“Wait – you didn’tactuallyget her a skull ring,didyou?”
Kyle didn’t answer my question. Instead he headed for the door. “Goodnight,Casey.”
I followed behind him right on his heels. “Because if you were actually thinking of proposing, you could always employ my services… which, I might add, are free ofcharge.”
“Oh, I’m sure they are,” he said. Thankfully he accepted my meddling ways with amusement. “Anyway, it’s been fun, Casey, but I’ve got to get back, or Vadim will kill me in my sleep. Remember what I said about Sydney. You’re going for ‘I’m there for you’ not ‘Let me smother you inmylove.’”
“Got it. Thank you, Kyle. I can always count on you. And, you know…” I winked in his direction. “You can always count on me.”Wink.Wink.
He shook his head, smiling as he purposely avoided responding to my goading. Kyle grabbed a Kleenex out of the box on the kitchen counter before walking over to Sydney and dropping it inherlap.
“How do you make a tissue dance?” heasked.
“I don’t know,” she said, looking upathim.
“Put a little boogeyinit!”
Sydney wiped the last of her tears away andlaughed.
“Seeya,Syd.”
“Bye,weirdo.”
He caught her insult in his hand and pressed it to his heart, as if it meant the world to him. Sydney and I bothgiggled.
“Goodnight, ladies.” He stepped out of the bus but then popped his head back in and with a sly smile on his face said, “Oh, and by the way, Casey, your services may be requested somewhere downtheline.”
I threw my arms in the air and had them perform a silent little boogey oftheirown.
“What was that all about?” Sydney asked, oncehe’dleft.
“Just a littleinsidejoke.”
“Oh. He’s funny. Ilikehim.”
“Me too,” I said, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. “Are you readyforbed?”
Syd eyed me skeptically. “You’re not going to ask me why I wascrying?”
“Do you wantmeto?”
“Nope.”
“Okay, then, let’s get readyforbed.”
She dragged her feet, but eventually I did convince her to put on pajamas and brush her teeth. Sydney climbed up into the top bunk. Earlier in the day, she and Riley had fought viciously over the coveted spot, but in the end, she’d pulled rank over her little brother and claimed it for herself. I felt for Riley. Being the youngest myself, I couldn’t have even dreamed of getting the top bunk back in the day. When we went on family vacations, I was lucky if I got the cushions off thecouch.
I spent extra time folding the blankets and sheets over my little niece, hoping to swaddle her in comfort. Her life was so hard now, anything I could do to lessen the blow was at least something. Sydney surprised me by reaching out and lightly running her finger over a strand ofmyhair.
“You’re so pretty,” she whispered. “I wish Iwasyou.”
A flood of emotion threatened to overtake me as I hugged her. “You are me… in so many ways. We both have similar personalities, sarcastic and brave, and you look like I did as a kid, only you’re much prettier thanIwas.”
“You think I’mpretty?”
“I think you’re beautiful. But trust me when I say being attractive on the outside might get you places, but it doesn’t make you special without having a good solid core.” I held my hand to her chest. “Inside here. This is what makes youcount.”
“What if I don’t have anything left inside here?” she asked, placing her hand over her heart as well. “Then what doIdo?”
