Where the Stars Still Shine(33)

“Hey! Why’d you leave?” She sits too close to me, the way she always does. She’s a space invader. It doesn’t bother me too much, though.

Connor closes his eyes and makes exaggerating kissing noises through puckered lips, making Kat giggle. I separate the checkers and push the red ones across to his side of the board.

“Another game?” I ask, and he nods.

“Sorry.” She crinkles her nose, and she looks so cute and happy that I feel a rush of affection for her. “We got a little carried away. You’re, um—you’re not mad, are you?”

Kissing Alex in the kitchen when Greg and Phoebe were right down the hall was … irresistible. And not because there was a chance we could get caught, but because not kissing him was inconceivable at the time. So, I don’t know. I guess I understand that Kat and Nick have an inability to keep their lips off each other. If Alex had been at the docks earlier, I can only imagine what we’d be doing right now. Also, I wonder if I’m supposed to be thinking about Alex when I’m playing checkers with Connor. I file that away to consider another time and nudge Kat with my elbow. “Next time, pick a movie we haven’t seen.”

Greg comes outside. If he’s surprised to see everyone after I asked him to say no, he doesn’t mention it. He joins us at the picnic table, asking Kat, Nick, and Connor about their classes and teachers, and reminisces about when he attended Tarpon Springs High. I feel a little left out—and maybe slightly curious about high school—but not enough that I regret my decision not to go.

They stay until it gets too dark to see the checkerboard and Phoebe returns with the kids. Greg gathers up the game while I walk around front with Kat and the boys.

“Thanks for inviting us over.” Kat links her arm through mine. “And next time I promise we’ll watch the movie.”

“Deal.”

She throws her arms around me and even though I’m not sure I’ll ever get used to the demonstrativeness of this family, I hug her back. “I’ll see you at the shop tomorrow after school,” she says.

Connor lingers as Kat slides into the passenger’s seat of Nick’s green sedan. “I was wondering—” Connor runs his hand up into his hair, then pats his bangs down against his forehead. His nervousness is kind of endearing. “Do you want to go to the movies Saturday night? Without Kat and Nick, I mean.”

Alex resurfaces in my mind, but I remind myself that if I don’t warrant an explanation, neither does he. I’m not sure how I feel about Connor. I guess I like him. Enough, at least, that he would be a good choice for my first real date. Enough to want to say yes.

So I do.





The next two days drag and I spend most of my time perched on a stool behind the cash register, studying the Dummies book between customers. I’m struggling to decipher the language of web design, and my inability to understand it, let alone master it, frustrates me. It doesn’t help that we’re always busy, but Theo explains we’re “in season” and that the flow of tourists won’t slow until after Easter.

Wednesday is my day off. I planned to sleep late, but my body has already gotten used to waking up early. As I lie in bed, I look around the Airstream. It’s strange how much I’ve accumulated in such a short time. How easy it is to start sending roots down into my personal soil. A weed of guilt sprouts in my metaphorical garden, making me feel as if I don’t deserve to own fairy lights or long silver necklaces or a finger-sponge bouquet. And when did I start thinking about my own mother as a weed?

I throw off the covers, gather my shower supplies, and head to the house.

“Morning,” Phoebe says, as I come into the kitchen. Tucker sits in his booster chair, his mouth stuffed with pancakes. Joe gives me a bashful grin and calls me Peach. I have a feeling this nickname is going to stick.

Phoebe and I haven’t spoken much since the day I overheard her worrying about my potential for mental illness, but I don’t want to be rude. “Hi.”

“If you’re interested”—she places a plate of cut-up pancakes in front of Joe—“I brought my bike home from my parents’ house. It’s old, but it might make getting around a little easier until you get your license.”

This feels like a gesture. An apology, maybe? If not, a bicycle is still a useful thing to have, and it’s been a very long time since I’ve had one. “Definitely. Thanks.”

She smiles and I wonder if she thinks this makes everything between us good again. Does it? I’m not sure. “I’ll have Greg clean it up when he gets home from work.”

“I can probably do it,” I say. “I kind of want to find a bookstore today.”

“There’s one downtown,” Phoebe says. “It’s really nice, but they don’t have a huge selection like the big store at the mall. I can drive you there if you can’t find what you need in town.”

“I’ll think about it.”

“I’m free all day.”

I nod. “Thanks.”

“Want some pancakes?” She angles the pan so I can see the golden brown circles. My traitorous stomach rumbles.

“Yeah, okay.” I sit down beside Joe, who touches my cheek with sticky fingers. I turn my face and pretend to chomp his hand. His eyes go wide and my heart sinks to my stomach, afraid that I’ve frightened him. And verified that I can’t be trusted around Phoebe’s babies. Except, when he realizes his hand is still intact, Joe giggles. Belly giggles. Infectious giggles that make Tucker laugh and his mother smile.