Kristy Lee

ALT Addie resisted the urge to run to her bestie and throw her arms around her. “Need help?” Gemma called. “Could you come carry Ziggy so I don’t have to make two trips?” Gemma disappeared back inside and returned cinching her fluffy pink robe tight around her waist. Adelaide grabbed her overnight bag and Ziggy’s things out of the trunk, while Gemma picked up the cat’s carrier. A slight breeze blew here at the top of the hill, unprotected because of a break in the tree line. The wind stung Adelaide’s cheeks, and she squinted her eyes against the chill, as they hurried towards the inviting glow of the house. The warmth embraced her when she stepped through the door. Decorations that Addie had never seen before adorned the walls. Tapestries, fairies, frogs doing yoga. Gemma’s whimsical style added to that of her mother’s classical house decorating sensibilities, and a smile spread across Addie’s face. “Hey Gemma?” Adelaide said, following her friend to the

ALT “Can you read another one?” A small girl asks me from her mother’s lap. “Let me see what I’ve got.” I grin and lock eyes with her mom before rifling through the books. “Do you want more Dr. Seuss?” I hold out a few in my hand for her to choose from. “One fish, two fish!” The girl squeals. I can’t help but notice, as I put the other two books down and open the chosen one, that her mom hasn’t taken her eyes off of me the entire time. And the subconscious vibes she’s sending me through her flirty stare could be felt a mile away.