Along Came Trouble(41)
And God help her, she’d liked it.
“He’s the right person for the job,” she said finally. “He knows what he’s doing.”
I don’t, though.
“Well, at least one thing’s going right. Oh, just a sec—”
Someone’s muffled voice came over the phone, and she heard Jamie say faintly, “What time?” and then, after a moment, “Now?” Then he was back on the line. “I’ve gotta go. I have a meeting in five, and it’s going to take ten to get there. I’ll call you back this weekend, okay?”
“Sure. Just . . . think about Carly, okay?”
“I hardly ever think about anything else. Later, Ellen.”
“Bye.”
After she disconnected the call, she looked down at the giant mound of celery she’d sliced—enough for eight salads. Multitasking had never been her strong suit.
She had to decide. To make up her mind about whether she wanted the lights, the alarm. Whether she wanted Caleb.
It had been so long since she wanted anything at all, she didn’t know how to decide.
After a moment’s consideration, she made up her mind to watch her movie. Bogey and Bacall always seemed to know what they wanted. Maybe it would rub off.
Chapter Eleven
“I have to go out. You want pizza for dinner?” Caleb asked. “I’m going to pick a few up at the Cove, and I could drop one off for you.”
“Where are you going?” Katie twisted a silver ring around and around her thumb. A nervous habit. Caleb recognized it from her television-watching weeks, and he looked at her more closely. She’d been doing a lot better lately—so much so that he’d almost forgotten to worry about her. But tonight, something was off. She’d been quieter than usual since he got home this afternoon, and here came the twisting.
“I’m headed over to Ellen’s,” he said.
“Oh, reeeally. And why, may I ask, are you going to Ellen’s again tonight?”
“It’s not that. I was trying to get her to install security lights, but she wouldn’t agree, and now I have to make good on my threat to stand guard on her porch.”
“When are you supposed to sleep?”
Caleb scrubbed his hand over his face. “Maybe I won’t sleep. But I’m hoping she’ll cave by midnight.”
“Not me. I hope she keeps you out there all night. That would be hilarious.”
“Thanks.” Part of him wanted to ask Katie what was the matter, but it didn’t usually work to be that direct with her. If she wanted to talk to him, she would have to be the one to say something. “So do you want a pizza or not?” He picked up his keys and his wallet off the phone table. “I need to get moving.”
“I’ll walk with you. I can carry the pizza.”
He waited.
“I have to talk to you,” she muttered.
“Okay.” He opened the door. “After you, Katelet.”
He kept the conversation light on the short walk over to the Cove, a dank hole-in-the-wall that had long been a Camelot institution. The Cove sold greasy take-out pizza and offered customers their choice of two ancient video games to pass the time until their orders came up. Caleb got a couple of bucks’ worth of quarters and waited until they’d settled into their customary Ms. Pac-Man duel before he asked, “So what’s up?”
Katie ran Ms. Pac-Man straight into the blue ghost, which was when he knew for sure this would be bad. His sister was crazy-talented at Ms. Pac-Man. Usually, she kicked his ass.
She turned around to lean on the machine and stare at her Keds.
One afternoon when she was thirteen, he’d brought her here to play Ms. Pac-Man and told her he was joining the army. She’d started to cry—ugly, snuffling sobs—and there had been nothing he could do. He hadn’t seen her cry since she was a baby. It had shocked him. He’d patted her on the back and bought her a Cherry Coke, feeling thoroughly out of his league.
It was tough to figure out how to help Katie. He couldn’t predict her moods or guess what was bothering her. He still didn’t know what had gone down in Alaska.
He didn’t know what to say to her right now.
She took a deep breath.
“You know you’re the only person in the family who’s never asked me what happened with Levi?”
Caleb shrugged and moved the joystick, eyes on the screen. “I figured if you wanted me to know, you’d say something.”