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Mom grips the railing, carefully stepping down the stairs in her black heels, holding her long, floral, black dress in a balled fist. "He used to take care of her yard when he was in high school. He'd mow in the summer, rake leaves in the fall, and clear the snow from her driveway in the winter and spring."
How did I not know this?
Run inside and grab a blanket. She usually keeps a few draped over the chair by the fireplace.
When Mrs. Henderson fell a few weeks ago, he knew exactly where in the house the blankets were. At the time, it didn't register that he was familiar with the ins and outs of her home. But now, it makes my heart clench in my chest.
"He didn't sound too good," Mom says as she takes the last step, turns to face me. "Have you talked to him since he left?"
I shake my head, "No."
"I thought you guys were friends now?" she raises her perfectly sculpted eyebrows, scrunches her nose.
My throat feels dry and hoarse when I remind her, "He was just a means to an end. Just helped me with my driving." Among other things. But I'll keep those sordid, heart-racing, provocative things to myself.
Mom purses her mauve-painted lips, her piercing gaze assessing me shrewdly.
I didn't tell her I had sex with him. And I know Kyle didn't tell her either. But a part of me wonders, by the way she's looking at me, if she knows. Has some kind of magical powers that can sense the longing beneath my rib cage, the ache to touch him again, kiss him, hear the sound of his voice.
"I scheduled your test for Friday," Mom informs me, changing the subject. "Dad's taking you driving tomorrow, Nora is doing the Wednesday shift, and I will let you drive the Nautilus on Thursday since you will be taking the test in my car."
"Thanks Mom," I tell her as I wrap my arms around her neck and give her a quick hug.
She grips my arm, gives me one of her stunning smiles. "You're going to pass this time, baby. I know you will."
I nod my head before grabbing the foil pans of food off the kitchen counter. I slip into a pair of boots in the foyer, grab the doorknob and turn. I let out a small yelp when the door swings open and I see Matt standing there, his fist in mid-air.
"I was just going to knock," he chuckles. "Need some help?"
I hand him the top tray, grab the door behind me, and close it shut.
"Mrs. Henderson?" Matt asks as he holds the tray up, playfully flashes his golden-brown eyebrows in my direction.
"Yep," I reply.
"We brought her dinner last night," he tells me. "You'll never guess who's taking care of her while she recuperates."
I groan loudly. "Not Colleen."
Matt grins. "Your favorite person."
"Why does the universe hate me?" I whine, run a hand down the length of my face.
He laughs as we start down the driveway, the air warmer than usual for a late-April evening. The aspen trees are starting to bloom, vibrant shades of green against a backdrop of white bark and lush, emerald pine needles. The snow-capped peak in the distance is glowing orange from the setting sun and, for a brief moment, things don't seem so bleak, so sad.
"Do you remember that time she told me I dressed like a homeless person?" I ask Matt, smiling at the embarrassing memory. It was Freshman year and I had walked by the jock table, the one Matt sits at now. Colleen was a cheerleader, so when she called my name, towered over me in her mini-skirt and tan wedges, explained in detail why she felt the ripped jeans I was wearing and my unkempt, ratty hair were better suited for someone who didn't have well-off parents, the entire table laughed at my expense. It was mortifying and I avoided the cafeteria at all costs after that until she graduated a year later.
Matt covers his mouth, tries to stifle the girlish giggles spewing from his lips.
"Or the time she called Mom to tell her I needed a different hair stylist because mine, and I quote, was an embarrassment to the entire profession?"
"Don't forget the time she made fun of you for dressing like a toddler at the lake," Matt chimes in.
I shoot him an unimpressed look. "How is it my fault Mom bought me a unicorn one-piece for my 13th birthday? I'll never live that down, will I?"
Matt exhales, gives me a breathtaking smile. "I've missed you, Jen."
I lift a shoulder, tip my head to the side. "I've been right here the whole time."
