Hurt shadowed the depths staring back at him. “Don’t I know it.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Nothing.” She shook her head. “It means nothing.”
Should he push her? Knowing Kayla, she’d only push back harder, and before they knew it, they’d be locked into a reverse tug of war. Instead, he closed her door with more force than required and counted backward from five as he made his way around the hood of the car.
His temper was always getting him into trouble. Just ask Davie. Seth made a fist and let it fall on the top of the car. If he was ever going to start building bridges with Kayla, he couldn’t go around smashing the foundation before the concrete dried. He ripped open his door and fell into the driver’s seat, starting the ignition and slamming the transmission into gear in quick succession.
“I know you’re probably tired, but we’re going to have to stop by the center before heading to the flat. There’s a meet and greet to celebrate the current session starting. An opportunity for parents to get to know the volunteers working with their kids and also for community members to come and offer their support.”
She leaned against the door and stared at him. “So that’s it?”
He ignored the bait she dangled from a hook like an angler. “It’ll be good. Give you an opportunity to meet everyone. You can see where you’ll be working.” He glanced her way before returning his focus to the road. “Mila is excited to have someone with your talent on board.”
She crossed her arms. “My talent?”
“Art. She’s had an advertisement up looking for someone who could aid that department.”
“Hopefully she finds a willing person, because it won’t be me.”
“Why not? You love creative expression. You’d be perfect for the job.”
“Except I don’t paint anymore. I don’t draw. I haven’t so much as colored in a book in ages. But you wouldn’t know that, would you?”
“Then this will be the perfect opportunity for you to pick it back up again.”
“No.”
“Yes.”
She made a strangled cry in the back of her throat and turned to stare out the window. “You aren’t listening to me!”
“What? What would you like to say, because I’d sure like to hear it. I’d love to hear how someone with such a healthy bank account felt the need to try and steal from a store, or why someone with such natural talent like yours would squander it away.”
The car seemed to shake under him, and he feared it was from the loud vibrations of his voice. Regret pooled around him, dampening his temper. He sighed and chanced a quick look at Kayla. Her face was flushed, skin pulled tight.
“Look, I’m sorry.” He reached out and put his hand on her shoulder, but she flinched away from his touch. “I’m listening. Tell me what’s going on with you. Please.” He wasn’t sure how she’d react, but he had to say it. “I’m worried about you.”
Her hard lines stiffened further. She might as well have been made out of granite.
“I miss my sister,” he whispered.
Out of his peripheral vision, he thought he saw a tear form in her eye, but then he blinked and nothing was there.
He pulled into the center’s parking lot and turned off the ignition. His knee bumped the steering wheel as he turned toward Kayla. “Can we talk about this some more later?”
She sniffed, her spine ramrod straight. “There’s nothing to talk about.” Exiting the car, she effectively slammed the door on the conversation, leaving him on the outside of her life.
He followed after her but didn’t say anything. They’d be among other people in seconds, so this was neither the time nor place to take a crowbar to that invisible door. One day though…
He spotted Amber along the edge of the rec room beside Yasmin, and the tight ball that had been sitting in the middle of his chest began to dissolve. Amber wore a floral sundress, and her long, dark-blonde hair was out of its normal ponytail, cascading over a shoulder. She smiled at something Yasmin was saying to her, and he couldn’t help but compare Amber’s inner softness and the light that shined out of her to Kayla’s sharp angles and moodiness. Day and night in female form.
Without thought, he grabbed his sister’s wrist and made a beeline to the two women. “There’s someone I want you to meet.”
His movements caught Amber’s attention, and she looked over at him from across the room with a smile. Yasmin leaned close to her and shared whispered words. Ones that caused a blush to pink Amber’s cheeks.
By the time he made it to them, his heart pumped as hard as it did after a full day of drills. People rubbed off on each other, which was why he’d tried so hard to protect Kayla growing up. He hadn’t wanted any of the dirt from their neighborhood to rub off on her and drag her down. But maybe that hadn’t been enough.
