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He rumbled his agreement. “I’ll get you there.”
“Well, now that that’s settled, how about some lunch?” Loki’s mom clapped.
***
“This is a really nice place you have here,” I said to Andrea.
I’d started out calling Loki’s mom Mrs. Merritt, but she’d nipped that one pretty darn quick.“You call me Andrea...or mom. You’re family,”she’d said.
“Oh, yes. This is a big step up from where I lived with Bryce. Zeth is so good to me,” she smiled wistfully.
We were sitting on the back porch watching while Zeth, Loki’s stepfather, and Loki worked on the motor of the boat that was tied to their dock.
Sterling, Cleo, Parker, and Silas all sat on the dock, bullshitting with the two inside of the boat.
“I wouldn’t mind the water every once in a while, but after Katrina, I don’t think I’ll ever be able to live this close to water ever again,” I shivered.
Andrea turned to me, rotating until her foot was planted in the chair, and smiled sadly. “I don’t like hurricane season much, either. Zeth’s been trying to get me to leave for a couple yearsnow. He wants to move to somewhere that has four defined seasons, but I just can’t bear to give this place up.”
“I don’t see how you could either. It’s majestic,” I said.
It felt beautiful out. The sun wasn’t too hot, the weather wasn’t obscenely humid. The ocean breeze felt damn near perfect.
Zeth and Andrea lived on the bay. Although it was waterfront, they didn’t have any beach at all, which is one thing I would’ve liked to have if I’d ever had the choice.
“So, tell me how you met Loki. He’s told me about you, but not how y’all met,” she said excitedly.
I giggled. “Oh, well the first day I met him, I got into a fight with my brother about mowing the lawn. When he refused, I did it even though my asthma was acting up, which was incredibly stupid; but, at the time, I was mad and not thinking straight. Loki helped me when I had the asthma attack that I should’ve expected.”
“Oh, dear. That’s awful. He’s a helpful boy like that, though. He’d do all the housework while I was at work. And he was always very neat. He was the most unusual child.” She shook her head.
I snorted. “If I leave a sock on the floor, he picks it up and puts it in the appropriate place. And God help me if I don’t put the toilet paper back on the roll correctly,” I shook my finger at her.
She laughed. “Oh, yes. That’s my Bryce. I can’t wait till this baby comes and ruins his orderly life!”
I agreed wholeheartedly. “I’ve never actually been with him for more than a couple of days. So it definitely should be interesting, if nothing else.”
I would’ve continued with that line of thought, but my phone rang, indicating it was Brittany.
“I’m sorry, if you’ll excuse me. It’s my boss,” I said as I stood and walked down the steps.
I stopped when my feet met the edge of the lawn and answered. “Hello?”
“Where are you?” Brittany asked.
“Long story. Did Cabe not tell you I’d be gone until after Christmas break?” I asked.
“Yes... but you’ve been gone a long time. I thought you’d be back by now. A call would’ve been nice, though,” she snapped.
I sighed. “I’m sorry. It’s just that everything happened so freakin’ fast. Then the accident happened.”
“Yeah, I saw that accident. You made the news,” she said mournfully. “I heard about the young girl you helped after the mom was killed.”
“Wait,” I startled. “What do you mean the mom was killed?”
“That’s just what I mean...don’t you remember? You were the one that was there,” sheasked, baffled.
“The mom didn’t die. I spoke to her,” I said with a shake of my head.
