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Chapter 36
Kate
Ifocusonmy hands as I rinse the lathered soap off them. After drying them on the hand towel beside me, I bring my hands up to my nose and inhale the sweet aroma of vanilla cupcakes and frosting.
I close my eyes and fight back the tears as a memory of Andy and his love of this soap comes to the forefront of my mind.
I heard the bathroom door open as I waited for Andy on the couch. His loud sobs rang out as he rushed into my open arms. I scooped him into my arms and tried to calm his tears.
“Andy, what’s wrong? Did you hurt yourself? Did you burn yourself with hot water?” I looked over every inch of him with worry. I didn’t see any visible marks, but I knew that didn’t mean shit.
Andy wiped his nose with his sleeve while I brushed his hair off his face and dried a few fallen tears. He held on to me tightly, and in between his sobs, he finally spoke.
“You have the best-smelling soap, just like the kind Auntie Lo buys. And I thought—” Oh boy. I covered my teeth with my lips to hide my growing smile. I didn’t want him to think I was laughing at him and to get even more upset. I had a feeling I knew exactly where this conversation was leading. “—I thought that maybe if it smelled so sweet that it tasted sweet, too.”
A small giggle slipped from my lips, and I quickly tried to hide it by holding him closer to my chest. I ran my hand in a circular motion on his back to try to soothe him.
“Aww, Andy.” I remembered being a little kid, and when one of us wouldn’t listen, we got soap in the mouth. Of course, me being the mouthier of all of us, I got it the most. My parents used that nasty generic Dial soap. I couldn’t imagine that even if the soap had smelled much better, it wouldn’t even come close to tasting decent.
“You know, I think there might be a box of cupcake mix in the pantry. What do you say we whip up a batch? If you don’t tell your dad, I’ll even let you be the taste tester and bet that will help get that gross taste out of your mouth.”
Andy’s eyes lit up as if I hung the moon, and, well, right about now, he hung mine. “Can we add sprinkles on top?”
The smile on his face made me laugh. Clearly, the mention of cupcakes had taken the soap incident far from his mind. “I think we might be able to work out a deal with the sprinkles.” I winked.
Andy hopped off my lap in a flash and did a little happy dance. His tears were clearly a thing of the past.
I don’t even remember picking up the soap bottle, but here I am staring at the shiny pink label with the hand-drawn cupcake in the center. I hover it over the trash can, deciding whether or not to throw the bottle out, even though it isn’t near empty in the least.
Will everything in this house be a constant reminder?
I set the soap back on the sink and walk out of the room, heading back to my bedroom. With a bit of convincing from my sister, I decided to deliver the painting to just get away to clear my head.
Searching in my closet for a bag to take, I find the blue gift bag on the top shelf—Andy’s birthday present.
What is Andy doing? How is he coping? What did Jaxon tell him as to why I haven’t been around?
I don’t want him to think I abandoned him. I grab the bag from the top of my closet and set it down on my bag. After I finish stuffing the clothes in my suitcase, I glance out the window and see the driveway is empty. I could rush it across the street and leave it on the front porch before my sister arrives to pick me up after she gets done with her day to drop me off at the airport. Now is my chance to drop this off without running into Jaxon.
My hands are shaky as I cross the street. Just as I’m setting the bag down, the front door opens. Oh shit. I jump back, nearly tripping over my own two feet.
The front door fully opens to reveal an older woman with ashy blonde hair. “I’m sorry, dear. I didn’t mean to frighten you.”
“No, I’m sorry. I didn’t realize anyone was home. There weren’t any vehicles in the driveway.” I glance over my shoulder to make sure I hadn’t made that up and come up empty.
“Jaxon is at work, and my husband took Andy for some ice cream to get him out of the house. It’s Kate, right?” How does she know my name?
“Yes…”
She must sense my hesitation. “I’m sorry, where are my manners—I’m Sidney, Andy’s grandmother.”
“Of course.” I shake her hand. That’s why she looked so familiar. I had seen her photo on the wall. “It’s nice to meet you.”
“You too. I’ve heard a lot about you.”
“Oh.” My eyes widen slightly. She has?
“Would you like to come inside? I just made a fresh batch of lemonade and some brownies.” Sidney gestures with her hand to the front door, and anxiety soars through my veins. I wouldn’t feel right being inside Jaxon’s house without his consent. I know I was when I watched Andy, but that was under different circumstances.
“I don’t think that’s a good idea. I just wanted to drop this off.” I hold up the gift bag toward her. “For Andy. It was supposed to be for his birthday, but I wanted him to have it now. Could you make sure that he gets it?”
Sidney accepts the bag and holds it close to her chest. “Of course.”
“Thank you.” I turn to head back home, but she speaks up.
“I was actually hoping to get the chance to talk to you.”
“You were?” What could she possibly want to talk to me about? She just met me.
She nods. “I hope this doesn’t sound stalker-like, but I’ve been watching out the front window, deciding if I should walk over, but then I saw you walking over here, so I took this as a sign.”
I laugh softly at her honesty.
“Why don’t we have a seat.” She holds her hand out toward the porch chairs. I glance back at my house. I guess I have a few more minutes. I’ll be able to see when Lauren pulls up. “I promise it won’t take long.” I turn back to find her giving a hopeful smile. I see glimpses of Andy in that expression, and I already know within moments of meeting her I can’t refuse her.
“Sure.” I follow her and take a seat.
She takes a few minutes to talk. “The day Courtney and Jax told us they were expecting was one of the happiest days of our lives. Nine months later, she was gone. Jax not only had to learn how to be a parent, but to do it while grieving his loss.” Every time I hear this story, my heart breaks more and more for him.
