Chapter 30
CHAPTER 30
KIKI EMMERSON
T obias has been so busy the last three days, I’ve barely seen him. We didn’t get to talk Monday evening. He could only text me to say he had to stay the night in Atlanta. We haven’t actually talked all week, except a few texts, and it’s now Thursday evening. I stand by the front door and wait for Tobias to come home so we can go to Ellie’s house. He promised he’d be home early tonight so he wouldn’t miss quilt night.
A flash of headlights cross the window, and I look out. The car continues down the street. It’s not him. Disappointment runs deep. I know I shouldn’t get so emotionally involved with Tobias. I can’t stay. I shouldn’t be having a relationship with him. Yet, I can’t bring myself to leave, either.
Levi runs into the living room with Skyler on his shoulders. “Look at me, Kiki!” Skylar cries.
I hold in a smile. “How did you get so tall?”
Her laughter fills the room. “I’m on Uncle Levi.”
“Oh, of course.” I tickle her under her chin.
“Should we go racing?” Levi asks.
“Yes!” Skyler grabs Levi’s forehead and he runs out of the room, giggles following after him.
The front door opens, and Tobias comes in. He looks tired. He steps to me and pulls me to him. “I’m sorry I’m running late. Did you eat?”
I snuggle into him. I missed him this week. “Yes, we ate. What about you?”
“Not yet.”
I grab his hand and tug him into the kitchen. I get him a dish of chicken and rice leftovers, warming them in the microwave. “How’s everything at your company?”
He shakes his head and rubs a hand over his neck. “The problems with this company are deeper than anyone knew. They’ve had to fire employees and do an overhaul. It’s been a nightmare.”
“I’m so sorry.” I pull the bowl out of the microwave. “Do you have to go back tomorrow?”
“Yes, but I’ll be here on Saturday for the festival. I won’t miss that.”
He quickly eats his dinner, then we get into his car and head over to Ellie’s house. She smiles when she sees us and ushers us inside. There are quilts around the room. “Thank you both for coming. Please, sit down and I’ll bring you some sweet tea. Grab a quilt and some thread.”
Josephine is sitting in an antique looking chair by the fireplace, a patriotic quilt spread across her lap. “How are you, Miss Kiki?”
“I’m doing well.”
Ellie brings us two glasses of tea, and I pick up two nearby quilts. I take a few minutes to show Tobias how to stitch his together so the stitches don’t show.
Ellie sits across from us and clears her throat. “Thank you for coming with Miss Kiki tonight, Tobias. We are happy for the help.”
Tobias is concentrating so hard on his needle and thread that he barely acknowledges Ellie. “Sure.”
I hide a smile. “I can’t wait for the Willow Shade Festival. They’re already putting up decorations around town.”
“We’ve held this festival every year for over seventy years. We all take pride in it,” Josephine says.
“Skyler’s excited about the carnival games they’re setting up downtown. That, and the boat race, is all she’s talking about.” I make another stitch.
The doorbell rings and Ellie jumps up. “Excuse me.”
A minute later Ellie comes back in with Savannah. “Sit down, darlin’. I’ll get you some sweet tea.”
Savannah crosses the room and sits down.
“Savannah, you know Tobias, right?” I ask.
She nods at him. “How are you, Tobias?”
He looks up from his quilt. “I’m well. How are you, Savannah?”
“I’m fair to middling.” She takes the quilt next to her and starts stitching. “How’s Noah doing?”
“Quite well,” Tobias answers. I can sense there’s more to her question, and I wonder if she and Noah would ever get back together.
I pick up the glass of sweet tea Ellie gave me and take a drink. “It’s gotten quite hot out,” I say to fill the silence.
“It has,” Savannah says. She pulls the thread up before glancing over at Tobias.
Josephine grabs a pair of sewing scissors. “I heard Noah put in an offer on a house.”
Tobias jerks his head up. “What?”
“Yeah, I heard that too. He didn’t tell you about it?” Ellie says.
“No.” Tobias stabs his needle into his fabric.
“Is that a problem?” I ask.
Tobias shakes his head. “Not at all. I’m just surprised is all. He hasn’t mentioned it to me.”
“Sorry.” Josephine leans back. “I didn’t think it was a secret.”
“It’s fine,” Tobias says.
I take another sip of my tea. This sweet tea is probably the best I’ve tasted.
Savannah leans toward us. “Are you two dating?”
I choke. “No,” I manage to say between coughs. I wave my hands back and forth to make sure everyone in the room understands. Tobias turns his head away from me but not before I catch a glimpse of his hurt expression. I feel bad, but I don’t know what else to do. We’re not officially together, right?
“Really?” Josephine raises an eyebrow. “I was sensing some closeness.”
Tobias doesn’t say anything. I finally get control of myself. “We’ve become good friends.”
Josephine looks between us before going back to her quilting. “Ah. I see.”
Ellie crosses her legs. “How’s Violet doing?”
“I spoke with her this morning,” Tobias says. “She’s home now and doing much better. The doctor says she can come back to work in a couple more weeks.”
Ellie smiles. “I heard you found her and got her help right away, Miss Kiki.”
I nod, my throat tight. “Yeah.”
Savannah gasps and puts a hand on her chest. “You might have saved her life.”
I wave her suggestion away, uncomfortable with the conversation and the trauma it’s bringing up for me. I don’t want to talk about Violet or that day. I don’t want to think about her lying there on the sidewalk. I’ve tried my best to shove that morning away from my mind.
Tobias looks at me, and something in his expression lets me know he sees right through me. He can tell I’m uncomfortable. He turns to Ellie. “What’s your secret in making your sweet tea, Ellie? I think it’s delicious.”
Ellie spends the next ten minutes giving Tobias tips on making the best sweet tea, and I’m so relieved he changed the subject. He did it on purpose, which makes it so sweet. He’s a good man. We finish up all but two quilts, and Ellie swears she and Josephine can finish them in time for Saturday’s quilt show for the festival.
On the way back to the house, Tobias clicks his turn signal and looks over at me. “We’re not dating?”
My throat tightens and I cringe. The last thing I want to do is hurt Tobias. All I can do is think of a lame excuse. “I’m sorry. I guess I panicked and didn’t know exactly what to say. We haven’t really talked about it or made it official or anything.”
He swallows, his fingers tight on the wheel. “What if I want to make it official?”
My stomach flips like I’m on a roller coaster. He asks in a way that’s part flirty, part vulnerable, and I know he’s tentatively reaching out to me. I once again feel terrible for how I reacted after our first kiss, and I can’t do that to him again. “I guess I wouldn’t mind official.”
“Kat, will you be my girlfriend?” He shoots me a shy smile. His nickname for me makes me blush. An inside joke between just us. I love it.
“If I say yes, do we get to go on dates?”
“Of course.”
I bite my lip, thinking about his question. I don’t want people to talk after I leave, but maybe it’s too late for that. People are already talking. My goal in coming was to slip in unnoticed, find my daughter, and disappear. That hasn’t worked. Maybe I just need to go with the flow. “Okay. I’ll be your girlfriend.”
He smiles and I can see a boyish giddiness in him I haven’t seen before. It makes me happy that I could be the cause of this, and yet, guilt rushes through me. What am I doing?