Born at Midnight (Shadow Falls #1)(96)

The question Kylie hadn't let herself think about.

But now, standing in the dining hal , waiting for her mom to arrive, Kylie wondered if she shouldn't have been thinking about it. Face it, some things just weren't meant to be blurted out.

Her mom walked in and Kylie saw her scanning the room for her. Kylie took the second to just notice her mom. Like her brown hair, her brown eyes. Like how Kylie didn't look anything like her. Except for the nose. She'd for certain gotten her mom's little ski-lift nose.

"I almost didn't find you," her mom said as they sat down at one of the least crowded tables. Her mom's butt wasn't on the seat when she said,

"You haven't been getting enough sleep, have you, Kylie?"

Was it some kind of mother radar or something that made a mom know these things? "Just restless," Kylie lied. Her mom leaned over the table and whispered, "You aren't having those dreams again, are you?"

"No," Kylie said.

Her mom cut her eyes in that don't-lie-to-me stare.

"I swear."

"Okay," she said.

"Hel o, everyone," Holiday said at the front of the hal . "I know I don't normal y address you on these visits but I've got some news I'd love to share. First, I'm sorry to have to tel you that due to family issues, Sky Peacemaker, my co-leader of the camp, has to take an unplanned leave of absence."

Kylie had to admit, Holiday managed to explain it without real y lying.

"However," Holiday continued, "we are in the process of looking for a replacement. Until then, we have a temporary-just temporary-

replacement. And I'd like you to meet Mr. Burnett James. He comes highly recommended."

Kylie wondered if Holiday knew how tel ing the second "just temporary" was? The fact that she was going to have to work with Burnett was no doubt eating her alive.

"My second news..." Holiday then went into her spiel about the camp becoming a boarding school. Kylie watched her mom as Holiday did her dog and pony show. She half expected her mom to stand up and applaud and scream out, Freedom at last, freedom at last.

Oddly enough, her mom was able to hide her excitement. Kylie felt a shot of guilt scratch across her conscience. How unfair was it that Kylie wanted to sign on ful -time to the school, and yet she was going to be pissed at her mom for wanting the same. After Holiday finished, Kylie looked back at her mom and said, "You want to take a walk? There are some paths through the woods that are nice."

Her mom looked down at her feet. "Sure. Luckily I wore tennis shoes."

Kylie decided to take her mom to a less woodsy trail that ended by the creek. It wasn't as nice as her and Derek's spot, but stil pretty. She went by the cabin to get a blanket for them to sit on.

Her mom meandered around the cabin. "This is sparse, but nice."

Socks came running out of her bedroom and attacked her mom's shoelaces. "Oh, it's sooo cute."

Her mom picked up Socks, Jr., and held it up to her face. "Whose kitten is it?"

"Uh, mine."

Her mom looked surprised. "Okay, but don't you think you should have cleared that with me first?"

"I ... yeah, I guess I should have," Kylie said.

Her mom continued to stare at the feline. "Do you know what cat this reminds me of?"

"Socks?" Kylie said.

"Yeah. Do you remember her? We had that cat when you were born. Your dad got it for me the day we had our first sonogram. He was so excited, he..." Her mom stopped talking and blinked as if to chase the memory from her mind. "Yeah, cute kitten." She put the feline down as if she half blamed the kitten for bringing on a painful memory.

Kylie saw the emotion in her mom's eyes, and she wished she could punch her dad. She swal owed the knot forming in her throat and went to grab a blanket.

They walked in silence, and then her mom asked, "You are cal ing your dad now, aren't you?"

Kylie almost lied, but then said, "The phone works both ways, Mom. If he wants to talk to me, he can cal ."

"Honey, men aren't always good at-"

"It's not men we're talking about. It's Dad."

"I'm sure he didn't intentional y forget about coming to see you. His work sometimes can be chal enging."

"Real y?" Kylie asked. "Is that why you barbecued his shorts on the gril?"

Chapter Forty-one

Her mom continued alongside Kylie, walking through the path in the woods. "I'm not very proud of doing that."

"You should be," Kylie said. "I think it was very fitting."

Her mom looked at her before speaking. "He's just going through something right now, Kylie. That's al ."

The fact that her mom would defend him pushed Kylie over the edge. "Yeah, he's going through his super-young assistant."

Her mom stopped and grabbed Kylie's arm. Tears fil ed her mom's eyes. "Oh, baby. I'm so sorry."

Kylie shook her head. "Why are you apologizing? Are you having an affair, too? I swear, if you're seeing someone my age, I'm divorcing both of you."

"No. I would never ... I didn't want ... you to find out. You were always so close." Her mom held a hand over her trembling lips for a second. "How did you find out?"