Page 5 of Dreaming Without Heartache

“I’m glad she’s eating somewhere.” I lower my eyes to my drink and take another sip. I’m not going to say that it didn’t sting because it did. No matter how hard I’ve tried lately, Kara keeps me at a distance.

“She’s not eating at home?” Sam asks, her voice softer.

“Not much.” I shrug. “I should probably help buy you some groceries considering how much teenagers eat. I remember those days.” I smile to lighten the mood.

“Oh, no worries. I enjoy having her here. She and Olivia are like sisters.”

“Sam,” Maisie says, pausing our conversation. “May I have something to drink?”

“Absolutely, sweetheart.” Sam goes over to the fridge. “What would you like?”

I drift into the dining room and over to the rectangular table that I noticed earlier in front of a large arched window. The tabletop looks like solid wood with a dark mocha finish in a plank-style construction. The bottom of the table has an off-white finish with the benches on each side and the two chairs at the end, matching the table. The house, from what I’ve seen, is decorated in a modern farmhouse style.

I turn back to the kitchen. The cabinets are a blueish color with white countertops, and a brick backsplash. “Your kitchen is nicely done. And this table has good craftsmanship.”

“Thank you,” Sam says, setting a glass of juice in front of Maisie then joining me. She runs her hand across the tabletop. “My brother and I built this. Well, mainly he did, but I do all the finishing work.”

“Impressive.”

“Thank you. We also restore old furniture and give it a new life.” Sam walks over to her purse and pulls out a card. “In case you ever want to check it out.”

I take the card and look at the names printed on the front. Sam Carter and Luke Sanford. “Luke’s your husband?”

Sam laughs. “My brother.”

“What are you doing here?” Kara’s voice interrupts my thoughts. When our eyes meet, anger is all I see.

“Better yet,” I retort, “why weren’t you here?” Kara starts to answer with some bullshit excuse, but I hold up my hand to stop her. “Save it for home.” I point to the door. “Car. Now.” Kara turns and storms out the door, leaving Olivia standing motionless behind her. I turn to Sam and force a small smile even though my insides are twisted. “Thank you for allowing us to wait for Kara. Maisie,” I say, motioning for her to join me. “Let’s go, honey.”

“Bye, Sam.” Maisie waves before jumping down from her seat. “Thanks for the snacks.”

“You’re welcome, honey.” Sam waves at Maisie, then her eyes find mine. I see the concern on her face. It seems as if she’s holding something back, whether it’s motherly advice, a suggestion, or a helping hand, yet no words leave her lips. I drop her gaze and don’t turn back as I walk out.

When I reach the car, Kara’s propped against the outside of the back window, looking at her phone. So, it seems it does work after all. I click the key to unlock the doors. Kara climbs in the back seat and slams the door. I don’t say a word to her. Maisie closes the door on the passenger side and buckles in. I remember when they used to argue about who was going to ride up front when I bought the Jaguar. We begin the quiet drive home.

My mind races on how to handle this. I’ve never disciplined the girls. I was the cool, fun aunt. The one who took them shopping, bought them gifts, or took them to get their nails done. I don’t want to be this person. It wasn’t supposed to be me. But it is me now. And Kara can’t keep doing whatever she wants without consequence. The problem is, every time I push, she pulls further away. And right now, I can’t afford to lose her completely. Not when she’s already lost so much. So, where’s the line between holding her accountable and holding on to her?

I pull into the garage and before I can even put the car in park, Kara jumps out. “Hey!” I yell as she rushes into the house, ignoring me. Maisie covers her ears with her hands and puts her head down. I reach over and stroke her arm. She looks at me with watery eyes. “Everything’s okay.” I soften my voice. “Ready to go in?”

Maisie goes straight to the living room and sits down in front of her books. Kara’s nowhere to be seen. I go upstairs and knock on her bedroom door. No answer. I knock again.

“Go away!” Kara yells.

I turn the doorknob to find it locked. “Let me in, Kara.”

“I want to be alone,” she shouts.

I take a deep breath and slowly let it out. “You have two choices. You can either unlock this door so we can talk, or I’ll take off the door, and you spend the rest of the month without it.” I step back and wait a couple of minutes to see what she’ll do. As I start to walk away to get the tools, I hear the lock click and the door swing open. “Good choice,” I say, walking in as Kara climbs onto the bed and sits cross-legged against her headboard. She picks up her cell phone and begins scrolling on it. I walk to the edge of her bed and hold out my hand. Kara stares at me.

“What now?” she utters.

“Give me your phone.” I motion for her to hand it over.

“No way!”

“I wasn’t asking.” I keep my hand in place.

Kara slams the phone on the bed in front of me and pushes back abruptly against the headboard, causing it to bang against the wall. “You’re so mean.”