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When the only bill I could find was a ten, Amy plucked it from my hand readily.
“This is perfect. Thank you. You’re the best.” Then she turned away to head out the back door, pausing only briefly to slap a kiss on Mom’s cheek as she passed by. “See ya.”
Scowling, Mom set her hands on her hips and arched an eyebrow at me. “Foster, I thought we just talked about this.”
“What?” I defended. “I still have seven months.”
“Seven months to find a new place to live, not to keep chipping in with?—”
A knock on the back door cut her off before she could really get going.
“Yoo-hoo,” a familiar voice called as Kacey’s mom popped her head into the kitchen.
My muscles tightened in dread, and I immediately spun to face the other way. Raina looked up at me in surprise and furrowed her brow as my face heated.
I took a big drink of my juice, hoping it would cool me off and keep my cheeks from turning scarlet.
When Kacey darted past me, calling Brey’s name as she rushed from the kitchen, Raina stepped close, beginning to look concerned.
“What’s wrong?”
Behind me, Emma greeted Mom, her voice making me flinch. “Thanks again for getting Kacey to school for me, Dahlia. It’s just been one of those mornings.”
Gnashing my teeth, I wondered why she’d bothered to come inside at all. Most of the time, she just stopped the car at the curb, and Kacey ran in on her own.
“It’s no problem,” Mom was telling her. “Though Foster’s driving the girls, not me, since it’s on his way to campus.”
“Oh.” Emma’s voice was filled with surprise, and I grimaced one last time before turning to face her.
She was bouncing her son, Noah, on her hip, and was decked out in a shirt way too tight for the size of her breasts.
“Thanks, Fos,” she told me with a sweet smile before running her gaze over my T-shirt and jeans.
“Yep,” I answered with a polite nod as I rested my back against the kitchen cabinet, wishing I could sink right throughthem and disappear from this moment forever. All the while, I guzzled my juice, trying to finish the bottle as quickly as possible.
Next to me, Raina stepped close, her eyes widening and mouth dropping open as she glanced suspiciously between me and Kacey’s mom.
“Oh my God,” she finally blurted. “You two slept together.”
20
FOSTER
Ichoked on the rest of my juice and tore the bottle from my mouth as I coughed and sputtered, gaping at Raina in shock.
“You okay?” Mom asked, stepping forward to slap me on the back.
“All good,” I managed to gasp with watering eyes as I coughed the horror from my system. “Just went down wrong. Sorry.”
Brey blew back into the kitchen with Kacey. “Okay, Fos. We’re ready to go.”
“Don’t forget your lunch,” Mom reminded, holding out a bag for Brey.
As Brey accepted it, Kacey glanced toward Emma who was still stalled in the doorway,notleaving.
“Did you makemea lunch?”
Wincing, Emma shook her head. “Oh, honey. I’m sorry. It completely slipped my mind.”
