16. No Empty Spaces
NO EMPTY SPACES
Lavender
Present day
ALITTLE WHILE later BJ and I realize that with the parents descending, we’re going to need the house not to look like a complete man cave sty so we rush around, cleaning up the worst of the mess. It takes us an entire hour to manage the kitchen and the living room.
The backyard could be better, but there’s not a lot we can do with the limited time we have. BJ tosses the empties and the Solo cups into garbage bags before the doorbell rings.
The second I open it, the air is crushed out of me, thanks to my mom’s hug.
I sink into her, absorbing her love. We’ve always been close.
We love a lot of the same things—minus math—and being the only girl, the youngest, and having some massive social anxiety has made me a bit of a mama’s girl. Which I’m totally okay with.
“I am so, so sorry, sweetie,” she whispers into my ear.
I pat her back. “We’re okay.”
She gives me another squeeze and mutters, “No, I meant that Gigi and Pops are planning to stop by this afternoon, and she’s bringing you a present.
I tried to tell her now is not the time, but she insisted, and honestly, you kinda want it because it’s awesome, but I’m still sorry.
Just don’t open it in front of everyone.
” She holds me at arm’s length, her expression somewhere between empathy, amusement, and worry.
“Thanks for the warning.” My gigi is awesome.
She’s also very, very liberal. I’ve amassed an entire drawer full of personal pleasure devices because she wants to make sure I know my own body before anyone else does.
The message is a good one, but it can be embarrassing when she hands these things to me in front of my family.
“I didn’t want you to walk into that scenario unprepared.” Mom cups my face between her hands. “You look tired. Are you sleeping okay? How about eating? Have you been moopy? I brought a new bottle of lactose pills for you.”
“I’m fine, Mom, really.”
She nods and scans the space beyond me, which leads to the kitchen.
“What about the boys? Are they being slobs? They’re not having too many parties, are they?
Are they being careful about who they invite over?
Do you have mace? Maybe we should go out and get some, or you could take a self-defense class refresher. That might be a good idea.”
“Mom.” I squeeze her shoulders. “Take a breath.”
Her eyes fall shut for a few seconds, and she and I breathe a count of four and out again. When she opens them, she looks like she might get weepy on me. God, I miss her. She has always been in my corner, doing everything she can to help me be comfortable in my own skin.
“I’m so glad no one was in that house.” She exhales another long, slow breath.
“Me too.”
“Lainey must be beside herself. She and Rook should be here soon.”
I nod. “Aunt Lily and Uncle Randy left about the same time you did, so they shouldn’t be far behind you.”
“And Lance and Poppy just had to pick up the girls from a friend’s house and then they were heading out, too.”
“I’m surprised Aunt Charlene and Uncle Darren didn’t come along for shits and giggles.” I’m only half joking. Charlene and Darren aren’t technically my aunt and uncle, but our families are so close we might as well all be related.
“Darren had to run a hockey practice for your dad and Charlene had to take Rose to rehearsal, otherwise they’d be here, too.” She fiddles with my hair. Her nails are a glittery purple, the color of my name. “How are things with Kody?”
I shrug noncommittally. “I don’t really see much of him. The guys are always at practice, or games, or class, and so am I. I’ve been hanging out with Lacey and Lovey a lot, though.” I shift the conversation, because talking about Kodiak with my mom is never easy, and I don’t want to lie to her.
She doesn’t have a chance to ask any more questions because the front door swings open again. “How’s my baby girl?” My dad swoops in and picks me up like I’m a toddler, folding me into a ridiculously tight bear hug.
“Oh my God! You’re going to break my ribs, Dad!” He gives me a stubbled kiss on the cheek and sets me back on the floor.
“I missed you, kiddo.” He holds me by the shoulders, and his lips thin. “Have you lost weight? You look tired, honey. Are the boys being a problem?”
“Everything’s fine.” I wrap my arms around his waist. “And I miss you too.”
I let him hug me for a while. Me going away for college has been tough for him.
He tried to bribe me with a really awesome car to get me to stay in Lake Geneva.
Then River’s head nearly exploded when I suggested I’d live in the dorm, so here I am.
