"What happened to you?" Kayla laughed so hard, Drew thought she might cry.
"It's not funny, sis," Drew said. "I'm exhausted. I think I may be dying." He couldn't help but smile a little at his sister's laughter. "I'm not kidding, Kayla. The kid wore me out."
"That's what six-year-olds do, Drew," Kayla said. "Honestly, I'm surprised you lasted as long as you did. I expected to see you well before lunch time."
“Hey, that’s not fair. I only brought him by for a bite to eat. We have a big day ahead of us—a long, full day.” He looked at her with pleading eyes. “Just tell me how you do it, Kayla. I know you have Tommy all day sometimes. I want to be a good dad, but I can’t do that if I drop dead from exhaustion first.”
“You can start by acting more like his dad than his buddy,” Kayla said. She glanced over to the doorway, where Tommy was happily playing with the family dog. “You let him get away with a lot sometimes, Drew. And, it’s okay to give yourself a break once in a while. You don’t have to play so hard all of the time, you know.”
“I know.” Drew sighed, defeatedly. “I just want him to know I’m there for him. I have so much to make up for.”
“I get it, Drew,” Kayla said. “And I’m proud of you for that, but you don’t have to do it all in one day. Give it some time.”
Drew sent a grateful smile his sister’s way. She always knew just what to say to put things in perspective.
"Here you go." Kayla handed Tommy a sandwich. "Turkey and bacon. Your favorite. Why don't you head on out to the dining room and have lunch with Grandpa Max? I know he'd love to see you." She waited until Tommy left before turning back to Drew. "So, I had an interesting conversation with Miranda this morning."
"Oh, yeah?" He grabbed a sandwich from a tray on the counter. "Did she tell you all about her and Jordan acting like a couple of fools last night?"
Kayla glared at him with the look that only a little sister could give. The look that said, 'I love you, but you're stupid, and you better listen to me before you make a big mistake'.
"What's going on with you, Drew?" Kayla said.
"Why do people keep asking me that today?"
"Maybe because you're not acting like your normal self."
"And what would that be? A pompous jerk?" Drew gave her his best big brother look. The look that said, 'I know I'm stupid, but I'm too far in to back out now'.
"At times."
"Thanks." Drew wadded his napkin and threw it across the counter at her.
"Seriously, though." She walked around the counter to join him at the table. "What are you doing to Miranda?"
"Why, what did she say?" He swallowed hard. Why did his mouth seem to suddenly go dry lately, whenever anyone mentioned Miranda’s name?
"Well..."
Drew braced himself. From the tone of her voice, it didn't bode well for him.
"It was hard to understand her, with all the crying she was doing, but the gist of it is that she just wants you to leave her alone."
"Did she actually say that?"
"Yes."
He couldn't speak. All he could do was stare. No sarcasm. No jokes. No attempts at wit and charm. Just a flinch at Kayla's words and a sharp pain in his heart.
"Look, Drew." Kayla reached out and took his hand. "You've got to understand where she's coming from. It's been seven years. She just wants to move on with her life."
"I made a mistake, Kayla." He raked his hand through his thick black hair and walked to the window.
"It's okay," Kayla said. "Just don't let it happen again. I'm sure she'll get over it."
"No. I mean, I made a mistake all those years ago. I never should have left."
"Oh." Kayla was silent. She was probably shocked. Drew was pretty sure he'd never admitted he was wrong before.
"I should have stayed with her. I should have been there when Tommy was born." He poured himself a cold glass of milk and grabbed some fresh baked cookies from the jar that always seemed to be full. As a kid, he'd thought it was magic. "I’ve missed this place, you know. All the noise and the people. I'll deny it if you tell anyone, but I even miss those Sunday afternoon dinners Mom always insisted on."
"Still does," Kayla said. "And, now I know you're crazy."
"I can't let her go, sis. I didn't come here for this, but now I can't let her go."
"What about Jordan?"
"She doesn't love him."
"How do you know that?"
"I don't have to know it, I can feel it. And as soon as she stops being stubborn for a minute, she's going to feel it, too."
"So, what if she does, Drew? What if she does wake up one day and admit that she loves you?"
She gave him that sisterly look again, this time imploring him to listen to her and understand.
"What then?” Kayla continued. “She told you years ago she never wanted to leave Solace Creek. She has a life, a family, a business. She's not going to want to leave. That hasn't changed."
"Well, maybe I have." He got up to leave without giving her a chance to respond. "Thanks for the talk and for lunch. I’m going to grab Tommy and take off now," he said. "He and I have a date to crash tonight."