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ChapterSeven
KRYSTAL
My mom was laying it on thick. At least, I was pretty sure she was. Maybe I’d gotten some of my acting skills from her after all.
“You’re sure I can’t just do it, Mom?” I looked at the attic access hatch with a skeptical stare.
“Oh, no. That staircase almost crushed me the last time I tried to open it. Esther made me swear up and down that I would have Kenny come over and fix it before I tried again.” Her eyes were wide and her expression serious.
I pulled my lips to the side. She certainly was convincing.
I sighed. “Fine. Call Esther and have her send Kenny. I don’t understand what is so important about setting up the Easter decorations this year, anyway. We can celebrate without them, I’m sure of it.” I hadn’t decorated for Easter at my house in…well, ever. I barely had a Christmas tree, to be honest. Not that I would admit that to my mother.
“Of course we do. I set up that Easter tree in the kitchen every year. And your grandma hand-painted those ornaments for it! I’ll not have it gathering dust up in the attic.”
I held my hands up in surrender. “I already said you could call Esther,” I said with a laugh.
“Besides, Kenny has grown into such a nice man. He needs a nice girl to settle down with.”
I tilted my head sharply. “Don’t even go there. You know I’m heading home in seven weeks, right?”
Mom gave an innocent expression. “I’m notgoinganywhere. I didn’t mean you, I just meant…”
I raised an eyebrow, waiting for her explanation.
She sagged back into the recliner. “Fine, maybe I did mean you. What’s wrong with wishing my baby girl would settle down and move closer to home? I miss you!”
I sat on the arm of the large chair and leaned in to wrap her in a hug. “I miss you, too. I’m really hopeful that this year will change things for me. If I’m busy with movie roles, my schedule should mean I can visit more often, since I won’t be stressed about finding auditions and being available for callbacks at the drop of a hat.”
Mom nodded, but her silence was telling. She was sad.
“Let’s just enjoy the time we have now, okay? We’ve got tons of time before I leave.”
“Okay. You just keep an open mind, though. Maybe Minden will grow on you.”
I stood up to hide my frustration. Minden was never the problem.
“Can you grab my phone so I can call Esther?”
I clenched my jaw. We were still doing that? “Sure thing.” I handed her the phone and pointed to the kitchen. “I’m going to clear the dishes.”
Two hours later, a knock on the door pulled me away from the emails I was scheduling for a client. I smiled at Kenny Woodhouse. He was several years younger than me. I’d even babysat for him a time or two when I was a teen and he was a rambunctious nine or ten-year-old.
“Good to see you, Kenny.”
“Wow, Krystal Daughtry. It’s been a while, hasn’t it?”
“Come on in. It’s nice of you to stop by. As my mom tells it, the stairs are liable to crush me if I try to open the hatch.”
He smiled. “No problem. I was in the neighborhood for a job anyway.”
I led him back to the hallway where the attic stairs pulled from the ceiling. “What is it that you do?”
“I work as a handyman.”
I waited, but he didn’t expand on his answer. “Oh, awesome. Let me know your hourly rate and I’ll be sure to get you paid for this job.”
He shook his head. “My mom would skin my tail if I charged you guys.” He shuffled his feet and looked down. “She, uh, suggested I ask you to dinner.”
