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“But that night, I didn’t notice that my best friend’s sister and her boyfriend were drunk. I should have never let them go off alone.” I shook my head. To this day, I blamed myself and that prick she was dating for her death.
Tina’s barely audible gasp and the way she brought her hand to her mouth told me she knew the unhappy ending my story held.
Chapter Twenty-Three
TINA
I could not imaginethe heartache they’d all experienced after a tragedy like that, especially at such a young age. The guilt that permeated each of his words made it obvious how it still affected him. But before I could ask the myriad of questions swirling in my head, Callie wandered back to us, looking spent. She had definitely worn herself out.
Once we were back at the house, I pointed down the hallway toward the bathrooms. “Showers. Both of you.” The outdoor ones at the beach were great for rinsing off the sand, but not necessarily for getting clean. “Callie, you can use my bathroom.”
She nodded. “Okay.”
“Do you want me to order a pizza?” Kyle’s voice came from behind me.
Teddy’s eyes lit up. “Pizza! Pizza!”
There was his answer. With a small smile, I peeked over my shoulder. “Do you mind?”
He shook his head. “No, not at all.”
“Thanks. I’ll go help Teddy.”
By the time the pizza arrived, both kids were showered and in fresh clothes. I still needed a shower, but it would have to wait until the kids were in bed.
“Are you excited about your first day of school tomorrow?” Kyle asked Teddy.
Teddy nodded with a mouthful of pizza. “I pay?—”
“Teddy, chew first. Then you can tell Kyle.”
He nodded and chewed very dramatically while Kyle grinned at his antics.
He tried again. “I pay on the payground tomorrow.”
The speech services he would get through the school would help him with his pronunciation of certain consonants.
“I bet you’ll get to do lots of fun things at school,” Kyle added.
Callie joined the conversation, telling us all about what she’d be learning in fifth grade. As we ate and chatted, I took in our little group, stopping on Kyle. He was leaned back against the chair, his hands locked casually behind his head. Like he’d always been here.
When we’d finished and cleaned up the pizza box, Teddy had dragged Kyle to the living room. Callie brought the plates to the kitchen before scampering off, and I soaked up the moment of silence.
When I’d finished wiping down the table, I stepped into the great room. “Almost time for bed, guys.”
Callie was on the sofa with a book, and Teddy was on the floor with Kyle,playing with Legos.
Kyle stood and gave me a soft smile.
“Kyle, you going home now?” Teddy asked, jarring me back to reality.
“Oh. Um—I…” He looked from Teddy to me, raising his brows, silently askingam I?
I opened my mouth to sayhe’s not leaving yet, but Callie piped up before I could get the words out.
“Of course he is. He sleeps at his own house.”
My breath stuttered at the comment. Did she think we were talking about him staying over? That was not a conversation I wanted to have with her yet. Especially when she was still struggling. A frown pulled at my lips.
