He waves me off. “Scars are cool.”
“Not on your face.”
“Uh-huh. It shows you’re tough, that you’ve done crazy stuff. And it helps you remember when you did that crazy stuff.”
“Do you really want to remember the crazy stuff that happened tonight?”
His expression sinks. “Isa, I think I messed up.” He reaches up, circles his finger around my wrists, and lifts my hand away from his face. At first, I think it’s because I’m hurting him, but then he positions it on his scruffy, swollen cheek and sighs. “With this T guy … with what happened tonight … with the stuff I haven’t told you yet …”
My forehead furrows. “What stuff haven’t you told me?”
His lips part, his eyes flooding with worry, but before he can say anything, my grandma walks in. She takes one look at me and Kai on the sofa then shakes her head.
“All right, the boy sleeps on the couch,” she announces, pointing at the hallway. “Isa, you’re sleeping in the back guestroom. You can set an alarm to come and check on him in a couple of hours.” She snatches ahold of the handle of a suitcase propped against a wall near the door. “I’m going to go and take a shower. Isa, before you get into bed, you and I need to talk.” With that, she walks out of the room, dragging her suitcase with her. Indigo starts to open her mouth, but before she can say anything, grandma calls out, “Indigo, give Isa a moment to kiss her cute boyfriend goodnight.”
Indigo chokes on another mouthful of cookie while mortification sweeps across my face. Oh, my God, did she seriously just say that?
My embarrassment only amplifies when Kai chuckles. “She thinks we’re dating,” he singsongs with his eyes closed, sounding completely entertained by the idea. “And that I’m cute.”
“She thinks everyone’s cute,” I tell him, wanting to crawl into a hole and die.
His eyelids slowly open, and he squints against the light as he focuses on my face. “Yeah, but does she think every guy’s your boyfriend?”
I almost say, “Yeah, she does. She’s said similar things about Kyler.” Thank God, I manage to stop myself; otherwise, I would’ve made the situation even more awkward.
“You should let me up so you can get some rest,” I tell Kai. “I’ll come and check on you in a bit.”
He grunts a protest but sits up and lets me off the sofa. I go to the linen closet and get him a blanket and a pillow. By the time I return, he’s fast asleep on his side. I slip the pillow under his head and then cover him with a blanket before heading for the hallway.
Indigo is in the kitchen, getting a soda from the fridge. She looks up at me as I pass by. “That was sweet of you. It kind of seems like something a girlfriend would do for her boyfriend.”
I scowl at her but smile so she knows I’m not really mad. “I’m not going to just leave him there without a blanket. Grandma lets her house get super cold at night.”
“That’s because she has hot flashes.” She pops the tab on the can of soda. “It gets really bad when Harry sleeps over. The two of them go at it like rabbits all night and then crank down the heater when they’re done because they get too hot.”
I cover my ears with my hands. “TMI.”
She laughs, takes a sip of her soda, and then motions for me to follow her as she heads for her bedroom. “We better get to sleep. We’re still going shopping tomorrow, even if you gripe that you’re too tired.”
“Maybe we should go next weekend when stuff’s calmed down.”
“Nope. I’ve got my heart set on a new pair of shoes, and my heart always gets what it wants.” She slips an elastic off her wrist and twists her hair up in a messy bun. “Besides, the last thing you need to do is sit around in this house, thinking about stuff. You need to get out, and get some fresh air—breathe some Sunnyvale-free air.”
“Fine, I’ll go.” I sigh. “But Kai’s probably going to have to go with us since I told him he could stay here for a while.”
“I’m completely fine with that. He seems nice and fun. Honestly, if he wasn’t so in love with you, I’d probably try to date him.”
I feel the slightest ping of jealousy at the idea of Indigo and Kai dating. “He’s not in love with me.” Although, according to the cranky, old man in the gas station, he is. But Kai probably had a concussion the whole time he talked to him and probably wasn’t making a lot of sense.
