Free Under Your Skin by Shannyn Schroeder Page B

behind her and called again, “Hello?”
    â€œIn here.”
    Norah turned the corner and saw an old woman sitting in a reclining couch. She stared at Norah for a moment and then said, “You’re Kai’s friend ?” The way she’d said the word made Norah think she didn’t believe Kai. Even Norah had to admit that calling her a friend was pushing it. She didn’t think he even liked talking to her.
    â€œYes. I’m Norah.” She walked forward and held out her hand. The woman gripped it tight.
    â€œLani Ellis.”
    â€œNice to meet you, Ms. Ellis.”
    â€œYou have good manners. Kai said you’re not a home nurse.”
    â€œNope. I’m just doing him a favor. He said you need some groceries and something about books.” She reached into her purse and pulled out a small notepad and pen. “If you make a list for me, I can run to the store and get what you want.”
    Ms. Ellis rattled off a list of groceries and then a list of authors whose books she wanted. Norah hadn’t heard any of them before but she’d mostly been reading textbooks for the past few years, so it wasn’t unusual. As the lists grew, Norah imagined the hundred bucks dwindling. Quickly.
    â€œKai also asked me to remind you to do your exercises. Do you need help?”
    Ms. Ellis’s eyes got squinty and then she pointed at a machine beside her on the couch. “I hate this thing.”
    â€œIf your doctor wants you to use it . . .”
    She folded her hands in her lap. “I can’t get my leg up into it.”
    Norah set her purse on the floor. “I’ll help. Turn your body and I’ll lift.”
    It was slow-going, but Norah got her strapped into the machine. “Can you handle it from here?”
    â€œYes.”
    Norah retrieved her bag.
    â€œThank you.”
    It was more than she’d gotten from Kai. “No problem. I’ll go to the grocery store and get everything there and bring it back. Then I’ll go to the bookstore.” The added trip, while not efficient, would allow her to check on Ms. Ellis. Kai hadn’t told her to check up, but if her job was to keep his mom off the phone, Norah would have to make sure everything was taken care of.
    The grocery store at the end of most people’s workday was not the place Norah wanted to be. Over the past few weeks, she’d only gone to the store midday when there were no crowds. This sucked. Halfway through her trip, she had to find the bathroom to empty her bladder. Again. Besides not being able to see her feet, having to pee approximately every ten minutes had to be the worst part of pregnancy.
    She pushed her cart through the store and checked things off her list. She grabbed some more yogurt for herself as long as she was there. Her back ached as she stood in line to pay. Usually the self-checkout moved faster, but today her luck had run out. People moved slowly, the scanner bleeped more often than necessary. Norah began to question if she was ever going to get out of the store.
    By the time she returned to Kai’s house and unloaded the groceries, she was ready for a nap. She sat at the kitchen table for a minute to rest her feet and ease the ache in her back.
    â€œHey, girl.”
    Norah’s head snapped up. Had she dozed off? How embarrassing. She pushed to her feet and went to the living room.
    â€œI need my leg out of this thing.”
    Norah moved toward the couch. “I’m more than happy to help you, but my name isn’t girl. It’s Norah, Ms. Ellis.”
    â€œI just met you the one time. I didn’t catch your name.”
    More like she couldn’t be bothered to remember it. Her father was the same way. Snapped at people to prove he had some kind of authority. Norah undid the straps, lifted the woman’s leg, and set it back on the floor.
    â€œGet me my cane.” She pointed toward the floor near the edge of the couch. Sure enough, a