Chapter 8
On the way to Kai’s house, I feel strangely at ease with him. We fall into a casual conversation about music. We share similar taste in bands, which I find amusing. We even sing a little together. He is oddly surprised by my natural ability. “You ever think about singing outside of church?”
“I hope to after graduation. I’m saving for a car or a ticket out of here. Which ever gets me to New York quicker.”
“What’s in New York?” he asks curiously.
“It’s anywhere but here,” I answer honestly.
“Yeah, I know that feeling. Graduation can’t come soon enough for me. My band and I are hitting the road first thing this summer.”
“That’s exciting. What’s the name of your band?”
“Cooper’s Religion, but we might change it. I’m not sold on it, but it’s all we could think of at the time. I just know I don’t want to end up like my father and my brother, Kirk.”
“I love the name, don’t ever change it. And you are preaching to the choir. I don’t want to be anything like my mom.”
He gives me a sympathetic smile. Does he know about my mom too? I am too ashamed to ask him.
We arrive at his house, and I already envy him. He has a nice car and a beautiful home I could only dream of growing up in. “Wow,” I whisper out when I unbuckle my seatbelt.
“Yeah, not too shabby, huh?”
I gulp, and I feel underdressed to even go inside, they have a freaking mansion compared to the tiny two-bedroom house I live in with my mom.
“Don’t do that Kat,” he says, as if he knows what I am thinking. Kai grabs my hand. “Come on, my mom will love you.” He takes me in through the garage, when we reach the kitchen door he lets go of my hand, and I am tempted to wrap my fingers back in his for support. Something about his hand in mine made all of my doubt and insecurity disappear.
His mom looks appears as though she just stepped out of a photo-shoot for a popular magazine or something. Not one hair is out of place on her head.
Khloe comes running toward us. “Khloe friend, you come to pway with Khloe.” She is clapping and jumping.
“Yeah, I came to play,” I tell her, and she takes my hand, tugging me forward.
“Slow down Khloe. Let Katie get in the door,” their mom tells her. “Kai, why don’t you start setting the table for dinner while I have a chat with Katie in the study? Khloe, help your brother and after dinner, Katie will play with you.”
“O’tay,” she says with a hint of sadness.
“Oh, shoes please,” she instructs me to leave my shoes at the back door. I hope my socks match. I kick my shoes off and place them on the rug by the garage door. I follow Kai’s mom into the study and dang the room is huge, it’s more like a small library. My inner book nerd is dying to run my fingers across the spines of those books.
She pats the spot next to her on the dark leather chaise. I take a seat next to her and try not to come across as awkward.
“Please, call me Kelli.”
I nod. My hands are feeling sweaty. I resist the urge to tap my foot nervously.
“So, Katie, you’re a senior in Kai’s class. Are the two of you good friends?”
“We are familiar,” I answer softly, stretching the truth a little.
“You worked for the Miller’s, why did that end?”
Okay, so I have to lie here. “They are going to need someone else when I go off to college in the fall, so they wanted to get Chase acquainted with someone new.”
“Well that could be a problem. Khloe already thinks you are her new best friend. But Kai says you are perfect for the job. I can pay you one-hundred and twenty dollars a week. I take it that you don’t have a car of your own?”
“No, that would be an issue. I can try to work it out with my mom though.”
“Nonsense, you can ride with Kai from school and he can drive you home. And when he isn’t able, my husband or I would be glad to.” She smiles graciously when I tell her that would be perfect. “Well then…let’s go eat.”