“Sounds like you’ll have a good time.”
“Yeah. I think I will.”
The seed had been planted. I could hope.
Lacey invited me and Scott over to her house to watch movies on my first night home. She had the latestStar WarsDVD set up in the living room, ready to go. When she and Eli headed to the kitchen, Scott turned to me.
“Is Kimberley coming?”
I shook my head. “She flew out to Wyoming for Thanksgiving.”
“That’s good.” He made an exaggerated study of the room, hands shoved into his pockets.
Weird. He’d given me a tiny hug when he picked me up, and now he seemed to be avoiding my gaze. “Is everything okay?”
“Yeah.”
“Doesn’t feel like it.”
He faced me and said, “It’s just—”
“Here we are.” Lacey burst into the room, Eli following her, their arms loaded down with snacks.
Scott closed his mouth. Hurt flickered in his eyes, triggering tension in me.
If it hadn’t already been obvious that Scott and I weren’t a couple, an evening with Lacey and Eli would’ve proven it. They snuggled in a recliner, intertwined physically and emotionally. Scott and I sat on the loveseat, a small but loud gap between us.
Around midnight, Scott drove me back to my apartment. Leaving the truck idling, he followed me up the steps. Once I had the door open, he made a cursory glance inside, then gave me a pained smile.
The idling truck made it clear that there was no point to inviting him in. “Thanks for bringing me home.”
“Sure.”
We smiled some more. I hurried to fill the awkward silence. “Um... want to come over tomorrow?”
“Can’t,” he said, rocking on his heels. “I’m leaving early in the morning to drive to Virginia Beach.”
“Why?”
“To visit my sister and her family.”
“You have a sister?”
His lips thinned. “And a brother. He lives in Florida.”
Embarrassment heated my face. How could I have not known something that important? Had I really been too self-absorbed by grief to pay attention? “I didn’t know.”
“They’re a lot older than me.” He gave a nod and started down the steps.
“See you when you get back.”
His only acknowledgment was a brief wave of his hand.
I stayed at the window until his taillights disappeared. Slumping into the closest chair, I frowned at the ceiling fan. I’d expected more from this reunion, and not getting it left me unsettled.
38
Break Through
