Chapter 7
CHAPTER 7
TOBIAS BARRETT
I messed up, and I feel terrible. I sit in the family room and stare at the television, even though I’m not really watching it. It’s just noise. Am I really that judgmental? Was I totally out of line?
Kiki is so good with Sky. I still can’t get the image out of my head of her tenderly kissing her forehead after she read her a bedtime story. It was sweet, but also was hard for me to witness. Seeing Kiki do this just highlighted the fact that there’s a massive Mom-shaped hole in my daughter’s life.
I hear a noise outside the house. It sounds like a motorcycle, but I don’t know anyone who has one. I stand and walk to the front window. A man rides up the driveway and cuts the engine. He slides his helmet off and shakes his head. It’s Levi.
I narrow my eyes at him. Since when did he get a motorcycle? Doesn’t he realize how dangerous those things are? Is that what he’s been doing instead of going to classes?
The front door opens, and I stand there, my arms folded. Levi walks in sporting a leather jacket, a helmet under his arm. He’s got a backpack slung over his shoulder. It looks like he’s been lifting weights. He’s filled out. “Hey,” he says, casually.
I stand there, sizing him up. When I don’t say anything, he lowers his head. “I’m sorry. I couldn’t finish the semester.”
“Why not?” I keep my voice down so I don’t wake up Skyler, but it still comes across as sharp.
He cringes. “School just isn’t for me.”
“What do you mean, it’s not for you?”
“I’m failing all my classes. There was no point continuing.”
I try not to get upset, but Levi has always had issues with applying himself. I pulled my hair out trying to get him through High School. After that he jumped from one college to another. I thought maybe we’d found a good fit, but now he’s giving up. It’s driving me absolutely crazy. “You do realize you have to actually study to get good grades, right?”
He scrubs a hand over his face. “I tried.”
“I would have given anything to go to college,” I say, trying to keep the emotion out of my voice. It’s not Levi’s fault I couldn’t go. It’s no one’s fault. I chose to take on the responsibility of raising my brothers.
“I know,” Levi says, hanging his head.
I’m so upset, but it’s hard for me to put it into words, so I change the subject. “Did you trade in your car for a motorcycle?”
“Yeah.” He looks me in the eye. “I figured it was my choice, since I paid for it.”
“It’s dangerous.” I don’t want to lecture him. It’s just coming out that way.
Levi shifts his stance. “Look, I’m tired. Can we talk about this tomorrow?”
I sigh. There’s nothing I can really say. He’s twenty-two now. He’s more than capable of making adult choices.
“All right,” I finally say. “Get some sleep.”
I go back in the family room but I don’t feel like watching more TV, so I shut it off and head to bed myself, even though it’s only nine-thirty. My parents always taught me how important having an education is. I didn’t go to college. Noah only attended college for two years before he went into the police academy. Levi has now quit. Mom and Dad must be so disappointed in me.
I change into my pajamas and brush my teeth. Sleep doesn’t come, and I end up lying there listening to the sounds of the house. Living in an old home is interesting. There are all sorts of noises that go on, and most of the time you can’t put a name to them.
I play “name that sound” for about two hours while I lie there, unable to get to sleep. They’re all normal house settling sounds until a floorboard in the kitchen creaks, and I freeze. I know that floorboard. It only makes noise when someone steps on it.
My heart rate picks up speed, and I sit up in bed. I didn’t hear anyone go down the stairs. All our bedrooms are on the second floor, and everyone should be asleep now. Did someone get in the house? Did Levi forget to lock the door after he came in?
I lean forward and listen. I hear footsteps, and then something clatters to the floor in the kitchen. I jump out of bed. Someone is downstairs. I grab the baseball bat I keep under my bed and creep out of my room, my heart in my throat.
I don’t hear any more noises as I slowly descend the stairs, but I know someone is there. I grip the bat tightly as I reach the bottom step. I walk through the family room to the archway that leads to the kitchen. A small light comes from the room, and I raise the bat and enter.
Someone has their head in the fridge. Wait, what? Why would someone break in to steal food? The floorboards creak with my step and Kiki spins around. “Ah!” she shrieks, cowering before me.
I lower the baseball bat. “What are you doing?”
Guilt floods her face. “I wanted some of that banana pudding.”
I breathe out, setting the bat down on the counter. “You scared me to death.”
“So did you! You came at me with a baseball bat!”
I try not to laugh, but the situation seems so absurd a chuckle comes out anyway. I must be used to living with men who clomp down the stairs, or a five-year-old who never goes anywhere quietly. I didn’t hear Kiki sneak down at all. “I would have only clobbered you if you were an intruder.”
