Free As Close as Sisters by Colleen Faulkner Page A

leather sandals. “Teens like tacos. I’ll get some soda, too.”
    I slowly made my way through the fresh produce section, ignoring Janine, who had apparently been appointed my keeper on the outing. Lilly hadn’t assigned me a night to make dinner. I wasn’t a good cook, nor did I like to cook, so that was okay by me. I got two avocados, a sweet onion, and some garlic to make guacamole. One of my few specialties. When I started to stand up to grab a couple of limes, Janine reached over me.
    “Two?”
    “We better get three.” I settled back into the cart. “Aurora will be ready for a gin and tonic by the time we get back to the house.”
    She chuckled, and I couldn’t help myself. Even though I was still annoyed with her, annoyed with all three of them, I smiled. How could I be annoyed with Janine when she laughed at my dumb jokes? We headed down the dairy aisle. I debated getting some almond milk. Mia was lactose intolerant. As I reached for the carton, I realized it was silly to get it. I’d be lucky if my girls stayed more than an hour; Lilly would be lucky if they ate her tacos.
    I crawled along next to the open refrigerated shelves in search of some Greek yogurt. Janine was clearly going nowhere, which was okay because I hadn’t had a minute alone with her since she had arrived the afternoon before. I wondered if she wanted to talk about the lawsuit that had been filed against her; we hadn’t really talked about it, even on the phone. But I didn’t want to be the one to bring it up. It was like my cancer. She had to be desperate for a few minutes peace without the weight of it on her shoulders. The charges against her were serious. If anything came of the case, it might mean her career.
    “So, how are things?” I asked, trying to sound casual.
    “Good.”
    I cut my eyes at her. “Your mom?”
    “Fine.” She was quiet for a second before she said, “I guess.” She picked up a hunk of cheese she had no intention of buying. “I haven’t really talked to her much. Well, just a little last week. For a minute. You know, when Todd and Christie had the baby. She called to say that Christie was fine and all. That everybody was okay.”
    “So you’re an auntie again!” I tried to sound cheerful, but it came out fake. Janine put the cheese back.
    “I’m sorry.” I grabbed her hand. Squeezed it and let it go.
    Physical shows of affection were tough for Janine. No surprise there. But we’d never let that stop us. Just because it was hard for her didn’t mean she didn’t want it. And sometimes she was okay with a quick hug or a peck on the cheek. It just depended on whether or not it was “a Buddy day.” Today, apparently, wasn’t because she didn’t pull away from me or tell me to fuck off.
    I know she feels bad about not knowing her nieces and nephew better than she does. I think, in a different life, Janine would have had kids.
    Her brother barely spoke to her, which meant she had very little contact with her nieces and nephew. Todd was an okay guy, but he was more screwed up than Janine would ever be. For various reasons. A big one was that he blamed himself for what happened to his sister. The fact that he had been a little boy, younger than her, didn’t seem to matter. He blamed Janine, on some level, too, for ruining his life. And of course he was the number two fan in the I Hate Buddy McCollister Club. The crazy thing was, he had never faulted their mother. Something Janine still had trouble coming to terms with. It was like an invisible wedge that always stood between them.
    “You have a picture of the baby?” I asked.
    She reached into the pocket of her knee-length cargo shorts and pulled out her cell phone. She held it out for me to see a wrinkled face burrito-wrapped in a pink blanket. “Megan.”
    “She’s cute,” I said.
    Janine put the phone back in her pocket without looking at the screen. “We’re talking about me going down for Christmas. We’ll see.”
    I nodded and