by Hope, Amity
Yes, it would.
I cleared my throat, not sure why I was nervous to admit to Kylie that there was another reason I’d like to go.
“Also,” I said haltingly, “he’s taken some of my projects on commission. He has a check waiting for me.”
Her eyes widened in excitement. Or maybe she was just surprised. “You sell your artwork?”
“It’s not a big deal.”
“Yes, it is. It’s a huge deal,” she scolded. “Why didn’t you say something before?”
“I guess because I’m still a bit surprised my stuff sells. I know some people look at it and see junk. I’m always surprised when there are people out there who see what I see.”
“Do your parents know this?” she asked.
My heart kicked out an unpleasant beat. “Yeah, and I wish they didn’t. Mom said she couldn’t believe people would pay for that sort of ‘rubbish.’” I winced. “I don’t think she meant to say that out loud. She immediately apologized, tried to backtrack. But…”
The damage had been done.
Also? It wasn’t much of an apology. Sure, she poured on the praise. But the praise was centered around finally being able to “clear out some of that clutter” rather than appreciating the fact that people were willing to buy my work.
I was crazy-happy my projects were selling. I had to admit Mom was right about one thing, though: the sheer number of my finished work had gotten out of control. Yet I couldn’t stop making more. I’d stopped at a dozen shops up and down the coast before finding one who would take my artwork on.
That felt like a lot of rejections. But being persistent had paid off.
“Your parents”—she shook her head—“I don’t quite know what to make of them.”
“You’re not the only one.”
She cocked her head to the side. “What are you going to do about your artwork, Leo? Are you going to pursue it more after graduation?”
“Are you asking if I’m going to try to make a career out of it?” She nodded. “No. I don’t plan on it. I have fun making it, but it’s kind of trendy. Upcycling is in right now. I don’t know if that type of artwork has staying power. I am majoring in business, though. I figure if I do that, my options for the future will be wide open.”
“You could start your own business and sell your artwork,” she said.
I laughed. “Right now, I love creating. I’m happy to have someone else sell it for me.”
I had tossed the idea around. In an ideal world, it would be great. But in reality, I doubted I could make a living off what I did. And I was okay with that. It was a great stress-reliever, and I wanted it to stay that way.
After spending so many years defending my art to my parents, knowing that Kylie appreciated what I did still blew me away. It was nice to hear compliments from someone who mattered so much to me.
She jumped, as if she realized how lost in conversation we’d become. She grabbed her phone and checked the time. “I’ve got to go. But we’ll talk later about the coast. And about the baseball game tomorrow, too.”
She slid out of the booth and hustled to the door. I watched her go, relieved that prom hadn’t come up at all.
But it would come up. I knew that.
And when it did, I was going to have to tell her everything.
Chapter Fifteen
Kylie
I sealed the lid on the container that stored my extra truffles. I only needed a dozen; my family could enjoy the rest. The special batch I had made was already tucked into a square, white candy box, part of a stash I’d ordered off the internet. The box was in a small, soft-sided cooler in my room, where it was safe from my nosy sister.
After placing the spare container in the fridge, I went to work cleaning the kitchen. I was elbow deep in dishwater when Mom came home.
“What did you make today?” she asked.
“Mint truffles. There’s a tray of them in the fridge. Help yourself.”
“Yum. I will.”
I gave her a few minutes to settle in with two truffles and a small glass of milk.
She took a bite, let out a sigh of appreciation, and said, “I think you’ve outdone yourself. The mint melts when it hits your mouth.”
“Does it?” I had hoped it would. It was a new recipe, something I’d created specifically for Leo, since mint was his favorite.
I pulled the drain plug, wiped my hands, then turned around so I could rest against the counter.
“Can I go to a baseball game tonight? It’s the Wildcats’ first game of the season.”
Mom cocked her head to the side, studying me. “You want to go to a baseball game?”
“It’s senior year. I’ve never been to a school sporting event before. If I don’t go tonight, I’m kind of running out of chances,” I said.
She raised her eyebrows.
“Mom, it’s at the school baseball field. Perfectly safe. Tons of people.”
She nodded as she eyed her second truffle. “I get that. I’m having a hard time wrapping my head around the fact that you want to go to a baseball game.”
“You shouldn’t have a hard time wrapping your head around the fact that I want to support my friend,” I said lightly. “It’s the first game of the season. Meg needs to be there for Luke. Luke will be on the field the entire time. She needs someone to sit in the stands with her.”
“Isn’t Francesca going?”
“Yes. I think the three of us will have fun,” I said. “Meg’s boyfriend is really good. So good that he got a full-ride scholarship for next year. There’s a sophomore on the team this year. I’ve heard he has so much potential that he could go pro.”
“When did you become a baseball expert?” Mom asked.
I laughed. “If that counts as sports expertise in our house, that’s really pretty sad. Poor Dad. He’s a football junkie and he got stuck with the four of us.”
“He’s happy to be stuck with you,” Mom teased back as she brought her dishes to the sink.
“Can I go?” I pressed.
“I suppose.”
I hesitated a moment before adding, “And pizza after?”
“Kylie, it’s a school night.” Mom said as she pulled out a baking dish so she could start dinner.
