Everything You Want (7 page)

“You’ve got to pick up Kiera? 
Why?  Is she okay?”

Shannon and Kiera used to be good
friends, too, before she moved to New York with Rob’s band a few years
ago.  After that she kind of lost touch with everyone but me.

“She will be,” I said.

“Okay.  Well, bring her on out
later, if she feels like it.”

“I don’t think she will, and besides, she
has Skylar with her.”

“Okay.  Tell her I’m thinking about
her.”

“Thanks.”    

I clicked the end button and shoved the
phone in my back pocket.  I grabbed my keys off the side table by the
door, dreading what I had to do next.  I pulled the ponytail holder off my
wrist and tied my hair up.

I knocked on Marissa’s door.  It
took her a minute to answer.  When she finally did open the door, she was
wearing a short pink robe and her hair was piled on her head in a messy
bun.  She looked amazing.  If I wasn’t furious with my brother-in-law
already, now I was livid.

“Hey, you’re early.”  The smile on
her face said she wasn’t sorry about it either.  Stupid,
stupid
Rob.

I leaned against her door facing and
sucked in my bottom lip, looking at her welcome mat, trying to think of what to
say.

“Something wrong?” she asked, her
forehead creasing.

“Yeah, I, uh, I’ve got to cancel. 
I’m really sorry.  Something came up.  Some family stuff.  And
I’m…I’m really sorry.”

I finally looked up.  She was
frowning, and there was concern in her eyes.

“That’s okay,” she said, a halfhearted
smile pulling up one corner of her mouth.

“I’m sorry,” I said again, and turned to
walk away.  As I turned, she reached out and lightly placed her hand on my
shoulder.  I sucked in a breath, her touch sending tremors through my
chest.

I glanced back at her.

“I hope everything turns out alright,”
she said, the worry etched on her face almost driving me over the edge. 
How could she be that concerned about me?  She barely knew me.

I tried to smile, but couldn’t make my
lips obey.  “Me too,” I whispered, and then walked down the stairs without
looking back, her fresh, sweet scent following me the whole way.

Stupid,
stupid
Rob.

Marissa

I was surprised at how disappointed I
felt.  I wasn’t mad at him.  The look on his face told me that it was
something unexpected, something that couldn’t be helped.  Still, I had
really been looking forward to it.

I sighed and took the clip out of my
hair, shaking it out.  No use in straightening it now.  I collapsed
on the couch and clicked the TV on.  Within seconds Tulip’s head was on my
lap, Oatmeal was wrapped around my shoulders and George was nestled on top of
my feet.  I couldn’t help but smile.  At least they were happy I was
staying in.

I flipped through channels until I found
a movie to watch and then I went to the fridge and pulled out the pitcher of
sweet tea.  I poured myself a glass, reached in the cookie jar and grabbed
three of the oatmeal raisin cookies I’d made the night before, and went back to
the couch. 

I watched the rest of the movie, before I
decided I could stand to be a little more productive.  I’d cleaned the
whole apartment top to bottom yesterday, and given myself a pedicure and a
manicure.  I’d already made cookies last night, and the TV was no longer
taking my mind off the fact that I wasn’t at Kieran’s barbeque, the only real
social function I’d been invited to in months.  I needed to make a pie. 
A blueberry pie.  Not for me, of course.  I already had enough
cookies to last me all week.  This one would be for Betty.  It would
keep me busy for a while and give me an excuse to go down there and chat later.

I pulled out my tattered old cookbook and
flipped to the apple blueberry pie recipe I’d wanted to try out.  I was
pretty sure I had all the ingredients.  I busied myself in the work and
tried not to think about Kieran and how much I’d been wanting to spend time
with him. 

A few hours later, when the pie was
finally baked and cooled, I started down the stairs.  Surely Betty was
home.  The woman hardly ever left her apartment.  I didn’t think
she’d make plans for the holiday.  She might miss one of her Soaps.