“Are you being serious right now?” She stops in front of her bedroom door. “Because, if you are, then I’ve clearly taught you nothing.” She points a finger toward the end of the hallway. “Take it from me, that boy’s in love with you. All that stuff he said in the car …” She gets this swoony, goofy smile on her face. “Oh, my God, what I’d give for a guy to say something like that to me.”
“He has a concussion. He didn’t even know what he was saying.”
“He might not remember what he said, but everything he did say tells me he’s thought about you before: about knowing your number, about no one being good enough for you, about how gorgeous and amazing you are.”
I squirm self-consciously. “I really don’t think you’re right.” But deep down, a tiny part of me wishes she is. I don’t know what to do with the feeling. Or if I should do anything with the feeling at all.
“Of course you don’t because you’re stupid fucking family stripped every ounce of confidence away from you.” Her expression softens. “Sorry, I didn’t mean for that to come out so rude.”
“You weren’t being rude. They’ve messed me up. I know that.” I swallow the lump in my throat and turn toward the guest bedroom across from Indigo’s. “I should probably get ready for bed then go and talk to Grandma, or else I’m going to get no sleep.”
She sighs but lets me leave. When I get into the room, I close the door and recline against it. All I want to do is lie down in the bed and go to sleep, forget this day and yesterday ever happened. But I have a feeling these last twenty-four hours of revelations and stress are just the beginning.
After I pull on a tank top and a pair of red, plaid pajama bottoms, I pad down the hallway and rap on Grandma Stephy’s door.
“What’re you knocking for?” she calls out. “Open the door and get your butt in here.”
I twist the doorknob and enter. She’s sitting on the foot of her bed, dressed in a matching shirt and bottom pajama set. A lamp is on and the door to the attached bathroom is open, allowing lingering steam to dampen the air.
“What did you want to talk to me about?” I ask. “Is it about Kai sleeping here? Because I didn’t think it’d be that big of a deal.”
She waves me off, patting the spot beside her. “I don’t care about that. Although, I am curious how you ended up with him when you told me you were with Kyler this afternoon.”
“It’s a long story,” I say through a yawn. “I’m glad you’re cool with Kai staying here, though, because I kind of told him he could crash on the sofa for a week.”
“Am I running a motel now?”
“I’m sorry. I know it’s a lot—taking me in and letting Indigo live here—but he doesn’t want to go home until his face heals, and I didn’t want him to be homeless.”
“He has nowhere else he can stay?”
I shrug, not wanting to lie to her but not wanting to tell her yes, either. For some reason, and I can’t really explain why, I don’t like the idea of Kai crashing at Big Doug’s place. Maybe it’s because whatever he was in Mapleview for had something to do with Big Doug. Or maybe it’s because I’m not even sure where Big Doug lives. The only time I ever met him was in that rundown pool house, and the thought of Kai sleeping there wigs me out.
“I don’t care if he stays here, just as long as he sleeps on the couch and you sleep in the bedroom.” She gives me a stern look.
Just what does she think is going to happen?
“You know he’s just a friend, right?”
“Friend or not, I still don’t want you two canoodling. He looks like the kind of guy who would do that.”
She puts her interrogation face on, crossing her arms and staring me down. “What do you mean he was there for you? Did you sleep at his house last night?”
“No.” The lie shows through my voice. “Okay, fine. I did, but nothing happened. We just watched movies until we fell asleep. It’s not like I could go home.”
“You could’ve called Indigo to come and get you,” she says. “You can always call us, Isa, no matter what.”
“I know that, but …” I shrug, unsure what else to say. “Kai helped calm me down, and I don’t know … I didn’t really think much about calling anyone else.”
“Hmmm…” She presses her lips together, studying me closely.
Her scrutiny makes me all squirrely. What the hell is she looking for?
“Well, I’m glad you had someone there for you,” she finally says. “But from now on, no more spending the night with boys, got it?”
I salute her. “Yes, ma’am. And thanks for letting me stay here. And Kai. And for calling your doctor friend and my parents. Really, just thanks for everything. I promise I’m going to make this up to you.”
