Chapter 20
Lying in the deflated hole in the middle of the air mattress, Stephanie knew she was going to be stiff today.
Her entire body was screaming for her to start moving.
But her eyes were trained on Court, sitting cross-legged on the couch working on her computer.
For some reason, she couldn’t look away from the woman, which meant she stayed right where she was.
This was a side of Court she had never seen.
Her hair, which had been perfectly styled the night before, was standing on end on one side of her head, and she was wearing glasses.
Stephanie was sure they were reading glasses, but longed to ask.
Wanted to know. They made her look approachable, like she wasn’t the confident and controlled woman at the bar that night or even the woman who boldly walked into a house she hadn’t been in for a decade.
She was just Court in that moment, and Stephanie wanted nothing more than to snuggle up beside her for a few minutes at least.
Instead, she just watched the woman working on her laptop with absolute concentration.
As long as Stephanie had been awake, Court’s attention hadn’t wavered.
Not even when the faint noises came from other parts of the house as others woke up.
The only sound in the family room was Court’s keys tapping as she typed.
Stephanie could hear her mom in the kitchen, making whatever she had planned for breakfast. Since they had started coming home, her mom had gone into meal planning when the kids were home.
And if the kids from far away were there, it was even worse.
Usually, she didn’t want anyone’s help but Stephanie's. Because Stephanie wasn’t from far away or male so she could help.
“Everyone’s up?” Calvin came into the room, cradling a cup of coffee in his hands.
Though he said it to everyone, Stephanie noticed he didn’t look at the couch or Court. Because she was obviously awake. Despite his wanting her here, he was ignoring her. Stephanie tried to remember if this was how he acted when she came when they were kids, but couldn’t recall.
“I’m up and checking on a few things. Lazybones is still sleeping, or pretending.” Court said, and their eyes met. Somehow, without looking up, she had known Stephanie was watching her. Maybe it was the same reason Stephanie knew when Court was looking her way. Just a feeling she couldn’t explain.
“I'm up.” She announced and rolled off the air mattress, long ago learning you can’t treat it like a real bed. And getting out of it was far from graceful.
“Breakfast is almost ready. You two are the last to wake up.” Calvin chuckled as he turned back towards the kitchen.
“I’ve been up for hours. I didn’t want to intrude on the family as they got ready.” Court closed her laptop with a snap, but Calvin was already gone. Not caring what she had to say.
Even from across the room, Stephanie saw the look of confusion on Court’s face as she watched Calvin leave the room without responding.
His actions confused Stephanie. He was acting oddly with Court there.
Like she wasn’t there, or he wished she weren’t there.
It wasn’t how she had seen her dad act around anyone.
But Court was probably wondering why he had assumed she was still sleeping when she was obviously awake and on her laptop.
Did he even look her way? Stephanie was pretty sure he hadn’t.
But also, didn’t know how he could have known she was on the couch and not look in that direction without him coming in earlier to see it.
“I need to shower before eating.” Court said to nobody as she slipped her laptop into a black leather computer bag as she got to her bare feet.
Grabbing her duffle bag of clothes, she headed for the bathroom. Stephanie only hoped that it was empty. There were a lot of people in this house and only two bathrooms, nowhere near enough. But that might be something that Court would have to learn on her own.
Since Court was in the bathroom and she knew the other was going to be full, she wasted her time deflating her bed and folding her sheets and blankets from the night.
Once that was done and she had put them away, she checked the bathroom.
Seeing that it was still full, she went back to the family room and did the same with Court’s bedding.
Trying not to smell them to remind herself what the woman smelled like, not that she needed a reminder.
Slowly she got the family room back in order, including folding Court’s blankets and trying not to breathe in the woman's scent.
Forcing herself to put everything in the closet, she stretched to get the kink out of her neck.
There was no helping it until she got in the hot shower.
She wondered if Court had any kinks and if she needed help to get them out?
Would she accept help from her? Stephanie knew she was just looking for an excuse to touch her.
“Hey Steph, how was the sleepover?” Dylan asked, eating a piece of bacon. He looked happy and refreshed after drinking a beer and heading for bed the night before. No late nights for him.
“Fine, why?” She held the folded blanket to her chest, not wanting to talk to her brother about Court at all. In some ways, it was like she was switching sides in the war. Court needed someone in her corner in this house. Calvin wasn’t going to step up.
As she drifted off the sleep the night before, she promised herself that she’d make Court’s stay this weekend as peaceful as possible. She needed to feel welcome by everyone, and she was going to make it happen. One way or another.
“After I went to bed, did Courtney ask about me?” He asked with a wink.
Slightly grossed out that her brother would even ask that question. Except she was more upset that he thought he could ask about that when Stephanie was fighting those same feelings and could act on them. But could her bother? “No, why would you ask that? What about Brenna?”
Dylan suddenly acted guilty and shushed her. “Don’t talk about her. I don’t want Mom and Dad to know we broke up.”
Moving closer to him, she demanded in a whisper, “What? When did that happen?”
“A few weeks ago, she met someone at work. I’m okay with it, but don’t tell Mom. She hates when we’re single.”
“You have to tell her.”
“After this weekend, I will. I just couldn’t be the only single person here.”
“I’m single.” She reminded him, though he didn’t know that until last night. Which meant she probably should have just come clean when it happened.
“You don’t count, you're always single.” He looked over his shoulder. “Did Courtney say anything about me? I was catching some vibes from her last night.”
Trying to hide her grin, because there was no way Court was interested in him.
First, she was too busy flirting with Stephanie every chance she got, and second.
Well, second, she was not into men at all.
The clothes didn’t change that fact. Court wasn’t the woman in the white capris and pink shirt.
She was the woman in the bar. This was an act, a good one that fooled a few people, but still an act.
“I wouldn’t put much stock in that feeling, Dylan.” She chastised him, “And maybe you should stop with the pranks. Aren’t we a little old to be pranking someone just because she’s here?”
“Me? I think you mean you. You were the one who came up with the plan to mess with Courtney.” Dylan chuckled as he walked away towards the kitchen.
Her eyes followed him until they stopped when movement in the hallway caught her eye. Court looking right at her. How much had she heard? Did she really believe Stephanie would be the planner of everything? That she always had been. It had always been the boys, and she and Laura had followed along.
Based on her angry expression, she believed everything she heard.
And Stephanie knew she’d have to talk to her, but now wasn’t the time.
The house was full of people, and those people didn’t need to hear what she was going to say.
Because she was sure it would circle back to the night, she was ghosted.