Kendall rubbed her hands over her eyes, then reached to grab a bowl from the cabinet.
“Kendall?” Rick’s voice called to her from the entry-way.
“In the kitchen.” She turned to find him walking into the small room and he wasn’t alone.
Hannah walked ahead of him as he prodded her forward the entire time.
“What’s going on?” Kendall asked.
“Someone was supposed to tell you I’d pick both of you up this morning. And someone neglected to mention it,” he said.
“And could that someone be you?” Kendall asked Rick very sweetly and laughed.
“Depends on your perspective. When I got home last night I realized I’d forgotten to tell you that I’d pick both you and Hannah up this morning. But since I trusted her to relay the message, I figured I wouldn’t call and possibly wake both of you up.”
The young girl rolled her eyes. “So I forgot. Big deal.”
“Pick us up for what?” Kendall asked.
“I told Hannah I’d take her over to the DARE program car wash so she could meet some kids her age and I figured you could pick up your car at the same time.” Rick shot Hannah an annoyed glance.
“I said I forgot. So sue me.”
Kendall folded her arms across her chest, as annoyed as Rick at the games Hannah chose to play. “You forgot. But you didn’t forget to tell me you and Rick had a date this morning, now did you?”
Rick opened his mouth to speak but when Kendall winked at him from behind Hannah, he quickly shut it again.
“Selective memory?” she asked her sister, not holding back the sarcasm.
“You’re goading me, Hannah, and I want to know why.”
“You don’t want me here. The only reason you’re putting up with me in the first place is because I have nowhere else to go. Otherwise you wouldn’t think twice about me.”
Hannah’s comments merely cemented Kendall’s earlier impression of her sister as a lonely, abandoned child. Guilt resurfaced, compounded by the notion that Kendall should have thought more about Hannah’s life and feelings than she had before.
But Hannah’s pain didn’t excuse her rudeness and Kendall drew a calming breath before answering. “Tell you what. You two go to the car wash. Introduce Hannah to some kids. I’ll shower and get myself together. Tonight we’ll talk and I’ll set the record straight. Got it?” she asked.
Hannah turned away, as if she meant to ignore her. “Talk to the hand,” she muttered.
“How long’s the car wash?” Kendall asked Rick through gritted teeth.
“All day. Izzy and Norman are providing lunch for the kids.”
“Great! I think Hannah could benefit from some good old-fashioned work. I’ll see both of you at Norman’s at five.”
“I can’t wash cars all day!” Hannah cried, spinning around and giving Kendall the opportunity to talk to her face-to-face. “I mean, my nails will break and I’ll get dishpan hands.”
“Better you washing cars than me washing out that sarcastic, obnoxious, forgetful mouth,” Kendall snapped back. “That’s ground rule number one. You treat me with respect and I’ll do the same. See you at dinner.” Taking her cue from Hannah, Kendall turned and walked out, her only concession to politeness the fact that she didn’t slam a door behind her.
Kendall walked to the school to pick up her car. Then she planned to head home, load the trunk, and meet with Charlotte at her store. But first she decided to snoop. Without bothering Rick or Hannah, she watched their interaction; Hannah hung out with the kids whom she’d obviously clicked with and Rick acted the part of the parental guide he probably didn’t realize he’d become.
For a man who claimed to not want marriage or kids, he’d make one hell of a father. The thought brought a lump to her throat. Upon viewing his stern caring with her sister last night, Kendall had developed an even greater respect for him as a man. Seeing him now with the teenagers and realizing how well liked he was in his community, how could she not fall a little bit in love with him?
She wrapped her hands around her bare forearms and shivered. So many unanswered problems and questions, she thought. She didn’t know what to do for her sister, didn’t know why Hannah had decided to focus her anger on Kendall and not their parents. She didn’t even know how to go about finding the right school or getting her sister to go back once she had. And mostly Kendall didn’t know what her feelings for Rick meant, for herself or the solitary future she’d always envisioned.
She’d always been impulsive, hence the constant movement. Being able to pick up and go from place to place on a whim gave Kendall an odd sense of security. No one and nothing could ever trap her. If things got too suffocating, she moved on. And though she’d never made a huge success for herself, perhaps because she’d never stayed in one place long enough, she had managed to get by financially, occasionally taking sales jobs in crafts stores where she could learn by reading, watching, and listening. She planned to do the same in Sedona while learning new aspects of her craft. But Arizona wasn’t the draw it had once been. She didn’t think of the place with nearly the longing she once had.
Because now she had obligations. For a woman who’d never put down roots, she now had plenty of ties to this small town. She owned a house and was responsible for the occupants who didn’t pay rent but whom she feared displacing. She had a small business ready to begin in Charlotte’s Attic and the possibility of working further with Rick’s sister-in-law in D.C. She had an emotionally needy sister who had nowhere to go and no one to rely on but Kendall. And she had a relationship with a special guy.
One who played the role of bachelor but who’d spoken of her staying beyond the summer and withdrawn when she’d balked at the idea. He’d