“Thank goodness you can see in the dark.” She grabs a dish of the banana pudding already put in single-sized servings. Her hair is pulled up in a messy bun, and she’s wearing a tank top and boxer shorts, and a pink floral robe with long sleeves. It looks like it belongs to someone’s grandmother. I’m suddenly fully aware of how close we’re standing next to each other.
I reach to grab a serving for myself, then walk over to the wall and flick on the light. “Mind if I eat with you?”
She slides onto a barstool and tugs down her sleeve. “I don’t mind.”
I open the drawer and take out two spoons, sliding one to her before sitting on a stool. “You couldn’t sleep either?”
She hesitates a moment. “Nope.”
“Is your room too hot? I can adjust the temperature.”
She shakes her head. “No, it’s fine. It’s just…a new space and everything.” She drops her gaze. “New noises.”
I nod. “This house creaks something terrible.”
“I’ll get used to it.” She digs into the pudding.
As we eat, I peek at the sleeve she was tugging on. She’s concentrating on the pudding and doesn’t seem to notice it’s fallen back again. There’s something red on her wrist where I thought I saw an injury before. She acted weird about it, so I don’t want to bring it up. As she dips her spoon into the dish again, I get a better view of it, and I realize it’s a tattoo.
She eats her pudding, and I ponder why she would cover up her tattoo. I can’t really see what it is. Is it inappropriate? I’m curious, but she doesn’t want me to know, so I keep it to myself.
“Is the bed comfortable?” I ask.
“Yes.” She scrapes the bottom of the dish. “Your home is beautiful, and the sound of the sea outside my window is calming. I’m sure I’ll fall asleep soon. I’ve just got a lot on my mind.”
“Like what?” I don’t mean to pry, but the words pop out anyway.
“My…relative. I can’t stop thinking about her.” She sets the empty dish on the counter.
It’s obvious she doesn’t want to open up to me, but my curiosity is too great to leave it alone. “I assume this is a biological relative you’ve never met?” I ask softly.
She nods, staring down at the counter. “Yes.” She blinks, kind of like she’s getting emotional.
I wonder if she was adopted and she’s looking for a biological mother. My heart goes out to her, because I know how much I ache to be near my mother. It’s impossible for me, but with the technology that we have today, not impossible for her. “Maybe you’ll have some luck soon.”
She doesn’t look at me. “Maybe.”
I know some people in the adoption agency I used. I could ask them some questions about finding a biological parent. I file that thought away for later.
I finish my pudding and pick up the two empty dishes, taking them to the sink. “Skyler’s really taken to you.”
“She’s a precious little girl.” Kiki says it so quietly I barely hear her.
“She will run you ragged, though, so don’t feel bad if you need a break.”
Kiki nods and slides off her stool. “Okay.”
“I’ve been curious. Is Kiki short for something?” I lean against the sink.
Kiki lowers her gaze. “Yes. Katherine.”
“Has anyone ever called you that?”
She wrinkles her nose. “No. I don’t really like it. It sounds too stuffy for me.”
“No other nicknames?”
She leans on the back of the barstool. “I decided in sixth grade I wanted everyone to call me Kat. I corrected everyone if they called me Kiki. I don’t know why I thought Kat was so cool. That stuck for about a week before I got tired of it.” She laughs.
“That’s funny.”
She smiles at me, and my pulse jumps. Even with her messy bun and robe that looks like she got it from my grandmother’s closet, I find her attractive, which is weird. I thought that piece of me died when Courtney took off. Not that I can act on those feelings. That would be totally inappropriate.
“Thanks for the pudding,” she says.
“You’re welcome.” I turn to leave, but I stop short, remembering about Levi. “I should tell you my brother Levi came home tonight.”
“I heard a motorcycle. Was that him?”
I rake my hand through my hair. “Yes.”
She sizes me up. “And you don’t like that he has a motorcycle.”
I exhale. “Not really. It’s dangerous.”
She folds her arms, and I see a bit more of her tattoo. It looks swirly and intricate. “How did he get the money?”
“He traded in his car.” I shrug, not wanting to get upset about it all over again. “It’s his choice. I just wish he would have thought it through a bit more.”
“If he drives carefully, it should be fine, right?”
“No one means to get into an accident. They just happen.” The thought of Levi hitting the pavement in just his leather jacket makes me cringe.
“True.” She puts her hand on my arm. “Maybe he could take a motorcycle driving course? I think they offer them at the college in Atlanta.”
I lift my eyebrows. She’s onto something. I’d feel better if he did that. “That’s a good idea.”
She smiles. “Thanks. Don’t be too hard on him. He’s just displaying some independence.”
“I’m trying.” I rub my forehead. Levi’s a great guy. He’s just a bit spontaneous, and a huge flirt. But Kiki gave me a great suggestion. I look at her and realize in the short time she’s been with us, she’s helped me more with my brothers than Courtney ever did.