I knocked on the door.  I was
surprised when it swung open a few seconds later.  It usually took Betty a
minute to get around.  When I saw the figure standing in the doorway I
almost dropped my pie.

“Camden.” I said, a little breathless.

“Melissa?  What are you doing here?”
he asked, his brows knitting together.

I glanced down at my pie,
embarrassed.  “I was just bringing this down for Betty.”

“You know Grandma?”

“Yeah, I live upstairs.”

“Oh, yeah?  Come on in.”

He moved aside and I squeezed past him
into the small apartment. 

“Grandma, look who’s here,” Camden
said.  “Melissa brought you a pie.”

“Who’s Melissa?” Betty asked, looking up
from where she sat in her recliner.  “Oh, you mean Marissa.  Hello. 
What did you bring me this time?” she asked, and then looked at Camden. 
“I think she’s trying to make me a diabetic.”

I laughed.  “I promise you, I’m
not.  I’m just a compulsive baker, and you’re the only person I have to
share it with.”

“I know.  I’m just teasing
you.  You know I love it when you bring me goodies.  So Camden,” she
turned to her grandson, “how do you know Miss Marissa?”

“
Marissa
and I work at the bank
together,” he said, placing extra emphasis on my name.  I blushed.

“Oh, I didn’t know you two worked at the
same bank.  Marissa, I guess I never asked the name of the bank you work
at.  Five hundred banks in this city and you two work at the same
one.  What a coincidence,” Betty said, setting the pie down on the table
and unwrapping it.

“Yes, it is,” I agreed, looking down at
the tile.  “Anyway, I just came down here to drop that off.  I’ll see
you later, Betty.”

“Alright.  Thanks for the treat.”

“You’re welcome.  It’s my first time
making that one.  Let me know how it turns out.”

I turned to leave.  I was halfway up
the stairs when I heard Camden call after me.  I walked back down. 
He was standing at the bottom, waiting for me.  “I was just heading
out.  Have you eaten yet?”

“No.”

“Would you like to come with me?  I
hate to eat alone.”

I bit my lip.  Camden was asking me out
on a date.  Sort of.  I had wanted this for the past three months, so
why was I hesitating?  And why was I thinking about Kieran?  That was
silly.  There was nothing between us, was there?  Not really. 
There were times when I thought he was sending me a more-than-friends vibe, but
it could’ve been my hopeful imagination.  I didn’t even know if I wanted
that from him, yet.  Yes, he was beautiful and yes, I liked spending time
with him, and yes, I was still fantasizing about being wrapped up in his arms
during the storm, but that didn’t mean I wanted to be with him, right? 
And just because he’d asked me to a barbeque didn’t mean he wanted to be with
me.  If he did…we’d take it from there.  It didn’t mean I couldn’t go
out with Camden tonight. 

I smiled.  “Sure.  Let me grab
my purse.”

Kieran

It was after dark when we drove into the
apartment parking lot.  Kiera had left in a rush and barely packed anything. 
We had to make a stop at Babies R’ Us to pick up all of Skylar’s supplies, and
then Walgreens so Kiera could buy her personal hygiene stuff.  After that,
I took them to the mall so that Kiera could pick out some clothes, but she
wasn’t interested.  I ended up picking out and buying her three outfits,
while she pushed Skylar’s stroller around in a daze.  I swung by her
favorite burger place on the way in, but she wouldn’t order, so I ordered for
her.  The bag sat in her lap as she stared out the passenger window.

“Kiera, we’re here,” I said softly.

She started and the greasy bag jostled in
her lap.  “Oh, yeah, sorry.”  She slid out of the car and opened the
back door, unbuckling Skylar from his car seat. 

“I’ll get him,” I said.  “I’ll get
everything.  You just take the food and go upstairs.  You remember
which one it is?” I asked, handing her my keys.

She nodded, and started slowly towards
the stairs.

