I switch on the kitchen light, setting my textbook and computer on the table. At home, I’d make a cup of tea and turn on some soft music, but here, I’ll stick with water and silence, hoping not to wake Slade.
Grover trots down the stairs, his nails clicking against the vinyl floor. He stops in the doorway, inspecting, and then plops at my feet. I reach down and pet his head, knowing he’s as aware of the strange environment as I am.
The guys hung around most of the evening. Wind was the first to leave when his girlfriend called. When I told Ollie it was time for a bath, he refused until Trig and Carson left. They were sympathetic and took off not long after.
I heard the TV while I read to the kids and sat with them until they fell asleep, but now the house is still, and I wonder if Slade is sleeping or if he’s hiding now that we’re here alone.
I’d be happy to do the same, except I need a few hours and some light, if I even have a chance at still passing my courses.
I open my textbook and then my computer, hoping to get through a couple of chapters and the assignments due.
I make it through a few pages when I hear a car, and then the back door squeaks open. Krissy removes her coat and boots.
“Hey,” she whispers. “What are you doing?”
She opens the refrigerator and scans the shelves, pulling out a slice of leftover pizza and placing it on a paper towel. She joins me at the table, not bothering to warm it up.
“Studying.”
She frowns, taking a bite. “For what?”
“I’m inching my way toward a bachelor’s degree.”
She pulls back, covering her mouth with her hand as she chews. “What? Aren’t you a lawyer?”
I smile. “Not yet. I’m a paralegal.”
“Seriously? I thought . . .” She doesn’t finish her statement, picking the onion off the top of the pizza.
I rest my hands on my book. “I’ve always wanted to be, but sometimes life has different plans.” Her gaze lifts to mine. “How was your date?”
She weighs her head from side to side. “Ok. I spent most of the night with friends.” She pauses. “He’s a doctor and is on call. We had dinner, but he got called in during the middle of it. He’s . . . I don’t know. He’s smart, really good-looking, but also kind of stuck up.” She laughs. “He thinks it’s ridiculous I still live with my brother.”
“What do you think?”
“He’s scared of him.” She smiles, but I wait for the real answer, if she’s willing to share it.
Krissy is beautiful and funny. Watching her with the kids, I know she’s kind and sweet. Being only twenty-four, she was young enoughwhen she lost her mom that it left a large, gaping hole. One that no matter how much a big brother might love her, he could never fill.
She shrugs. “I want to find someone who cares about me and not where I live or who I live with. Someone willing to stand up to my brother because he doesn’t give a shit if Slade has an issue with it. A guy that would do anything for me.”
“You’re smart to want those things and not to settle for anything less.”
Her gaze lands on mine. “What about you? You said you’ve always wanted to be a lawyer. What happened?”
I take a second to sort out how to answer that question while she takes another bite. “I fell for a guy who gave a lot of shits about everythingbutme.”
“Sounds like a real winner,” she says through a mouthful.
I laugh. “I was young and had worked hard to get where I was going, but I deviated from my plan when a guy promised me the things I longed to hear. It took way too long for me to realize those promises were more about him than they ever were about me or us.”
Her shoulders fall. “I’m sorry.”
I shake my head, offering a small smile. “I got the best things I’ll ever do out of the deal, so . . .”
“What now?” She chews her pizza.
I inhale and let it out. “Now, I work my ass off to get my life back or at least one that resembles something I’m proud of.”
