“Backyard. I think she knows we’re leaving—she’s been moping all morning.”
I load the suitcase into Mom’s car, then grab one more from the hallway. David emerges from his home office, phone pressed to his ear, mouthing a silent greeting as he passes.
“I’ve left lasagna in the fridge,” Mom says, following me with a cooler bag. “And there’s plenty of dog food in the pantry. Don’t forget Lulu needs her heartworm pill on Sunday—I’ve left it on the kitchen counter with a note.”
“Got it.” I heave the last bag into the trunk. “We’ll be fine, Mom. It’s just two nights.”
“I know, I know.” She fusses with the arrangement of bags.
“We’ll be fine,” I repeat. “I promise not to murder Kade while you’re gone.”
She laughs. “That’s all I ask. Though maybe you could try getting along? Like last night?” Her eyes take on that hopeful gleam she gets whenever she talks about Kade and me bonding. “It was so nice to see you two watching a movie together.”
My face heats at the memory of what we were actually doing moments before she walked in. “Yeah, well. We’re trying.”
David joins us, finally off his call. “Everything loaded? Good man.” He claps a hand on my shoulder. “Remember, no parties while we’re gone.”
“Wouldn’t dream of it,” I assure him, thinking of the date night I’ve planned with Serena—hardly a wild party.
“And keep an eye on Kaden,” he adds, lowering his voice. “He’s been…different lately. Quiet.”
I blink in surprise. Kade, quiet? That doesn’t track with the confident, loud stepbrother I know. Though, come to think of it, he had been subdued.
“I’ll check in with him,” I promise, unsure if I’ll have the courage to do so.
The sound of an approaching engine draws our attention. Kade’s ancient Honda pulls into the driveway, music thumping through the closed windows. He cuts the engine and emerges, backpack slung over one shoulder. My heart does a stupid little stutter-step at the sight of him.
“Perfect timing!” Mom calls out. “We were just leaving.”
Kade strolls over, dropping his backpack on the grass. “Need help with anything?”
“All loaded,” David says, checking his watch. “We should hit the road if we want to beat traffic.”
Mom launches into another round of instructions—emergency contacts, the name of their hotel, reminders about locking doors and setting the alarm. Kade nods along, his eyes flicking to me, then away again when I notice.
“Lulu’s in the backyard,” I say when Mom pauses for breath. “We’d better go check on her. Let her know not all of us are abandoning her.”
“We’re not abandoning her,” Mom protests. “We’re leaving her with her two favorite people.”
Kade snorts. “Second favorite, in my case. Lu only has eyes for Golden Boy here.”
The nickname sends an unexpected pang through me. Before last night, it was always laced with mockery. Now, I’m not sure what it means.
Finally, Mom and David are in the car and backing out of the driveway. Kade and I stand there waving like dutiful sons until they turn the corner and disappear from view.
The silence that follows is enormous, pressing against my ears like deep water. Kade bends to pick up his backpack, and I head for the guest house, desperate to put some space between us.
“Hold up.” His voice stops me in my tracks. “You’ve been avoiding me all day.”
“What? No, I haven’t.”
Kade crosses his arms, planting himself in my path. “Bullshit. I saw you duck into the library when I walked across the quad this morning.”
Heat creeps up my neck. “I had research to do.”
“And I suppose you suddenly needed to tie your shoe when I came into the cafeteria at lunch? For five straight minutes?”
I wince. So he had noticed. “I’ve been busy.”