Skylar was asleep.  I unattached his
seat from the base, grabbed a few of the shopping bags, and followed behind
Kiera.  Once we were inside, I sat Skylar’s carrier down in my bedroom floor
and shut the door behind me, so that we wouldn’t disturb him.  He’d had a
long day.

When I walked back out in the living
room/kitchen area, Kiera was sitting at the table, the bag in front of her,
untouched.  I walked over to her, pulled the cheeseburger out of the bag
and unwrapped it, and sat it in front of her.  I pulled out the little
sack of fries and set them next to the burger.  Kiera stared at the far
wall.

“Do you need ketchup?” I asked.

“No.”  She shook her head.

“Kiera.  Please eat something. 
I know you didn’t eat anything on the plane.”

She picked up a fry and placed it in her
mouth.  I watched her chew slowly, then swallow.  “There.  Does
that make you feel better?”

“It does.  I bet it makes you feel
better, too.”

She shrugged.  “They do have good
fries.”

I grinned at her.  “Yes, they
do.  Good burgers, too.”  I nodded at the untouched cheeseburger.

Kiera sighed and picked up the
burger.  She took a huge bite.  And another.  And another, until
the entire burger had disappeared. 

“IDIOT!” she yelled, through the last
mouthful.    

I made a face and cocked my head towards
the bedroom.  I didn’t want to shush her, but my nephew needed rest.

“Sorry.”  She bit her lip. 
“I’m just such an idiot,” she whispered.

“Hey, no, you’re not.  He’s an
idiot.  And Kiley’s an idiot, but you’re far from it.”

“I am.  I should’ve seen it. 
Why did it take me so long?”

“Stop doing this to yourself, Kiera.”

“What else am I supposed to do?”

“Eat.  Sleep.  Take care of
yourself.  We’ll figure everything else out in the morning.  I’m
going to get the rest of the stuff from the car, okay?”

She nodded.

I stepped out of the apartment and went
back down to my car to grab the rest of her things.  The pack n’ play was
still in the trunk, and Skylar was going to need that to sleep.  When I
reentered the apartment, Kiera was still seated at the table, but I noticed the
fries were gone.

“I can help you with that,” she said as I
opened the box.

“I got this.  You go take a shower, okay? 
You can borrow some of my pajamas.”

She nodded and went into the
bathroom. 

I had the play yard set up in no
time.  Kiera came out of the bathroom wearing one of my ratty old high
school t-shirts and a pair of gray sweatpants that hung off her slender frame. 
As she began helping me unpack some of the shopping bags, we heard movement in
the other apartment.

“Is that her?” Kiera asked.

I nodded, opening a set of play yard
sheets.

“What do you think she’s doing?”

“Baking.”

“At this time of night?”

“Yeah, it’s sort of how she winds down, I
think.”

We were silent for a minute.  Kiera
pulled out one of the shirts I bought her and looked it over.  “This is
cute.  Thanks.”

“No problem.”

We heard shuffling in the next apartment
and I smiled.

“You really like that girl, don’t you?”

“I guess.  I don’t really know her
well,” I said, not looking up from the slim mattress I was attempting to cover
with the tiny sheet.

Kiera let out a sharp laugh. 
“Kieran, we’re twins.  I know you don’t think you can lie to me.  You
never could.  I’ve got twinstinct or whatever.”

I didn’t say anything, just gave her a
halfhearted smile.

“Are you ever going to ask her out?” she
pressed.

“Actually, I did.  Well, not
really.  I just asked her to go to this barbeque thing Shannon was having.”

“Did she say yes?”

“Yes.”

“Alright!  How did it go?”

“Um, it…didn’t.”

“She canceled?”

“No, I did.”

“Why would you do a stupid thing like
that?”  Her eyes widened as it hit her.  “Shannon’s barbeque. 
It was today, wasn’t it?  I ruined your date.”

“It wasn’t a date.”

“I ruined your date!” she repeated, tears
filling her eyes.  “I’m the worst sister ever.  Why do you even put
up with me?”