Page 134 of Timelessly Ours

From her.

My heart leaps.

Nicole: I miss her too. I’ll catch the next one. Hope she understands.

I do.

I understand that I did something terribly wrong.

“Where are your friends?” I ask Angel when I find her in my kitchen. I assumed she’d be out celebrating with the team on their win tonight.

It’s the third win in a row since Grove had that chat with Garret in my office. But we’re still feeling things out in that department. Especially since Hastings mysteriously skipped town again. Which almost confirms our suspicions.

“If you’re talking about Cora and Nicole, I don’t know. They’re avoiding me.”

I tread with caution. “Why do you think that?”

My daughter turns a hard glare at me.

I sigh. It’s been a long week. “Angel, can we talk about this another time?”

She pushes up from the counter chair. “Why doesn’t anyone want to tell me what happened? My best friend is avoiding me. I cheered her on to go after what she wants”—she motions to me—“and now she can barely look at me.”

“I’m sorry, Angel.”

She shakes her head. “Will you at least tell me what happened with Mom? Is it true you put a restraining order on her?”

This one, I can’t avoid. “She crossed some lines.”

“You sure have a way with women,” she mutters.

I lean against the back wall of my kitchen and watch my daughter. Hating that it’s my fault she’s feeling left out.

And in the dark.

I move to stand across from her on the island and rest on my elbows. “We had a fight and… now she’s not taking my calls.”

“Obviously.” She pouts stubbornly. “What did you do?”

“Based on your rule of need-to-know only…” I sigh. “I think…I got mad at the wrong person.”

She sucks her teeth. “You and your stupid complex with lies.”

This girl knows me so well.

“It’s not a complex. And it isn’t a lot to ask.”

We’re both quiet for a moment and Angel twiddles her thumbs. “You know…when Cora wasn’t answering Nick’s calls, he sat outside her door every night for a week and poured his cold little heart out.”

I scratch my chin. “I guess I could do that…but someone’s going to have to pick me up.”

She laughs. “You’re not that old.”

“Thanks.” I shake my head, relieved to see her smiling at me again.

“Ugh. Fine. I’ll just keep badgering Nicole until she comes out of her shell again.”

My gut twists because I’m the one who put her there.