Page 7 of No Take Backs
“Did you see handcuffs?” Ella asks, staring at the cars in the parking lot.
That catches me by surprise. “No.” I think back an hour, trying to figure out if there were cuffs or anything else used. “No. No handcuffs.”
“Then he didn’t arrest him,” Ella counters my earlier statement. “If he was under arrest, there would have been handcuffs at the very least. Or Miranda rights.” She pulls her phone out of her pocket. “My husband’s a lawyer, Nia. Plus, I doubt the cop would arrest his friend.”
Lyla comes bounding out of the bathroom, and I laugh at the way she just skips around, like her mom and I aren’t debating the merits of someone being arrested.
“Let’s go to dinner.” Ella opens the driver’s side door. “We can get something delicious on the way to the hotel, then maybe go swimming.”
“Swimming,” I gasp and pop my head into Lyla’s open window. “Do you want to go swimming with me?”
“You’re being boring, Auntie Nia.” Lyla sighs and leans back against her seat. “Of course I want to go swimming. But can we go for pizza? I really, really want some cheese pizza. Extra cheese,” she adds on as an afterthought while opening one eye and staring at the back of her mother’s head.
With a small chuckle, I get into the passenger seat and buckle in while Ella starts the car.
“Let’s go already,” Lyla groans from the back seat. “My stomach feels like it’s eating itself. I’m starving.”
“Your stomach isn’t eating itself,” Ella reassures her, her tone that perfect mix of motherly patience and mild exasperation. She doesn’t even glance away from the road as she continues. “But we’re like a block from the pizza place. Breathe, and we’ll get you fed, you hungry little monster.” Her words are punctuated by the flicker of the turn signal as she steers the car toward our dinner destination, and I can’t help but smile at the ease with which she juggles motherhood and everything else life throws at her.
Lyla huffs dramatically from the back seat, her arms crossing over her chest in a show of indignation, but she doesn’t say anything else for the rest of the short drive. Instead, she contents herself with watching the world pass by through the window, her little fingers drumming a rhythm on her leg as the excitement of pizza and swimming looms ever closer. The restaurant, a cozy little place across from the hotel Ella booked for our girls’ weekend, soon comes into view, its warm lights beckoning us inside.
Although, we both knew that we’d be at that hotel, since our aunt and uncle run the place.
When Ella jumps out of the back seat and practically drags us to the front of the restaurant, all we can do is laugh.
“Thank you for coming for the weekend,” Ella says once we are seated and our pizza order is placed. “I don’t know what I’d do without you.”
The look in her eyes, like she genuinely wouldn’t know, hits me right where it hurts.
“Hey.” I bump her shoulder with mine, while Lyla stares at her tablet and pretends to ignore us. “You can’t carry the weight of the world on your shoulders like that all the time. I’m here. Rich is here… well, not really. He’s at home holding down the fort. But the point is the same. You’re not alone.”
The side of my sister’s mouth twitches, but she doesn’t smile. Not really. “I’m so scared something’s going to happen to her.”
“Eh.” I wait to say anything else because our food arrives and Lyla puts the screen away long enough to stuff her face. Plus, my stomach growls at the scent of pepperoni and bacon mingling together. “She’s got you and Rich in her corner, and there’s not a doubt in my mind that if someone tried to hurt his little girl, Rich would go scorched earth on everything in his path.”
“Daddy said going scorched earth means you destroy all the things in your way.” Lyla burps loudly. “I’m gonna go scorched earth if I don’t get a really good teacher this year.”
We eat the rest of our meal in companionable silence, until I realize that Lyla has completely devoured an entire cheese pizza and has her eyes on my cheese breadsticks.
“Do you have a tapeworm or something?” I ask while pushing my plate across the table so she can reach.
While the little heathen eats what I’d planned on taking back to my room for later, she smiles toothily. “I don’t have any worms,” she manages to say between bites. “Dad said I wasn’t allowed to bring them in the house anymore, so they’re all in the backyard, waiting to be picked for fishing.”
“I’m really glad I have my own room at the hotel,” I groan as I finish the last piece of pizza on my plate.
“You mean you don’t want to stay up all night watching movies with us?” Ella scoots out of the booth and gives me room to get out, too. “That’s not very nice of you.”
Lyla snorts and hops out of her side, grabbing me by the hand. “You’re smarter than I am, that’s for sure. Wanna kidnap me for the night? We could watch scary movies instead.” There is such blatant hope in her eyes that for a second I think about doing it. I think about turning around and giving my sister the stink eye and taking Lyla back with me.
Then I see the devastated look on Ella’s face. The one that only a sister will understand.
It stops me in my tracks and has me crouching down to Lyla’s level. Although, I don’t actually have to crouch that low since she is only a foot shorter than my five-foot-two stature.
“You know,” I say quickly, taking her surprised look in stride. Then I shoo Ella away so that she can go pay for our food and get out of our hair. “Your mom wanted to have a girls’ weekend, and then I forced my way into coming along. I think it’s really important that you have your girls’ night together. Movies, the face masks I know you convinced her to bring, and probably a manicure if you get those eyes wide enough when you ask.”
Lyla’s smirk is devious, and I know she is about to turn on the charm. Too bad I taught her almost everything she knows and am not having any of her attitude.
“Plus, your birthday is coming up.” I pop my lips together. “I’d think you’d want to get as many good points as you could before you ask for the big-ticket items.” With a wink, I stand up, ending the conversation, and take her hand in mine. “Let’s go break the news to your momma. She’s stuck with you for the night while I get to sleep in.”