Page 84 of Not Until Her

I pass by my front door, rubbing the sleep from my eyes.

Then I jump out of my skin when a knock sounds on it. I glance back at my daughter, making sure it didn’t disrupt her. She’s still out, lightly snoring and everything.

I glare at Kara when I open the door to see her face.

Before she even opens her mouth to speak, I give her shoulder a little push.

“No! Go!” I shout in a whisper.

She looks confused, and opens her mouth again. I put a finger over it and use my other to point to her door.

“Dahlia is asleep on the couch.”

The realization spreads across her face.

“Shit, I’m sorry!” It’s the first time I’ve heard her apologize for anything. “I completely lost track of my days. I’m so out of it.”

Any frustration I felt is gone that quickly. She might have her cruel moments, but I know she takes my rules seriously.

“I’ll go. I’m sorry,” she says again.

I hold back my smile when she facepalms. It’s just so… normal of her when she’s always anything but.

“Don’t sweat it. See you tomorrow?”

She nods her head before she starts to turn away, but a small voice has us both frozen in our tracks.

“Mama? Who is that?”

Crap.

Dahlia comes up beside me, placing a hand on my leg. It’s something she always does when someone new is around. She’s not hiding behind me or anything, but I can tell it gives her a little extra comfort to know I’m right there.

Kara looks like she’s still ready to run, but instead she’s frozen in place. She looks between the two of us, looking for some direction on what she should do next.

I sigh.

“This is our neighbor.”

“The one with the scary music?”

“Yep,” I tell her.

Kara doesn’t even smirk.

Dahlia motions me closer to her level, so I squat down next to her. As expected, she leans right into my ear to whisper.

Unfortunately, she hasn’t pinned down controlling her volume yet.

“Why is she here?”

“She was… just saying hi,” I whisper back.

Dahlia waves me closer again, so I lean, trying not to lose my balance.

“She has really pretty hair.”

“You can tell her that, if you want to,” I chuckle. I don’t bother whispering it.