Grabbing my cell phone out of my pocket, I pull up my father in my contacts.
He answers on the third ring. “Hello?”
“I need you to meet me downtown in thirty minutes.”
“Son—”
“I don’t want to hear any of your fucking excuses. Be there.”
Chapter 14
McKenize
Iwant to go after Phoenix, but I know the bomb I just dropped on him isn’t something he was expecting. So, I’ll give him space. For now. After sitting in the library for another thirty minutes, I decide to go take a shower. Maybe when I get out, he’ll be ready to talk. I stop by the kitchen when I hear Phillip and Clara’s voice. They both glance up, smiling at me.
“Miss Kenzie, how are you?” Phillip asks as he places a glass dish in the oven. It looks like some kind of casserole. I haven’t baked anything since I’ve been back. Maybe after I take a shower, I’ll make Phoenix some cookies.
“I’m okay. Have you seen Phoenix?” I ask. He and Clara share a look.
“We saw him briefly. He went outside for a little while, but he and Rex just left to go to his office in the city,” Clara answers.
“Oh.” My stomach drops.He didn’t tell me. What does that mean?I pull my bottom lip between my teeth before forcing myself to shake it off. “Well, how are you two?” I ask them. I haven’t talked to either of them much since I’ve been back. I’ve been so preoccupied with deciding on telling Phoenix or not I was stuck in my own world.
Clara walks over and offers me a smile. “We’re doing fine.”
Phillip turns and looks at me as he leans against the counter. “I sure miss you in the kitchen with me.”
“I was just thinking that. Nix is having a bit of a bad day, so I thought after I take a shower I’d make some cookies.” Clara and Phillip both nod in agreement. I wave at them and make my way up to our bedroom.I hope he makes it home in time for dinner.
I pull the last batch of chocolate chip cookies out of the oven. I went a little crazy and made almost a hundred cookies. Maybe Phoenix can take me to Larry’s house and I can drop some off for him, too. I clean up my mess as Phillip puts some homemade biscuits in the oven.
“Once these are done, dinner will be ready,” Phillip says. Phoenix isn’t home yet and I haven’t heard from him all day. I tried to call him earlier, but it went straight to his voicemail.
What if he doesn’t believe me? What if he doesn’t come home? What if he tells me to go back to Larry’s?
I swallow a few times until the lump finally goes away. I finish cleaning when the timer for the biscuits goes off. I want to cry, but I inhale deeply and force myself to stop thinking about it.
“I’ll go get Anna,” I murmur.
I glance down at myself. I’m wearing a long black maxi dress. I thought it looked good with my silver hair and red lips. I wanted to look nice for Phoenix. Knocking on Anna’s door, I open it when she tells me to come in.
She looks up from the book she’s been reading and smiles at me. “You look pretty,” she says. I lift one side of my mouth, trying to smile. At least she noticed. I’ve noticed she rarely leaves her room and I don’t like it. I did the same thing when I first got here, but after a while I couldn’t stand it anymore.
But she doesn’t seem to want to leave. It’s not healthy. “Thank you.” I gesture behind me. “Dinner is ready. It smells really good.”
She closes her book and sets it on the table next to her chair. “Oh, I’ll eat in here.”
I interlace my fingers together in front of me as I study her. “No. You’ll eat in the kitchen with me.” I’m being firm, but I think she needs it. She needs help to get out of this bubble she’s created for herself.
She blinks several times before leaning back in her chair. She runs her hand down the arm of the chair and glances outside. “Could we eat in the breakfast nook instead?” she asks.
I tilt my head at her, trying to hear what she’s saying without saying it. “Why?”
She swallows and looks down at her lap. “The kitchen is so big,” she whispers. I walk to her and kneel down in front of her, grasping her hands.
“Oh, Anna.” I don’t know what to say. “You don’t like big spaces?” I ask.
She clings to my hands and squeezes her eyes shut. “There’s all those windows, then the different hallways that lead to the kitchen, and the living room. There’s so many spaces for someone to come in and me not see them.” A blush creeps up her neck and she covers her face with her hands.