I still got a cool car out of the deal, though, because my dad didn’t want me to be without my own transportation.
Obviously I haven’t mentioned to anyone that I signed up for the student housing waiting list. No need to invite unnecessary drama.
There are more people waiting on the steps behind him, so we move out of the foyer. Lainey greets me with a huge hug. Kodiak is such a mix of his parents. He has his mother’s dark hair, almond-shaped eyes, and full lips, but he has his dad’s dimple, rugged jawline, and size.
“You’ve really grown up, haven’t you?” She squeezes my hands.
I shrug. I’m severely lacking in height, but I’m not the gawky little girl she probably remembers. “Happens to all of us, I guess.”
She laughs and her eyes soften. “I hope my son has been treating you well.”
I fight to keep my smile in place. “I don’t see too much of him.”
A shadow of sadness passes behind her eyes. “Really? I thought with him living down the street, you’d see more of each other.”
I swallow past the lump in my throat. “Well, they’re all so busy with sports and classes.”
“Right. Of course.”
Fortunately, Uncle Randy and Aunt Lily arrive to end that uncomfortable conversation. I can’t tell Lainey the truth.
By midafternoon, all of the parents are gathered on the back deck. My dad wanted to shock the pool, but my mom told him to hold off until right before they leave. He did, however, clean the hot tub. He was not impressed by the condom wrappers he found nearby.
Lance and Poppy, Quinn’s parents, are the last to arrive, and they bring his younger sisters along. Heather is fifteen, and Celeste is thirteen, and I adore them. We jump in the pool while we wait for the guys to get home.
Just as my dad and Rook head to campus to pick up the boys, Gigi and Pops and Gram-pot and Grandma Daisy show up.
“I have a special present for you!” Gigi hands me a small, wrapped box. Upon closer inspection, I realize the design on the paper is cartoon penises with faces. Thankfully, the presence of Heather and Celeste means I can put off opening it, and I run it up to my room.
My dad and Rook pick up takeout on the way home from getting the boys, and when they return, we all sit outside on the back deck, stuffing our faces while our parents figure out how to deal with the situation.
Kodiak sits on the far side of the deck, beside his mom. His knee bounces a mile a minute, a sure sign he’s anxious. Not that I blame him. The kitchen in their house is destroyed.
“I talked to a contractor friend on the way over, and he’s saying it’ll take at least a few weeks for the house to air out and the kitchen renovations to be done,” Uncle Randy says.
“Yeah, I made a few calls too, and everyone I talked to said the same thing,” Rook adds.
“Should we look at renting the boys a place?”
“I can stay at a friend’s place for a while,” Quinn says.
His dad gives him a look. “What kind of friend are we talking about?”
“Just someone from class.”
His mom gives him a look. “A female someone?”
He shakes his head. “Just a buddy, don’t worry, Ma.”
“BJ can stay with us,” Liam suggests, and Lane nods his agreement.
“You have an extra bedroom?” Uncle Randy asks.
“There’s a game room in the basement with a murphy bed,” BJ replies. “It’ll be fine for a few weeks.”
“Well, that’s two out of three sorted,” Uncle Randy says.
“What about the spare room here? Kody could stay with us. There’s already a bed and a dresser in there,” Maverick suggests.
My dad and Rook exchange a look. “I don’t know if that’s a good idea,” my dad says.
“It’s perfect, right, K?” Maverick’s eyes are alight with excitement over the idea of having his best friend in the room down the hall. “Then everyone has somewhere to stay, and you don’t have to deal with a rental. Besides, it’s only for a few weeks.”
A few weeks of Kodiak in the bedroom under mine. A few weeks of potentially running into him in the hall, or the kitchen, or anywhere really. A few weeks of his constant awfulness. What if he brings girls home? What if I have to listen to him banging them through the vents?
“Lavender, honey?” My mom squeezes my knee.
“Huh?” I glance around to find everyone looking at me. Including Kodiak. His expression is flat, but his knee bounces a few times before he spreads his hand over his thigh to stop it.
“Are you okay with that?”
I shrug, going for apathetic. “It’s only a few weeks.”
How bad could it be?
But based on how things have been so far, I know it has the potential to be really, really bad.