Whatever was going on, I'd had more than enough. And the way it sounded, so had she.
Good.
I didn't mean it. But it felt better to think that way, at least until the sun fell and the night closed in around me. And then, I had to ask myself, "What the hell was going on?"
Chapter 55
Arden
The next few days passed in a long, depressing blur, which really sucked – for me and for Cami, because no matter how hard I tried, I just knew that I was pathetic company.
Oh sure, I tried to be upbeat and not obsess too much over Brody, but the unhappy truth was, I couldn't help but feel sad and confused about the way things had turned out.
Adding to my confusion, I learned from Roy on Monday morning that Brody had made arrangements for me to have the whole week off – and with pay, too – so I could spend more time with my friend.
It was so thoughtful and so baffling at the same time. How could someone so dishonest do something so wonderful?
None of it made any sense. And now the unexpected time off was giving me way too many hours to dwell on how idiotic I'd been to get attached to Brody in the first place.
I should've known it was too good to be true.
Or rather, I should've known that he was too good to be true.
But now nothing felt good, especially as the days passed without any interaction between us – no calls, no texts, no nothing.
Meanwhile, festering in the back of my brain was the knowledge that Waverly was in California with him. She'd been chasing after him for months. Had she finally caught him?
I tried not to think about it.
Meanwhile, across the street, I saw construction crews coming and going – sometimes working late into the night.
I wanted to be part of it. And I wanted to crawl into a hole and hide.
With every passing day, I found myself caring less about the house and more about whatever was going on with Brody.
I missed him like crazy, especially at night, when I was alone in the living room. I'd been sleeping on the couch, having insisted on giving Cami my bedroom, which had the only private bathroom in the house.
As for my own sleeping arrangements, I'd opted for the sofa because Waverly's bedroom was probably off-limits, and the thought of sleeping in Brody's empty bed was too depressing to consider.
One night, while gazing up at the living room ceiling, I came to the embarrassing conclusion that if I had to choose between Brody and the house, I'd pick Brody a million times over, if only he'd come clean about what he'd done.
And hey, an apology might be nice, too.
Oh yeah. I was definitely pathetic. And I was making Cami feel pathetic, too. She never complained, but on Thursday, even her usually chipper mood took a sudden turn for the worse.
By the time we said our goodnights, she seemed just as depressed as I felt.
It was all my fault, and I decided I had to do better.
When the sun rose on Friday morning, I vowed that no matter what, I'd show Cami a good time. Even if it killed me, I'd be cheerful and upbeat. I wouldn't talk about Brody. I wouldn’t even think about Brody. I'd simply pretend that he never existed.
For starters, I got up and began making pancakes and bacon, intending to surprise Cami with her favorite breakfast.
I was just mixing up the pancake batter when I heard a quiet knocking sound. I paused in the mixing and glanced toward the front door. The knock had been so quiet, I wasn't sure that I'd heard it at all.
But soon, I heard it again.
I set down the mixing bowl and made my way to the living room. I cracked open the front window blinds and peered outside, only to frown in new confusion.
Standing on the front porch was a little girl, maybe seven or eight years old.
She was utterly alone.
What the heck?
I hustled to the door and answered before she could run off. Summoning up a smile, I said, "Hi."
She grinned up at me, revealing one missing front tooth. "Hi."
My pint-sized visitor had long brown hair, big brown eyes, and a smattering of freckles across her nose. She wore dark jeans, a pink T-shirt, pink sneakers, and a little black jean jacket.
I had no idea who she was, or what she was doing here. "So…are you looking for someone?"
"Sort of." She leaned forward. "But I'm not supposed to."
I hesitated. "Oh yeah? Why not?"
She glanced around before whispering, "Because I snuck out."
She was so adorable, I didn't know whether to laugh or call the police. "Really? From where?"
"Home, that's where." She frowned. "Veronica was asleep. Last night, she was up super late talking to her boyfriend. And she's not a morning person. That's what she told me on her first day." Her little eyebrows furrowed. "And on her second day, too. She says it a lot."
I nodded in encouragement. She'd just given me a lot of information, even if very little of it was actually useful. Still, I made a point to smile. "So, who's Veronica?"
"She's my nanny. She doesn't want to be. But she still is."
I felt my brow wrinkle in new confusion. "Oh yeah?" In my whole life, I'd never met anyone with an actual nanny, even here on this street, where the waterfront homes tended to be a lot pricier than average.
I was no expert on nannies, but even I knew that Veronica had to be a pretty bad one if she'd lost track of her charge. And what was the deal about her not wanting to be this girl's nanny?
Had Veronica actually said that to her?
Even though I'd never met this Veronica person, I disliked her already.
Still, I smiled
