This time, she actually laughed. “You’re always starving.”
“I know,” I lamented, picking her up from the sofa as I rose so I could settle her in her chair. “You think something’s wrong with me, like I have a hole in my stomach or something?”
She sniffed. “No. I think you’re just a boy.”
I gasped in mock defense. “Just a dirty, gross boy, huh? How should that make me constantly hungry?”
“I don’t know. It just does.”
“Does that mean you girls always feel full, then?”
With a laugh, she bumped her body into mine. “Don’t be silly.”
“Hey, if I were being silly, I’d do this.” And I tickled her, drawing out her scream-laughter that I loved so much.
We continued to tease each other all the way to the grocery store and home again. I might’ve gone slightly overboard and bought nearly five hundred dollars’ worth of food, but I was tired of always being hungry, so hopefully, the overstock would last a while. By the time Sarah and I had everything put away, Bridget and her slumber party were all but forgotten, and I’d accomplished my duty as an awesome big brother.
Night faded into morning, where the next evening, Mom didn’t have to work at the diner, but I had to work at the Country Club for a while. My last class dismissed at three thirty, and I was supposed to be at work by four, so I didn’t get much time to talk to either Mom about the new sitter she’d hired or to Sarah about whether Bridget had invited her to the slumber party or not when I blew through the door at three forty-five and hurried to my room to change.
I was out of there minutes later and didn’t make it home until after they were both in bed asleep.
Wednesday night followed almost the same pattern. I had class until three and I had to be at the Country Club by four. I don’t know why I’d allowed for such a tight schedule for myself, but it kind of sucked.
I knew I was cutting it close but I refused to leave the house until I at least met this new person Mom had hired to take care of Sarah. I was dressed and ready for work, flipping my Jeep keys in my hand as I opened the refrigerator to fetch a bottle of water, when I noticed Mom had actually used a lot of the new groceries in the house and premixed about half a dozen shakes for Sarah. Bottles full of them sat in a neat row on the top shelf. It looked as if she’d used more than just the nasty protein powder and put shit like fruit and chocolate and peanut butter in some of them too.
Way to go, Mom.
This was one of those moments when I was glad I hadn’t given up total hope on her yet. I wa
s about to go seek her out and thank her when I heard her voice in the front of the house, and it wasn’t the voice she usually used when addressing Sarah.
Great. The new evening sitter must be here. Suddenly, Sarah came rolling into the kitchen as if her tail were on fire.
“Whoa, what’s the rush?” I asked, catching the armrest to stop her in her tracks.
Her eyes were wide and bright with anxiety when she said, “She’s here.”
“The new sitter?”
She bobbed her head emphatically.
Shit, she was as nervous as I was. Not all of Sarah’s evening sitters had been as kind to her as the last one had been. Wanting to distract her, I blurted the first question in my head. “Any news from Bridget yet?”
But, yeah, that was basically the worst form of distraction ever. Sarah’s expression plummeted straight into despair. “No.”
Damn you, Bridget.
Kneeling in front of Sarah, I took her hand and squeezed. “Hey, I know you wanted to go to that slumber party your classmates didn’t invite you to tonight, but don’t sweat it, okay. I bet you’re not missing anything fun at all. I mean, what kind of—”
“Mason!” Mom interrupted, sounding surprised as she entered the kitchen. “There you are. I didn’t realize you were still home.” The look in her eyes told me she’d been hoping I would already be gone… Probably so I couldn’t judge her choice of new sitters and scare the person away if need be. “But since you’re here,” she went on with a tense smile, “the new evening sitter just arrived, and I’d like you to meet her.”
I frowned when no one immediately exited the hall behind her. Then a thump echoed into the kitchen.
What the—
I peered around Mom’s shoulder into the darkened hallway, barely making out the silhouette of a girl trying to steady a swaying picture frame on the wall that she’d obviously just walked into.
I blinked, suddenly remembering Glowing Girl and how she’d not only walked into a column at school but also how she’d walked into me.