Kiara sighed. “I’m not upset. Just maybe a little jealous that you’ve found some purpose here.”
“Jude isn’t my purpose,” Angela said.
“But he gives you something to focus on.”
“To some extent,” Angela agreed. “But I’m still trying to find other things that give me the ability to be productive.”
Kiara slid further down, stretching her legs out while she pulled her hands into the sleeves of her large sweatshirt. She stared into the distance, focusing on something inwardly that Angela wasn’t privy to.
"I'm sorry," Angela said softly. "I know this is hard for you."
Kiara's mouth twisted. "I just feel so useless here. I should be grateful that we're safe, that we have all this." She gesturedat the room around them. "But I feel like I'm just… existing. Not living."
Angela set her knitting aside and moved closer to her sister. "I understand that. I really do."
"Do you?" Kiara's voice wasn't accusatory, just weary. "Because you seem to be adapting so well. You have Jude. You're busy making things. You're finding your place."
Angela couldn’t deny any of that, but it hurt her that Kiara was still struggling to adapt.
After sitting in silence for several minutes, Kiara pulled her legs in and got to her feet.
“I didn’t mean to bring you down. I’m happy that you’ve found your place here and that you’ve found love. Truly I am.” She gave Angela a smile that was a weak imitation of her normal one. “I’ll be fine. Once I settle on something, I’ll be fine.”
With that, Kiara headed for the door, leaving Angela staring after her.
Kiara was a problem that she wanted to solve, but Angela knew that she couldn’t do that. All she could do was be there for her sister and support her whenever opportunities arose.
With a sigh, Angela gathered up her needles and wool and left the solarium. It was nearly lunchtime, so she went to her room to put her things away and freshen up.
When she got back down to the breakfast room, which was where they ate lunch, Elizabeth was there. Benji was at school, so he wouldn’t be home until later.
Kiara came in a few minutes later, having changed into a pair of jeans and a sweater. She’d also taken the time to smooth all her hair back into a ponytail.
She still looked tired, however.
Elizabeth greeted each of them with a warm smile. The woman had been nothing but loving and gracious to them, and Angela was so grateful for that.
They’d all begun eating the salad and soup that were on the menu for the meal when Julian wandered into the room. He was wearing an untucked white button-down shirt and a pair of loose jeans. The shirt looked like maybe it hadn’t seen an iron after he’d pulled it out of his suitcase.
“Are you feeling alright, Julian?” Elizabeth asked, concern on her face.
“I’m fine,” he said as he sank into the chair beside Annie.
Angela didn’t buy that from him any more than she’d bought it from Kiara. The two of them were quite a pair. A miserable pair.
The conversation around the table was mainly carried by Elizabeth and Angela. Elizabeth was clearly looking forward to the return of her husband, and it was a feeling that Angela understood.
Once lunch was over, Kiara and Julian disappeared first. Angela decided to see if she could make some cookies. It would help kill time, though her main motivation was to have some for Jude when he arrived.
Thankfully, Mrs. Stevens had no problem with her being in the kitchen. While she waited for the cookies to bake, Angela also helped out a bit with the preparations for dinner.
She’d just finished putting the cookies into a container for Jude, as well as in the kitchen cookie jar for everyone else, when she received a text alert.
Jude:Just loading into the helicopter. Should be there in twenty minutes.
Angela smiled as she answered his text with one of her own.
I can hardly wait!