“I know. It’s also senior year, I have no homework, and I’ve already been accepted to my school of choice.”
“Would you be taking Allie?”
“Allie?” My first thought was, Why would I? Then I remembered that, as far as Mom knew, I’d been doing a whole lot with my sister lately. I shook my head. “No. I want to spend time with my friends.”
“That’s understandable,” she said as she took some veggies out of the fridge. “You’ve been doing a lot with Allie. She’ll miss you when you go away this fall.”
“I doubt that,” I snarked. Or would she? With some surprise, I realized that since we’d gotten closer lately, I would actually miss her, too.
“Of course she’ll miss you,” Mom said. “But yes, I suppose you can go out for pizza if you’re home at a reasonable hour. By nine? Just check-in with me when the game is over so I know when you’ve left the ball field.”
“I can do that,” I agreed. I hesitated before adding, “I talked to Maddie today.”
Mom stopped chopping her carrot. “You did? How is she? It’s been a few weeks since I’ve talked to her. I’ve left a few voicemails, but all I’ve gotten in return are short texts. I know she’s really busy right now. She’s taking yoga, and she leads some sort of club after school one night a week.”
“She said she’s doing well. She loves yoga and wants to learn to kayak.”
“Kayaking?” Mom asked with a laugh of surprise. “That sounds adventurous.”
“Doesn’t it? I think it sounds like a ton of fun,” I agreed. “But she didn’t mention any club.”
“She’s been very evasive about it,” Mom said.
Since talking to Leo the other day, I hadn’t been able to stop thinking about my sister. We chatted on occasion, bu
t not nearly often enough. I’d needed to hear her voice, to reassure myself she was really okay.
“She has a boyfriend,” I said. “He’s raising his two-year-old son and Maddie seems to be completely in love. With the kiddo,” I clarified, “not Steven.”
Mom gave me a wry look. “I don’t know about that. She’s told me about Steven and his son. I think she’s completely head over heels for both of them. If I’m not mistaken, I think they’re getting pretty serious. We might be planning a wedding soon.”
I smiled, thinking of it. Maddie would make a great mom. She’d told me Steven’s ex had walked out on him, leaving him with a newborn. She’d never looked back. Maddie and Steven had been together for half a year now, but she said she’d only started telling people recently for fear of jinxing it.
“I’ll have to give her a call later. Lexie, too,” Mom said, more to herself than me. “I don’t like feeling like I’m losing touch with my girls.” She glanced my way, jabbing her knife in the air. “Next fall, when you move away, I hope you do a better job of staying in touch than your sisters do.”
“Sure, Mom. I’ll call every night.”
She gave me a look, letting me know she knew better.
I crossed the kitchen, aware that I needed to get moving if I was going to meet my friends on time.
I twisted back around. “Can I ask you something?” The words were out of my mouth without time to think of the consequences.
Mom looked up from her growing pile of veggies. “Of course.”
“Was Dad really as awful to Lexie’s dates as she said?” There. I felt better getting the question out.
“Your father was not awful,” Mom said firmly. “You know as well as I do that your sister can be a bit of a drama queen.”
“Dad didn’t tell Bryant to keep his hands off Lexie’s ‘bikini zone’?” I wondered.
Mom’s expression tightened. “He did, actually. But he made the request quite respectfully.”
“What about the contract?” I demanded. “Lexie said Dad told Bryant he had to fill out a contract promising to treat Lexie respectfully.”
“It was a joke,” Mom said. “There was no contract. Your dad was simply trying to make a point.”
“Lexie didn’t find it funny. Neither did Bryant.” I tapped my fingers against the countertop. “Honestly, neither do I. You say we can date, but it seems like you, or at least Dad, will go out of his way to make the poor guy run.”
“Your dad had a good reason to chase Bryant away.” Mom picked up her knife and began slicing peppers with expert strokes. “That boy was trouble.”
I studied Mom’s face and realized she really believed that. “He figured that out after meeting him one time?”
“Yes,” Mom said, “he did. It’s not hard to spot a cocky attitude.”
I shook my head. “What if he was just nervous? Any guy would be.” I couldn’t help thinking of Leo, who was clearly a wreck over the situation. Meg and Francesca’s joking around about my parents had really freaked him out. He looked moderately terrified every time it came up, and I wasn’t sure how to undo the damage. Not when I couldn’t absolutely promise him it would be painless.
“Honestly, Kylie,” Mom said. “It wasn’t nearly as bad as you’re making it out to be.”
“Dating and getting to know someone, that’s hard enough,” I pointed out. “But when you throw in parents who are determined to find the worst in the guy you like—”
“Kylie,” Mom said sharply, “that’s untrue. We aren’t looking for the worst in someone. Lexie, well, you know your sister. She had very, very bad taste in boys.”
I thought about Lexie, about the handful of boys she’d bothered to bring home. Mom possibly made a good point.
“Why so many questions?” she asked. “Is this about your sister? Or is this about someone you’re interested in? What was his name? James Takata?”
James? It seemed like years had passed since the night Allie had blabbed to Mom about him in this very kitchen.
I shook my head. “Definitely not.”
