“Holy cow!” she shrieks, bounding toward my bedroom. I meet her in the doorway where she’s holding up her phone. “David has to go into the office to deal with something urgent.” Maddy shudders, gripping the phone tighter. “We’re not gonna have enough time to drop you at Kai’s house and come back this way to go to the city.”
I grab her shoulders. “Aunty, chill. We can handle this. What if we drive to Kai’s and David meets you there?”
“But what about my car?”
I shrug. “Leave it there.”
Her skin becomes a duller shade of pale. “Oh my gosh. Maybe I just shouldn’t go.”
“This is just your nerves about the flight and being away from home talking,” I say soothingly. “It’ll be fine. Let’s just pack up our gear and get going.”
To throw a spanner in the works, Gandalf lets out an ear-piercing scream.
“Ugh. He’s dying for his bottle.”
“Okay, I can handle this,” Aunt Maddy says, fanning her face. “You’ve got so much stuff to deal with already. You don’t need to pull your aunt off a ledge. Thanks, Jamie.”
I kiss her cheek and back away to the crying fake baby. “You’ll be okay.”
“I hope you will be,” she says, leaning against the doorframe.
I smile through a yawn. “I will be.”
Aunt Maddy’s hysterics continue throughout the house as she second guesses what she packed and what she might’ve forgotten. I finally get her out of the house by reminding her Hawaii has stores.
On the drive into town, her clammy hands squeeze the steering wheel and her knees bounce to an anxious beat. Fortunately, when we arrive at Kai’s house, David pulls up outside.
“I didn’t think I’d beat you here,” David says as we get out of the car.
“She was panicking,” I tease.
“Oh, honey, why?” David coos, wrapping his arms around Maddy and kissing the top of her head.
Barf.
Ugh. I gotta stop doing that.
“This trip is a big deal,” Aunt Maddy says, leaning against David for support. “Plus, I’m nervous about leaving Jamie.”
“I’ll be fine,” I say and the pair break apart. “Kai’s family are like my second home. They’ll take care of me.”
Aunt Maddy hugs me. “Please keep doing your homework and pay attention in classes.”
“I’ll do my best.”
Aunt Maddy grins, pulling back. “That’s all I ask.”
“Okay, hon,” David says. “I’ll grab your bags and then we’ll head off.”
I move to the trunk at the same time as David to collect my bags. I want to ignore him when he asks if I need a hand. Instead, I let him help and give him a smile. Heck, he’s taking my aunt on a getaway. I know he’s good to her, and I want to ensure he stays good to her. Just because he’s not my type doesn’t mean I should continue being curt with him. To be completely real, he’s never done a thing wrong to me. I think I’ve just enjoyed making faces at him. I need to work on cutting that habit. Even though it’s fun.
I thank David, and then see Maddy get Gandalf’s carrier from the backseat. I realize, for a brief moment, I’d forgotten his existence.
Aunt Maddy helps me walk my gear and my fake baby to the door. I want to send her packing after I ring the doorbell. Her jitters come back in full force, waiting for someone to answer the door.
“Why don’t you take off?” I suggest. “Everyone’s out watching Kai’s game, and Milo’s probably upstairs. He’ll take a few minutes to open the door.”
“No, I can’t leave until you’re inside.”
