“She can catch these hands is what she can do. Cartoon and Tampon too.” Ashlie seethes.
I cover my mouth, laughing at the newest nicknames for Maggie’s friends. “You know that girl’s name isn’t ‘Tampon.’”
“Might as well be. She gets pulled along by a string like one.” Ashlie shrugs, stuffing her book in her bag before leaving. She hasn’t had a good thing to say about Maggie since she deflated Artie’s ego on the Fourth of July. I can’t blame her either, seeing as every interaction I’ve had with Maggie has been insufferable.
Before Chase leaves, he bites his bottom lip, trying not to smile. He pulls me in close and says, “You’re cute when you get jealous.”
“Jealous of Maggie? No.” I scoff, shaking my head.
“I’m pretty sure that pie would disagree…”
“It slipped,” I say. “And she needed to take a step back.”
“Uh-huh.” He drops a kiss on my lips. “Whatever you say.” He winks, kisses me on the forehead, and strolls out the door.
I wouldn’t label that feeling as jealousy. Mild possessiveness, maybe. Annoyance, for sure, but not jealousy. After learning a little more about Maggie, I know pigs would fly before she ever had a chance with Chase.
The restof my shift goes by without too much drama, and I’m walking home before I know it. The sun is shining, and my shuffled playlist is playing all the right songs as I make my way up the sidewalk. Lost in my own little world, I almost miss Hunter sitting on my porch. He lifts a couple of fingers in a wave, and my steps waver as I try to decide what to do next. Slipping off my headphones and looping them around my neck, I slowly walk up to the porch and sit down next to him.
“Hey, sis,” he says, kicking at the cement.
“Hey…” We sit silently, awkwardly trying to figure out how this conversation is supposed to start. Not only do I have a brother, buthe’smy brother. I’m hissister.
“I told you I’ve only seen the green eye thing in my family,” he teases, trying to lighten the mood by bumping my shoulder. Offering a lopsided smirk, I can’t seem to make words come out of my mouth. “I want you to see something…” He digs in his pocket and pulls out a small photo, letting me look it over.
The face I’m looking at is my own. With shorter hair and a slightly rounder face, the woman in the photo has the same green eyes and dip of the nose as I do. The same full lips spread across her face. “That’s my—our—great-grandmother. You look like her…”
“You just carry a picture around of your great-grandmother?”
“Naw, but Artemis does. She has an album she takes everywhere. She started after the divorce. I think it helps her feel connected.”
Nodding, I play with the ring on my thumb. I’ve never really looked like my mom, and seeing this photo makes it a little easier to fathom being related to the Jacksons.
I hand the picture back, and Hunter shakes his head. “Naw, that’s yours. Artie had two of them, and she wants you to keep that one. She’s pretty excited to finally have a sister, by the way.”
“I… This is?—”
“A lot. Yeah… We’ve been trying to give you some space to process everything. I do have something else, though.” He scrunches his face. “You can say no, we totally get it, but Dad wanted me to invite you over for family dinner on Saturday. He’s hoping the three-day lead will give you some time to consider it.”
I take several seconds to answer, unable to decide what I want to do. On the one hand, I’ve already met them and know that I get along with them. On the other hand, being a long-lost daughter and sister changes the context a little bit.
Hunter continues, “Chase and his family will be there, too, if you want. Or not, if that’s too many people. You can bring Ashlieif that helps. Basically, whatever you’re comfortable with, that’s what we’ll do…”
“I’ll think about it.” It’s the best answer I can give right now. Going from just mom and me to a sudden insta-family feels like a big transition. They’re all eager to get to know me, but I have the task of trying to build new relationships with the three of them. It’s a lot right now.
Hunter nods, gripping the banister to pull himself up. “Fair. I should get back…”
“Hunter?” I ask as he heads down the path leading to the driveway. “Who’s older, me or you?”
He turns around to face me, slowly walking backward to the car. “Oh, it’s me. Olderandwiser.” The smart-ass smirk I’ve become accustomed to seeing spreads across his face before he turns and climbs in the car. To my surprise, he turns down the street toward Ashlie’s house after backing out of my driveway.
CHAPTER THIRTY
KAYLA
Friday sneaks up on me, and I’m already struggling through the second part of my split shift when Patti calls me back to her office. I cover a yawn and head down the hallway.
“Alright, Kayla. They’ve requested a formal setting for the EdTechU event, so let’s talk about the things you need to have in your portfolio for the interview.”