“Don’t worry about that.” She draws me in for a hug. “Right now, all I want you to do is worry about graduating high school and deciding which boy you want to date. I know it seems fun to date more than one, but trust me when I say it can get pretty complicated.”
Great. Now she’s got it in her head that I’m dating Kyler and Kai. I could argue with her, but I don’t see the point. She’ll just keep saying the same things until I agree with her, and I have bigger problems to worry about.
“About my dad.” I lean back to look at her. “On the phone, you said his company was in trouble. What’d you mean by that?”
“I don’t know the whole story, but I know they’ve been doing some iffy stuff, and now the company is under investigation. I threw it in his face on the phone because I knew it’d scare him enough to back off. The last thing he needs is police digging around in his personal life on top of his business.” She smoothes her hand over my head. “I don’t want you worrying about that stuff. Like I said, I just want you to focus on being a teenager.”
“What about my mom? Lynn said she was dead, but I still want to find out more about her.”
“We will. I have a friend who’s a retired cop. He might know where we can start.”
“Man, you have all sorts of awesome friends, don’t you?”
“I’m telling you. These retirement communities are where all the cool kids go.”
We trade a smile and a hug, and then she shoos me out of the room, telling me to get my butt to bed.
But I pause in the doorway and quickly tell her about the car I saw everywhere.
“What do you think about it?” I ask when I’ve finished telling her.
Her forehead creases as she shakes her head. “I’m really not sure, hon. It might just be Hannah trying to mess with you like Indigo said, but I think we should keep our eyes open and be extra careful. Don’t go wandering off anywhere alone. If you do see it again, try to get the plate number.”
“Why? Are you going to have your cop friend run the plates?” I’m partially joking, so it surprises me when she nods.
“Yep. I sure as hell am,” she says. “If someone’s harassing you, I’ll track the bastard or bitch down.”
I smile at that. “Love you, Grandma.”
She fluffs a pillow, getting ready to climb into bed. “Love you, too, sweetie. I’m really glad you’re here.”
Her words warm my soul.
I head out of her room, feeling better than I did earlier today. Before I go to the guestroom, I check on Kai. He’s fast asleep with the blanket kicked off, murmuring something about ninja kicking someone’s ass. I giggle under my breath at how cute he looks then head to the guestroom and climb into bed.
As I lie there, trying to fall asleep, I tell myself everything will be okay, that I just need to do what my grandma says and focus on being a teenager. But in reality, I know there’s no way I can do that, not with everything going on.
I’m afraid I won’t ever find out who my mom really was. I’m afraid I will find out Lynn was right, that she was a terrible person who did terrible things and gave me up to my dad because she didn’t want me anymore. I realize right then and there what might just be one of my greatest fears.
That my mother might have never wanted me.
Chapter 12
Kai
I wake up to the smell of eggs and bacon. At first, I can’t figure out where the hell I am. My mom used to cook breakfast, but she stopped when Kyler graduated because he was hardly ever there anymore.
“It’s pointless to cook breakfast for just you and me,” she told me when I griped about it. “And you know how much your father hates the smell of bacon.”
So when the scent of bacon hits my nostrils, I’m like, wait, where the fuck am I? As I lay still with my eyes shut, I manage to figure out that I’m on a sofa in a house that doesn’t seem to have a working heater and that the person in the kitchen is an older woman who likes to sing 90s rap songs while she cooks.
“What’s up with the 90s flashback?” a girl asks. Her voice is familiar, but I can’t place a face with it.
“Hey, don’t mock my music,” the older woman retorts. “We all have our guilty pleasures, like you and those silly, little riddles you think are so funny but are really stupid.”
