“Oh, hush. I highly doubt that,” Hannah said.
“Wish I’d have thought about getting you a kitty. I didn’t even know you wanted one.”
“You named her Hope?”
I nodded. I needed more than a cat named Hope, but I’d take whatever I could get these days.
“How do you like this place?” Peyton asked, taking a seat on the bed.
“It’s okay,” I answered. What was he expecting? It was better than where I had lived for years, but just about anywhere would be better than there. So far here, no one bothered me. I didn’t have to do things I didn’t want to do. I was treated how I thought an equal would be.
Was I happy, though? I don’t think I ever could be happy after everything I’d been through.
“You look like you’re feeling better,” Hannah said as I handed over the kitten to her. “I used to have a few cats when I was younger. Ace hated them. Mom, well, she was a sucker for anything that needed attention.”
“What happened to her?” I asked, taking a seat a little way from Peyton.
“She passed away years ago. You were just a baby. Her first name was Elise,” Hannah said, her voice holding a bit of sadness to it. “She was a strong-willed woman, though. A heart of gold. But if she didn’t like you, she made sure the entire world knew. I probably have a picture or two around the house somewhere.”
“I don’t remember her all that well,” Peyton added. “Pops sure loves to boast about how demanding she was.”
“Ace never remarried?”
“No,” Peyton laughed, leaning back on the bed, his forearms holding him up. “He didn’t want to deal with all that again. Can’t say I blame him. I know Dad wouldn’t ever remarry, either.”
“Will you marry?” I asked.
“If I find the right gal, sure. I’m not out looking for one, though.”
“Pizza’s here!” Zevon yelled. “A request from the birthday girl.”
“You requested something?” Peyton asked, sitting back up, wide-eyed.
“No,” I said through my nose. “Collin asked what I liked to eat. I said pizza.” Who didn’t like pizza? It was just an easy answer.
“I think being way out here will do you some good, Scarlett,” Hannah said with a soft smile for me. “I just hope that you see we all care for you. Even Caesar, although he isn’t here today.”
“Where is he?”
“He had business to take care of. He’ll call later,” Peyton answered, standing. “He didn’t tell me what he was doing.”
“Oh, okay.” I didn’t really care what he was doing. I had yet to really figure out what to make of him.
During a late lunch, I sat back with my slice of pepperoni pizza, watching everyone talk to one another. Dominic and Peyton acted more like brothers, teasing each other back and forth, despite the disagreement still between them. Zevon would get yelled at when he tried to make jabs at either one of them. Hannah tried to keep everyone from getting too crazy. And Ace was a lot like me, sitting back and watching everything around him.
Collin would talk to Hannah and Zevon, once in a while stopping to listen to a crappy joke that went over my head.
It was not how I was expecting this day to turn out.
“You okay?” Ace asked from beside me. His voice was quiet so as not to draw attention.
“Yeah,” I whispered, clearing my throat.
“No, you aren’t. What are you thinking?”
“Stuff.”
Seeing that I wasn’t up to talking, he let the subject drop. For now.
