Part 15 (2/2)

”Because she's Luke's girlfriend?”

”Because she used to be my girlfriend.”

I stopped short, forcing him to grind to a halt. ”Whoa. Luke stole your girlfriend?”

I glanced to where we'd left Luke and Katie. Some type of argument beyond the norm had obviously erupted as soon as we'd escaped.

”Luke didn't steal anything. Katie used me to get to him.” Justin's scowl aimed at Katie told me he wasn't just a little put out by her being here. ”He wasn't much of a dater. He had a girl he'd kind of dated since junior high but it was more of a best friend thing. Katie used every excuse to come over to the house and only wanted to do stuff if we'd see him.”

”I figured out what she was doing pretty quickly and broke things off,” he continued. ”But she stuck around, pretending we were all buddy-buddy. When she started throwing herself at him in public, Luke didn't want to embarra.s.s her. The more she did it, the more she acted like the perfect girlfriend, the more he had no clue what to do about it. He'd try to break it off, but she was like psycho-girl. Then my parents told us we were moving and the whole family was relieved.”

I shook my head, trying to clear it, trying to put it back the way it was that morning. It wasn't fair of Justin to come along and make everything s.h.i.+ft again. I thought about Luke working to do the right thing with Katie. I thought about Chris and me. And Chris and Cheryl. A tremor skidded around my heart. I wasn't some type of weird Katie, was I? Chasing after a guy who didn't want me but let himself get caught... for whatever reason.

Justin looked toward them as if his story might summon her to a perky-attack.

”When he showed up at the house with you in tow, I think we all did this internal groan thing. Afraid he'd gotten himself sucked into another bad situation because he didn't know how to be rude. Especially to a girl. But then you hung out and we all liked you. You know. Like, it was all cool.”

Wow. That was a lot of words.

”Amy, you may not want to believe it, but I'd place everything I have on the fact that he's into you. Not her. Definitely not her.”

Justin glanced toward the pair again. This time my gaze followed his. Luke was shaking his head while Katie bubbled words up at him. While we watched, her expression s.h.i.+fted to Tinker Bell-like fury, her pint-sized hands balling into perfect little fists.

It was funny, watching the kitten pretend she was a tigress. That was, until she slammed that tiny fist into Luke's chest not once, but twice. Justin's arm dropped from my shoulder, but before he could move toward them, Luke wrapped his hand around her wrist and pulled her back into the restaurant. A moment later, he stormed out and glanced around. At the sight of us watching he stilled, his face going slack before he strode down the street in the opposite direction.

We watched Luke go until he rounded the corner.

Taking my arm again, Justin dragged me into the phone store. It was weird to just watch Luke storm out then go shopping. But, I figured the Parkers had to have this family-dynamic thing down to a science by now. Plus, Rachel was an impulsive dater. It looked like Jared was too. Whatever we found in that shop, it was at least going to be interesting.

Jared looked up when the bell over the door clanged and waved us over, taking charge, not even knowing drama had just happened.

”Check this out.” He picked up a phone that cost more than I made in a week at the Rec Center. ”Press that b.u.t.ton.”

On the back, a protective strip flipped out of the way. I pushed it aside and pressed the nearly hidden b.u.t.ton.

”911. What is your emergency?”

”Oh c.r.a.p.” Justin punched his brother in the shoulder as I tried to figure out how to answer the phone.

”I'm sorry. There's no emergency. We're just fine here. Promise. Sorry.”

By the time my rambling apology had run out of steam, Jared was holding his sides laughing. ”It's a panic b.u.t.ton. Isn't that cool? Scares the underworld crime types.”

Justin hit him again and looked at me with an apologetic expression. ”I often wonder how it is there's still two of us. Shocking that someone hasn't killed him yet, isn't it?”

Jared's distracted gaze followed Rachel and the college-age sales guy discussing the importance of pink versus hot pink phones.

Jared tossed the panic-inducing phone down and picked up a more reasonably priced, less Go-Go-Gadget one. ”We're having a celebration tomorrow. Katie should be on the road and gone for good by dinner. Come over and we'll barbeque you a Hallelujah Burger.”

Yeah, that's really what I wanted to do. Not. ”I don't know. I think we may be doing something.”

”Hey, Rachel,” Jared called to get her attention. ”You doing something tomorrow or are you up for our Katie-has-been-vanquished barbeque?”

”Barbeque. Tomorrow. Got it.”

And with that, my day was planned and she'd moved on. I know we were used to following whatever cue she wanted, but would it have hurt to ask what I wanted to do?

”Excellent.” Jared grinned and headed toward the pair at the counter.

”It will be good to see Luke freed from the crazy princess's clutches.”

Justin looked so sincerely worried at the thought of his brother dealing with the evil pixie, that I reconsidered Luke's maybe-stalker maybe-girlfriend guest. I mean, when I'd fallen he'd taken the time to get me home and clean me up. Maybe he wasn't the one who needed to have the ”what makes a good friend” discussion. Maybe it was me.

The sales guy rang-up Rachel's new Hot Sugar Pink phone as we joined them at the counter.

”If you need any help setting that up, here's my card.” He handed her a business card. I didn't even know anyone with a business card. ”My cell number's on the back. Feel free to use that.”

Jared slid up beside her, wrapping his arm around her waist. ”Sorry, she's spoken for.”

Rachel's head c.o.c.ked up at him, and then she smiled at the sales guy. ”Yup. Spoken for.”

And that was that.

Seriously.

Forty minutes.

How did I make everything so hard?

Chapter 19.

All that Parker Family Fun Time had me missing my mom more than usual.

Okay, so not true. I still missed her every day. But between the Parkerness going on and the fact that school was starting, the missing became epic.

On the way home I had Rachel drop me off at the school so I could break back into the art room. When I missed my mom the most, I just wanted to paint. It's how I'd started that hazy portrait of her that just kept calling me back.

Sometimes as I painted, I talked as if she were there. And talked and talked. This was one of those times. I talked about everything. Chris and Luke. Rachel being away and coming home. Running and Art.

And Dad. I talked a lot about Dad and how there were days I missed him even more than my mom in a weird way.

Closing my eyes, I lifted the brush from the canvas. I could see her there with me in my mind.

”I wish you were here, Mom. I could really use a parent right now.” I tried not to picture the look she would have given me. The c.o.c.ked eyebrow. The quirked lip. ”I know. But Dad's never here. I miss him almost as much as I miss you.”

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