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Honesty was always the best policy. But with the way things had unfolded, I didn’t feel like the truth would be a productive thing to say.
Regina went and spilled the beans for me. Maybe that lessened the impact. I didn’t know for sure.
Kiara gave a defeated sigh. “I’m…heading back to my apartment.”
“I’ll come with you. We can talk,” Regina offered, “while I unpack and stuff, okay?”
“Not staying with my dad?”
But instead of acknowledging that salty jab, Regina tucked her arm around her bestie and guided her across the street. I watched the two of them disappear inside without a word to me. Not even a wave or a glance. They were in their own little world right now.
I had to just be okay with that.
Chapter 18 - Regina
Upstairs in the lavish bedroom that Kiki got to call hers, I tentatively sat on her bed. I didn’t grab any of my bags from the truck yet. It almost felt like the wrong thing to do when she was in the dumps about the news I dropped on her. I hadn’t even consulted Eric about it. I let it slip because I knew her catching on to what truly happened would only worsen things.
Tall tales will only get harder to manage as time goes on, I thought. If I keep letting this one grow, I might lose track of it in the clouds.
Strange how my father could speak through my thoughts. Yet amazing how he could still guide me from the Great Beyond. As much as I knew he was right, I also felt justified in my actions. I didn’t owe Kiki an explanation for anything. She didn’t get to get in the way just because she wanted to get in the way.
Despite being kids to single parents without siblings, we had a wildly different upbringing. Kiki got to do just about anything she wanted without her father hovering over her while I learned structure, routine, and discipline. Sure, maybe those things didn’t get me the guy. Maybe they left me inexperienced. Perhaps they lead me to snatching my bestie’s father from right under her nose.
I didn’t want to regret anything. I also didn’t want to feel like I was about to get into trouble.
This situation wouldn’t make any of us winners, would it?
I sank into the lush cushions and folded my hands in my lap. Kiki kept pacing between the stairwell and the window, arms crossed and right eye twitching.
“You look like Eric.”
She halted in the middle of the room and turned blankly to me. “What?”
“Your eye thing—the twitch.” I tried to smile, but it felt like she was glaring daggers right into my soul. Nope. No time for smiling, I guessed. “He does the same thing.”
“Staring at my father, huh?”
I shrugged. “Yeah, I spent a whole weekend with him, Ki. I think I can tell you whether or not his eye twitches when he’s stressed out.”
“There’s something you aren’t telling me.”’
“A lot happened, Kiara.”
She squinted. “You keep saying that without actually saying anything. What about my mother? What did she do?”
“Your mom trapped us in a tunnel and nearly had us killed.”
Her brows hardened together as she glared at the ground. Phew. It was hard being in her disapproving line of sight. I felt like I was walking a tightrope without a net beneath me. This kind of thing had never happened before. I wasn’t sure what else to do than try to be a good support to my bestie.
I drew a deep, steadying breath. “She tried to goad your father into fighting. I think she might have been behind our car troubles if I’m being honest.”
“Yeah, I remember you said car trouble, but you never said what it was about.”
“Spark plugs needed replacing.”
She arched her left brow. “And that took a whole day?”
“The guys didn’t have the type of plugs we needed for the truck, and they had to go to the next town to get them, Kiki. You’re starting to sound jealous.”
