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The chatter grows louder again, indicating that the horde of girls downstairs has relocated to Annabel’s room across the hall. Realizing I won’t get any peace and quiet here, I roll off my bed and sift through my oversized suitcase for my running clothes. I can hear the girls’ shrieks continue as I quickly change into a pair of athletic shorts and a t-shirt, then grab my phone and headphones.
I open my door slowly, hoping to avoid running into Annabel again. The hallway is empty, so I tiptoe toward the stairs. I can hear the girls gossiping loudly. I can’t make out all of what they’re saying, just a smattering of words as I head down the hallway. It sounds like they’re talking about boys. I chuckle under my breath. While some of my friends turned entirely boy crazy come middle school, my closest ones have always remained fairly levelheaded. Although Lanaisalways trying to talk me into going to USC parties with her.
Hearing Annabel and her friends talking sounds more like a teen sitcom than anything I can relate to. It occurs to me that ifallthe boys in this town look like Elliot and his friends, I could understand the inclination. I hurry the rest of the way down the staircase and out the front door, popping in my headphones as I begin to jog down the quiet, tree-lined road.
* * *
When I walk back through the front door forty-five minutes later, I’m unexpectedly hit with the mouthwatering aroma of roasting garlic and tomatoes. I walk into the kitchen to find Aunt Katherine pouring dry pasta into a pot of boiling water. A saucepan filled with bubbling red liquid sits on the stove.
“You’re home!” I state the obvious, but I’m genuinely surprised. My last few dinners here have consisted of frozen pizza.
My aunt spins around from the stove, smiling. “I am! I’m sorry I’ve been so busy, sweetie. Summer is especially hectic with bookings.”
“It’s fine,” I respond. “I’m the one who appeared on your doorstep out of nowhere.” More like my parents dropped me here, but still—not her problem.
“Nonsense, I’m so glad you’re here,” Katherine replies genuinely. “I’m just sorry work is this crazy right now.” She turns back around to stir the sauce. “How are you liking Canmore so far?” she asks over one shoulder.
I take a seat at the kitchen counter. “It’s beautiful here. I found a coffee shop where I’ve gotten a lot of my summer work done.”
“Summer work?”
“I’ve got tons of it, and not much else to do here, so I figured…” I trail off awkwardly.
“Nothing wrong with working hard.” She pauses. “As long as you take a break when you need it.”
I’m beginning to see why Katherine doesn’t get along with her parents, not to mention mine. If you ask any of them, breaks are for the uninspired and mediocre.
Annabel emerges from her room for dinner for the first time since I arrived, which puts Katherine in an excellent mood. There’s no sign of her friends who were here earlier. They must have left while I was on my run. The meal isn’t as awkward as I feared. Katherine asks me a deluge of questions about my mom, California, and school, leaving Annabel to roll her eyes and pick at her pasta. I try to be polite, but mostly I just lie a lot.
We’re almost finished eating when Katherine turns to her daughter and asks, “Isn’t tonight the carnival?”
Annabel grunts in response. Katherine frowns.
“What’s the carnival?” I ask, trying to ease the tension between them. Annabel and Katherine’s dynamic is different than I envisioned. As far as I know, it’s always just been the two of them, so I expected them to be close, not to mention the fact that Katherine seems to have the necessary qualifications for connecting with a child that my own mother lacks—like an interest in doing so.
“It’s an annual Canmore tradition,” Katherine replies. “It’s a great event. People from all over come to town for it. I was hoping the three of us could go after dinner, but I had an engagement shoot get rescheduled, so I don’t think I’ll be able to make it.” She gives me an apologetic look.
“It’s fine,” I’m quick to assure her.
“But Annabel always goes with her friends,” Katherine continues. “I was hoping they’d include you.”
“Mom,” Annabel groans, ignoring the fact that I’m sitting directly across from her. “You can’tforceme to hang out with her. I have plans with my friends.”
“Annabel Marie,” Aunt Katherine scolds. “How dare you speak that way! Auden doesn’t know anyone here. You should introduce her to your friends—you’re practically the same age.”
“It’s fine,” I jump in. I have no desire to defend Annabel, but the last thing I want to do is cause problems between her and my aunt. I also have no interest in attending the carnival with Annabel and her posse, even if I were welcome, so I quickly come up with an excuse. “My mom’s supposed to call tonight, and I haven’t had the chance to talk to her recently.” Except for when she dropped that little divorce bomb earlier, though I’m not allowed to share that tidbit.
Katherine nods. “Okay. I should have checked with you first, Auden.”
I guess I should be grateful for my mom’s lack of communication with her sister right about now. If they were closer, there’s no way Katherine would be buying my bullshit. My mom was headed to the airport right after the joint call with my father ended. I don’t even know what time zone she’s in at the moment.
The rest of the meal passes uneventfully. Annabel leaves to get ready for the carnival at a friend’s house as soon as we finish eating. After saying goodbye to me, Katherine leaves for her photo shoot.
Home alone. Again.
I shower off my run, then lie on my bed for a while, browsing through Netflix for something to watch. Eventually, I grow bored of the endless stream of options. I work on a watercolor painting I started on the plane, then grow sick of that, too. I change out of the sweatpants I put on after my shower into a pair of jeans and a t-shirt.
After locking up the house and sliding my phone into my pocket, I start walking down the street. Neither Annabel nor Katherine mentioned where the carnival is taking place, but I figure it must be in the direction of downtown. Eventually, I start following the foot traffic.
