“I’m ducking out early. He told me you’re working on a headache. Why didn’t you text me?”

“I was moving too fast.” Katie is in her room, so I drop my voice. “I told Nolan I wanted homemade cookies.”

That makes him laugh. “Going straight for the jugular, huh?”

“Need to get something good out of today.”

“Don’t worry about cooking tonight,” he says. “I’ll call in Chinese and go pick it up when he’s close.”

Relief! “That would be amazing. I love you.”

“Love you, too, babe. See you soon.”

I hang up and call out to Katie. “Uncle Arlo says we’ll do Chinese for dinner.”

“Yay!” She runs in. “Can we get the dumplings?”

I smile. “Anything you want. Give your order to Uncle Arlo when he gets home.”

“Yay!” She runs back to her room.

I trudge down the hall. “I’ll be out in a minute, sweetheart. I need to change clothes.”

“Okay.”

I lock the bedroom door behind me and slump onto the bed. I guess I’d better get used to this, because no telling how long she’ll be with us.

I know that’s the headache talking, because normally I’d be happy to have Katie here. Except…

Exhausted.

That’s what I am—exhausted after a day of battling pain and nausea and disappointment that I would be letting my men down tonight.

I change clothes, scrub off my makeup, and pull my hair back into a ponytail. Then I head to the living room and stretch out on the couch with a cold, wet rag over my eyes while Katie does her homework at the coffee table, and with the TV on but the volume turned low.

At least if Lucas was home I could ask him to keep an eye on her and go try to take a nap. Fortunately, Arlo’s on his way.

Thank god.

This is only a minor annoyance, because I am glad she’s home with us. It leaves me feeling settled in a deeper way, knowing she’s here.

Because she’sours.