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Opening the door to my room, I tossed my bag on the bed and slammed the door behind me. Had I really ever been this angry? I couldn’t remember a time when I’d been so upset, so hurt, so resentful of any one person in my life. I had a throbbing headache from the tension and my eyes felt like they were going to pop out of my head at any second.
As I dropped down on the end of the bed, there was a soft tapping at the door seconds before it opened. I lifted my head, ready to rip in to Jillian, but clamped my mouth shut as soon as I saw it wasn’t her.
Carolina stood in the doorway with a wrapped present in her hands as she stared almost shyly at me. “Hi,” she murmured softly, as if I were a wild animal and she was trying not to scare me away.
I didn’t answer as I continued to glare at her. She had been on her mother and sister’s side the entire time I’d lived there. I couldn’t trust her. She had laughed and snickered every time her mother had nagged me half to death over some petty bullshit.
Hadn’t she?
Realizing that I didn’t honestly know the answer suddenly had me frowning. Had she done those things? I couldn’t remember. Sure I remembered the glee on Georgia’s face as she’d done those things, but I couldn’t remember if Carolina had.
“Can I…come in?” she murmured, the smile on her face looking uncertain.
Still trying to figure out if Carolina had been just as bad as her older sister, I was so distracted that I waved her in without a word.
Hesitantly she offered me the present in her hands. “This is for you. From…all of us.”
That pulled me out of my musings and I lifted my brows at her obvious lie. Carolina grimaced and set the present on the bed beside me. “Okay, it’s from me,” she quickly amended. “I thought you might like this.”
Curious, I reached for it. The thing wasn’t very heavy and didn’t rattle when I shook it a few times. Pulling at one end of the package I slowly tore off the colorful Christmas wrapping to find a plain box underneath. Lifting the lid of the box I nearly dropped it when I saw what Carolina had given me.
Music paper. Lots and lots of music paper. At least a thousand sheets that were thick and a pretty beige. I’d seen this paper before and knew just how expensive it was. I made so many mistakes at times, though, that I’d never thought of buying any for myself to put my songs on.
My head shot up, meeting her eyes questioningly. “What’s this?”
She blushed. “I’ve heard you in here writing your songs and the last time you were working on one you started cursing because you had run out of paper,” she explained, her teeth sinking into her full bottom lip for a moment before she shrugged. “Your songs are incredibly good, Kin. I especially love the one you wrote for your mother… Anyway, I saw this at the store the next day and thought of you.”
I was beyond speechless. It was a thoughtful gift and one I hadn’t expected to come from anyone I had to share the same roof with. She had to have gone looking for the paper because it wasn’t the type that would just be lying around in any store.
“Thank you,” I belatedly told her after she had been standing there watching me for nearly a full minute. “I appreciate the gift, Carolina.”
She gave me a small, genuine smile and turned for the door. With her hand on the knob, she stopped and glanced at me over her shoulder. “I’m really sorry about Christmas Eve, Kin. Mother is a horrible bitch, and the things she was spewing about you and Angie were spiteful and untrue.”
I still had no idea what Jillian had been saying about me that had set Angie off in the first place. She’d tried to tell me, but I’d refused to listen. Jillian didn’t matter and that was the end of it as far as I was concerned.
“Thanks, Carolina. And thanks again for the present,” I told her with a small smile.
My phone started ringing with Lucy’s familiar ring tone before the door had even closed behind her. Feeling drained all of a sudden I lifted the phone to my ear and fell back against the pillows. “Hey, stranger.”
“Hey. How are you?” Her voice was full of concern and I knew that she must have heard what had gone down with Jillian and my family at the stupid gala.
“I’m okay,” I told her, although I wasn’t completely sure if it was the truth or not, but I didn’t want to talk about it. I was exhausted—physically, mentally, emotionally. Especially emotionally. “What’s up?”
“Jace called me. He was concerned about you.”
My heart contracted at the thought of Jace. He’d been with me for the last few days. Beside me. Behind me. In the background. Front and center. The guy had slept with me on his lap all night long Christmas Eve and gotten a stiff neck for me. He had held my hand—held me—and been there for me when I’d needed him the most. I missed him like crazy and he’d just left me at the door not twenty minutes before.
“I’m okay, Lu. I swear.”
“Want to come over?” she asked, changing the subject. “Mom is making cookies.”
My mouth watered at the thought of one of Layla Thornton’s homemade cookies, but instead of jumping to my feet I reached for the box of music paper beside me on the bed. My fingers traced over the lid as I shook my head. “Nah. I’m not hungry. Maybe tomorrow, though. I think I’m just going to call it an early night.”
“It’s three in the afternoon, Kin.”
I fought back a yawn. “Yeah, but I didn’t sleep well last night. I’m bone tired, Lu.”
/> “Okay. Well, I’ll let you get some rest, then.” I could hear the love in Lucy’s voice and let it wrap around me like a blanket. “Call me if you need to talk, babe. You know I’m here for you any time.”
