of them got it right, they cheered her on. Gabby wasn't the only one beaming under the praise, although I wasn't sure if it was the support or their pretty faces that made the girls smile so big.
Eventually, they made it through everything, and Trent said all that was left was to memorize their parts. He started giving them tips on how to do that - he said writing them over and over worked best for him - and Lane pushed himself to his feet.
"Dinner?" he asked, looking at Samantha.
She looked at Gabby. "What time is it?"
"Seven. Tell your mom you'll text her when you're done eating?" The look on Gabby's face said she wanted Samantha to stay.
So Lane turned to me. "You cool with that? We're already cooking for five. Might as well make enough for the three of you."
"I'm more than happy to let someone else cook," I assured him. "Thanks, Lane."
"Mom's ok with it," Samantha announced, reading the screen of her phone.
Trent chuckled. "Which means we have enough time to do it again, but this time in the living room. Run through your lines a couple times while I help Lane get everything he needs."
One by one, everyone began to head out of the den. When I moved to follow, Ian's hand dropped to my shoulder, holding me in place. I glanced over at him, and he shook his head, making it clear he wanted a word. It didn't take long before the voices got farther away, and then the back door closed. All that was left were the soft murmurs from two teenage girls giggling about something.
"We had the bigger space," he told me. "I wasn't trying to overstep."
"No, it's fine, Ian. I honestly appreciate this."
His fingers moved up to play with the hair at the back of my neck. "It's almost normal like this, you know. Us cooking you dinner."
"Us," I repeated. "That's the problem. I want to be honest with my daughter. I want to give her a good example, and if I understand this right, what you're offering doesn't fit either of those things."
He tugged me a little closer. "Can you hear them?"
"The girls?" I asked.
He nodded, then tilted his head toward the room they were in without a word. In the silence, I really could hear what they were saying. For a moment, I worried that meant they may have heard me as well, but I shouldn't have. They were too engrossed in their own gossip.
"I can't believe you live here," Samantha was saying. "My dad tried to get a lease in Wolf's Run and got turned down, but you're hanging out with the owner's son?"
"Yeah, Ian's pretty cool. So's Ashley, his sister. She's been Mom's best friend for a while."
Samantha's voice changed, turning almost teasing. "And where does Roman live?"
The silence that followed made me think my daughter was pointing. "A block over. It's not that far. I can walk there, but Mom's a hawk. She always knows where I am."
"Sneak out," Samantha told her.
Beside me, Ian chuckled. I felt his chest bounce, but he didn't make a sound. When I glanced back, he was grinning. "That's not going to happen," he whispered in my ear.
Gabby seemed to agree. "I'd rather just ask her. I dunno, I figure if she's going to start dating, then maybe she'll understand me dating better?"
"Really? Is she dating one of these guys?"
Gabby giggled. "Not yet. You know, it's kinda funny. When we first moved in, I told her she was too old for them. I was just pissed off because I didn't want to move here, but man was I wrong. Granted, it's still kinda weird, you know? I mean, what would I call them? Dad?"
Samantha hummed like she was thinking about it. "What does Olivia call her mom's boyfriend?"
"She uses his name. The whole thing kinda sucks, though. I mean, the guys are cool and all, but they're next door, and on the same side as my bedroom. I swear, every time I do anything, I see one of them watching. I'd say it's like being under house arrest, but Mom has this thing where if I'm honest with her, she's willing to work with me."
"Yeah, but Roman," Samantha said, as if that should be clear. "He's so gorgeous. I can't believe he asked you to be his girlfriend, and only after like a week!"