39 Weeks Pregnant, My Husband Refused to Make Me 1 Bowl of Soup but Made Her 101 Breakfasts novel · Chapter 5 of 24

Chapter 5: Her Pans on My Lawn

My mother drove me home from the hospital with Poppy in the back seat in a car seat the nurse had checked three times.

She had landed in Minnesota that morning, and she had not said Troy's name once.

When we turned onto Birch Lane, I smelled bacon through the closed window.

"That's coming from my house," I said.

My mother pulled up and put the car in park.

The front door stood open.

There was a pair of small sneakers on the mat, and a pair of women's flats beside them.

Troy's car was not in the drive.

"Stay here with the baby," I said.

"Maggie."

"I want to do this one by myself."

I got out slowly.

I was still sore, and every step reminded me why.

The kitchen was at the back of the house, and I walked toward it down my grandmother's hallway with her framed pressed flowers on the wall.

Lacey stood at my stove in my apron.

She had flipped a pancake and was setting a plate of eggs on a tray.

On the table behind her, Eli sat with a juice box and a coloring book.

Three plates were laid out on my grandmother's lace placemats.

The strawberries sat in a bowl, washed, with the stems cut off.

"Oh!" she said, and turned, and did not drop the spatula. "Maggie. You're home. I wasn't expecting you until tonight."

"Neither was I," I said. "Why are you in my kitchen?"

"Troy said the house was a mess with everything going on. He gave me the key to bring in a few meals. He's so worn out, and I thought, someone should look after him."

"He has a mother."

"She's three hours away."

"She was at the hospital yesterday."

Lacey put the spatula down and wiped her hands on my apron.

Her smile stayed where it was.

"I know this looks strange," she said. "But I think we could be friends, if you'd let me explain. I was only trying to help."

"Take off my apron."

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