Be Good Mrs. B | Spies, Lies & Butterflies Book #2

6. public meltdowns & new friends

I used to hunger for the ordinary like an insatiable ravenous dog.

Violently shaken, my world had become repetitively unremarkable. There was a quotidian stench to the monotony of mundanity.

I had a sneaking suspicion that I might've appreciated the newfound humdrum of my life more had I not been forced into it by my conniving partner.

"I'm starting to look forward to our little walking dates. Nothing like a little fresh air and a sporty workout set to make you feel cute."

"You have an uncanny ability to make the ordinary sound spectacular," I smirked in Sadie's direction.

I carried Lily on my hip while Sadie pushed an empty stroller.

"Seriously. Athletic gear just makes you feel like you're doing something. And these leggings make my butt look good, right?" She paused to stick out her derriere for my assessment.

I rolled my eyes, smiling.

"Lily, your mom is a very special lady."

"Mommy is speh-thal," Lily looked up at me, giggling.

Sadie made a disapproving noise, "She still thinks I hung the moon, and we have all of her teenage years for her to have complex emotions about me."

"That's right, baby. Special," I rubbed her round cheek with the pad of my thumb.

Sadie glared at me, but I could tell she was trying not to laugh.

"You are special, Sadie. And I'm not being funny this time. What would I do without you?"

She didn't reply but watched me as I tossed Lily into the air, catching her. She had grown a considerable amount since I'd last seen her. Sadie didn't want the baby to be a hindrance during my recovery and had frequently left her in the care of Alex or my mother.

Beyond that, my time had been a scarce commodity since the establishment of the task force.

We arched into my driveway as I tickled her, enjoying how easy it was to provoke her squeals of delight. I had always relished the sound of her laughter.

I scanned the block, squinting at the back of a mailwoman I didn't recognize.

"If you get her going, I'm leaving her here all day."

I held Lily out to my sister as if she smelled, "Get this thing away from me."

Lily giggled again as I kissed her head, "Tía AB!"

Sadie accepted her while I unlocked the door.

I squeezed a hoard of envelopes out of my mailbox, riffling through bills and junk. I tossed the small pile onto my entryway table.

Setting Lily on her feet, Sadie jutted her chin toward the table, "What's that?"

I circled the kitchen island to refill my water canteen, "What's what?"

"That thick envelope?"

I didn't need to look to know what she was referring to.

"Just something from the lawyer," lifting the flask, I took a generous sip of water.

I'd received the manila envelope in the mail just shy of a fortnight prior. With no return address, I knew the exact identity of the sender.

"That sounds kinda important. Why haven't you opened it?"

I shrugged, moseying around the kitchen, "It's just a first draft of the trust. Reading that thing would be like taking a sleeping pill – total snoozefest."