“Is it because Meg and Francesca are both seeing someone?” she pressed. “Just because your friends are dating doesn’t mean you have to feel pressured to do the same.”
“Mom, I’m going to be eighteen in a few months. Don’t you think it’s normal for me to want to date?”
She stilled the knife and studied my face.
I was sure I’d given too much away.
“All I ask is that you keep in mind that your father and I want what’s best for you.” She sighed. “These days, it seems like so many parents don’t bother to teach their kids manners, let alone how to be respectful or a decent human being.”
“Not everyone is like that.”
“You’re right. They’re not. But that’s why your father and I would like to help you girls weed out the bad ones. At your age, it’s easy to get carried away by your emotions.” She paused, and I knew she was thinking of Maddie. “It’s also easy to get sucked in by someone who says what you want to hear, who uses your insecurities against you.”
I nodded and started backing across the room. I still didn’t like the idea of bringing Leo here, like he was airline luggage that needed to pass inspection. Yet Mom’s tone made it perfectly clear this was nonnegotiable. And really, after hearing her point of view, maybe it wouldn’t be so bad.
Lexie did have a tendency to exaggerate. Leo was nothing like the boys my sister had brought home.
When the time came, I was sure he’d do fine.
“Is there a boy you’d like to start seeing?” Mom asked.
I pivoted, anxious to leave the kitchen and said over my shoulder, “I’ll let you know.”
…
I never would’ve guessed there was more to baseball than hitting the ball or striking out. Sure, I knew you had to run the bases. I had no idea you could steal home. Or that if you got hit by a pitch you could walk to first base, or jog, apparently whatever the player preferred. Colton sure took his time. I was really surprised to learn Luke (our pitcher) and Adam (our catcher) seemed to be able to have entire conversations using hand signals.
It was fun to watch Tyler. Twice he whacked the ball so hard we were sure it was going to go over. It fell short, bouncing off the fence.
“He’ll be hitting out of the park home runs in no time,” Leo said.
“Do you wish you were out there?” I asked.
“It’s a little weird sitting up here. But watching Tyler play”—he nodded—“I know I made the right decision.”
Leo and Meg tossed around terms like “RBI” and “ERA” while I tried to learn by osmosis.
The score was touch and go for a bit at the end. At the bottom of the seventh, we were down by two points. Colton was up to bat and struck out.
“Luke’s up next,” Meg said as she stared at the field.
After two bad pitches, Luke’s bat connected with the ball. It flew through the air. I thought it looked like a great hit. But what did I know? I had a lot to learn about baseball. It bounced on the edge of the line and the ump yelled, “Foul ball.”
Leo muttered a word I’d never heard him say.
I arched my eyebrows.
“It’s the last inning and bases are loaded,” he explained. “If Luke can get those three home, we win.”
Luke’s next hit sent the ball soaring. The sound of the connection echoed in the air as the crowd jumped to their feet. Leo pulled me up, along with everyone else.
“He’s got this!” he said excitedly as Meg let out an excited shriek.
The runners on base took off, feet flying as they rounded the bases and headed home.
The second runner came home, then the third, and the crowd went crazy. Luke slid into third base as the baseman stretched to catch a throw from the outfield. There was a moment of tension as the dust settled. Meg grabbed my arm, her nails digging in as her body vibrated with nervous energy.
The ump finally yelled, “Safe.” The triple pu
t us ahead, sealing a win.
Meg let out a whoop that got lost in the cheers from the rest of the crowd.
Our entire section had erupted. The players in the dugout burst onto the field. The air was so thick with excitement I could feel it.
Francesca accompanied Meg to wait near the dugout, with an agreement to meet us for pizza in half an hour.
Leo grabbed my arm and gave me a silly little shake. “What did you think?”
For the first time in all my seventeen years, I understood what all the fuss about sports was about.
“That was so fun,” I said honestly. “I can’t believe I’ve never been to a game until tonight. I feel like I’ve really been missing out. I wish I could’ve seen you play.”
He laughed. “No, you don’t. Trust me, you didn’t miss much. If you really think this is fun, we should try to catch as many as we can this season.”
“I would love that,” I said.
Leo continued his crash course in baseball as I drove. I warned him I probably wouldn’t retain much of the information, but he didn’t seem to care. If we continued to go to games, I’d eventually figure it out along the way.
When we arrived at the pizza place, we were the first ones there.
“We should save a few tables,” Leo suggested. “This place can get pretty crowded after a game.”
“Let’s not go in quite yet,” I said. “There’s something I want to give you first.”
I reached into the back seat, worked the lid off the cooler, and grabbed the truffles I’d so carefully prepared earlier. I held the square white box out to him.
“Is it a new recipe?”
“It is. It’s something I made specifically with you in mind.”
He gifted me with a smile that made my heart swirl.
“I can’t wait to try them,” he said.
“You should open them now.”
“Dessert before dinner?” he asked. “Works for me.”
He carefully pulled the decorative green ribbon off the box. I stopped breathing for a few seconds as I waited for him to flip the lid open.
“What…?” he muttered.
I knew the moment the confusion wore off and realization hit. He lifted his surprised eyes to mine.