Shit. Did I do something stupid last night, like go to a party and pass out on someone’s couch? It kind of sounds like something I’d do, but I don’t think it’s what I did, especially when I was so worried about Isa …
Bits and pieces rush back to me. Mapleview. The hit over the head. My car getting messed up. Calling Isa. After that, things become blurry, but I remember being looked at by a doctor in Isa’s grandma’s house and playing with Isa’s hair …
I open my eyes, slowly realizing where I am and why my head feels like it’s been run over by a truck.
“Aw, good morning sunshine,” Indigo, Isa’s cousin, greets me from across the living room. “Feeling better?”
I sit up, wincing as my body groans in protest. “Kind of.” I press my finger to my temple as my head pulsates in pain and dizziness overcomes me. “Where’s Isa?”
Just behind her, an older woman I haven’t met before stands near a stove. Her eyes shift from the pans to me. “My lovely granddaughter is in bed, sleeping, and we’re going to let her sleep because she deserves it.” Her tone is firm, her eyes hard, but I detect the slightest bit of amusement in her expression.
“I completely agree.” I rub my eyes, planting my feet on the floor. “What time is it?”
Indigo leans back and checks the time on something in the kitchen. “It’s after ten. Why?” Her gaze lands on me. “You got somewhere else to be?”
Umm … I’m not sure what to say. While I need to go and have a little chat with Big Doug and get my phone back, I don’t have much else to do. But I’m not sure if they want me to leave or what.
“No. Not really.” I put on my best charming grin. “Well, except for spend the day paying back Isa. I owe her big time.” And I need to tell her about her mom. I just hope I can do it the right way, without her getting mad at me. Is there even a right way to break it to someone that their mom’s in jail for murder?
“Good boy,” Isa’s grandma says to me, looking pleased. “That girl needs to be doted over. She’s special, even if she doesn’t realize it. She should be treated like a princess.”
“Grandma Stephy,” Indigo hisses under her breath. “Don’t say shit like that. Isa would be so embarrassed right now if she heard you.”
“I’m just saying what needs to be said.” Her grandma flips over the bacon in the pan with a fork. “Besides, Isa can’t get embarrassed over something she doesn’t know about.” She looks at me, waiting for me to a
gree with her.
I raise my hands up in front of me. “I won’t utter a word.”
“Good boy,” she says again, making me feel like an obedient dog. “That’s exactly what Isa needs.”
Indigo wavers between being irritated and amused. “What’s with you and trying to play matchmaker lately?” she asks her grandma. “Or should I say playing matchmaker for Isa? With me, you’re always so anti-boyfriend.”
Her grandma points the fork she’s holding at Indigo. “You don’t need any more boys in your life. You have enough.”
“There’s no such thing as enough boys.” Indigo props her elbows on the countertop of the kitchen island. “That’s like saying there’s enough air.”
“Or enough cheese in your eggs,” her grandma says as she sprinkles cheese to the eggs.
“No, there’s definitely such a thing as enough cheese.” Indigo glares at her. “So stop putting so much in.”
“There’s no such thing as enough cheese in eggs,” her grandma quips. “You could put a whole damn block in there, and there’d still be room for more.”
“Don’t you ever put a block of cheese in any eggs I’m eating,” Indigo warns, sinking onto a barstool.
“Why? Afraid your pipes are going to get backed up?” Her grandma sneers as the pans hiss.
I clear my throat, trying to cover up a laugh.
“No, that’s your problem, not mine,” Indigo says. “That’s probably why you have to eat so much damn yogurt and bran flakes. To clear out all that cheese.”
“Would you guys quit arguing? You’re worse than an old, married couple,” Isa mumbles as she trudges out of the hallway.
She’s wearing her pajamas, and her hair’s braided to the side. She doesn’t have a drop of makeup on, so I get a clear view of those cute, little freckles she has on her cheeks and nose.
“Hey, I take that offensively, miss,” her grandma scolds Isa but then grins. “Your grandfather and I rarely fought unless it was over the remote or who got to drive or who had to shovel the snow from the driveway …” Her grin broadens. “Okay, maybe you’re right.”
The Year of Falling in Love (Sunnyvale #2) Page 12