Hold Me Close(25)

She and Heath drank tea. They played a few hands of Uno with Polly, who unashamedly wheedled them into letting her stay up late because it was a Friday night. When Heath slapped a card on top of Effie’s and pulled them both out of the pile with a cry of triumph, Polly shook her head.

“That’s not in the rules. I played this with Sam at her house, and she says that’s not how you play it.”

Heath shrugged and gave Effie a look. “It’s how we play it.”

They’d played Uno for hours, in the basement. They’d made up their own rules for the tournaments. Now Effie looked carefully at her own selection of cards.

“Lots of people make up their own rules, Polly. It’s late now. Bedtime.”

“C’mon,” Heath said, “I’ll tuck you in.”

Polly rolled her eyes. “I don’t need to be tucked in. Sheesh.”

She hopped off her chair and went around the table to hug him, though, tight around the neck. Effie watched the two of them quietly before she got up to put the dishes in the sink.

“Brush your teeth” was all she said to her daughter. “And lights out, no playing around on your phone.”

Polly sighed with another roll of her eyes but left after kissing Heath on the cheek. “Night.”

Effie watched her go, then turned to him. “Remember run around the table?”

“Yeah. If you put down three of the same in a row.” He leaned back in his chair with a laugh and a shake of his head. “And if you used a Reverse card, you had to sit backward until the next one was played.”

It was a surprisingly good memory. Effie smiled. When he came to the sink, she thought he’d kiss her, but Heath only pushed her gently to the side to take over the rinsing of the bowls before she could put them in the dishwasher. Effie was of the opinion that if you had to wash the dishes before washing them, you were making too much of an effort. She leaned against the counter to watch him, though.


“I have a floor that needs a good mopping, too,” she said mildly.

Heath laughed and closed the dishwasher, then rinsed his hands under the tap. He dried them on the seat of his jeans and reached for her. Effie let him pull her closer.

“It wasn’t bad every second,” she said. “Sometimes we made it almost okay.”

“Yes.”

“Someone told me they heard something. About him. Getting out,” she added quietly.

“He won’t.”

She nodded against his chest, her eyes closed.

“And even if he did...”

She looked up at him. “What?”

“He won’t. That’s all. He’s in for the rest of his hopefully short life.” Heath passed a hand over her hair and let his fingers tangle in the length for a second. “I should go.”

Frowning, Effie stepped back. “So go, then.”

“Kiss me first.”

She did, a quick peck that made him laugh and pull her closer. She put her hands flat on his chest to hold him off and shook her head when he tried for another. “Lisa will get jealous.”

It was a shitty thing to say, and she regretted it at once, because Heath did not take it as the joke she’d meant it to be. With a scowl, he backed up a step. Effie reached for him, but he danced out of her reach.

“If you think I want her instead of you, you’re insane,” he said. “But you know what really sucks, Effie, is I think you want me to want her instead of you.”

It was the last thing in the world she really wanted, but it was what she thought they both needed. She shook her head. Heath scowled.

“I’m not you,” he said.

Effie put her hands on her hips. “Clearly.”

Heath shook his head but said nothing. He grabbed his coat and paused to look at her over his shoulder as he stood in the doorway. “I love you, Effie, but sometimes...”

“Sometimes, what?” she demanded.

“Sometimes, you make it really f*cking hard.”





chapter twelve

Effie was looking forward to this date with Mitchell the way she anticipated a flu shot. It was going to be slightly unpleasant, but in the long run it would be good for her. Still, she’d been procrastinating about getting ready for it all day, using her work as an excuse. At least it had made her productive. She’d finished up three different pieces for her Craftsy store as well as one larger piece someone had commissioned.

Now she was going to be late. Not by a few minutes, either, but probably by almost an hour, since she hadn’t yet showered and was covered in paint. Effie prided herself on being a woman who didn’t need a lot of time to make herself date ready, but even she needed more than fifteen minutes.

Shit.

I’m running really late, she texted Mitchell. Sorry. Will that mess up dinner?

I’ll change the reservation. What time?

Effie typed a reply while stripping out of her paint-spattered work clothes, asking for an hour and a half, just to be safe. Then she called down the hall to Polly. “Hey, is Nana here yet?”

“No.” Polly appeared in the doorway. “I thought you were leaving at five.”

Effie glanced at Mitchell’s text long enough to see he’d said the timing was okay, then tossed the phone onto the dresser. “I was. Got caught up. What have you been doing all day? You’ve been very quiet.”