I sit in Mama’s seat.
“How did you sleep, Emmy?” Grandma finishes cooking before turning off the burners and joining us at the table. She sits between Kaiden and I, poking at the eggs on her plate.
“Um…” I clear my throat, not making eye contact with Kaiden. “Good. I slept good.” I stab a strawberry and pop it into my mouth, looking over my shoulder at Mama’s open bedroom door. “Where is Mama?”
Grandma hesitates. “She left for work already. She mentioned something about an early meeting with the school.”
I press my lips together and nod.
I focus on my pancakes, when Grandma adds, “Tomorrow is the last day before break for them, so she’ll be home the rest of the week.”
There’s so much hope in her voice, and I wonder if she believes everything will be okay. Mama has always been great at avoiding me when she wants to, and I doubt now is any different than when I lived here.
My voice is quiet. “Good.”
Kaiden sees right through my false brevity. When I glance up, his head is tilted to the side as he studies me. His plate is already half empty, so I wonder how long he’s been up.
I fidget in my chair. “What are your plans today, Grandma? Do you still see Betty across the street?”
She smiles. “The two of us planned on doing some shopping later today. If you’re interested in tagging along, I’m sure she’d love to hear all about your new school.” She gives Kaiden a small nod. “You’re welcome too, of course.”
To my surprise, he smiles back. It looks weird on his face, considering there’s usually a scowl in its place. “Em actually told me she’d show me around town.”
Grandma’s sculpted white brows arch before she looks at me. “Did she now?”
Kaiden’s lips waver. “Yeah, she told me she’d show me her favorite spots. I’ve been looking forward to it since she said something last night.”
Closing my eyes, I internally sigh. I don’t go anywhere besides the bookstore, and that’s been closed for a month now according to their website.
Grandma hums out a non-committal reply, amusement spattered on her face. The corners of her lips are crinkled in a barely-there smile, but I know she knows.
I cut my pancakes. “These are good.”
“You say that a lot,” Kaiden responds.
I peek up at him. “Say what?”
“Good.”
“What’s wrong with good?”
“It’s a lie.”
Grandma laughs. “You two are interesting together, I’ll give you that.” She scrapes her chair backwards, grabbing her plate and standing. “I’ll leave you to it, then.”
Together? “Grandma—”
She gently pats my shoulder before walking out of the room.
Kaiden is grinning from across the table.
“What?” I grumble, picking at my food.
“So, you slept well, huh?”
I’m silent.
“Didn’t wake up at all?” he presses.