Miranda jumped at the sound of knocking on her bedroom door. Drew and Jordan had taken Tommy into town to Slices of Solace for pizza, and she had just settled in for the rare opportunity of an afternoon nap. They couldn't be back already, could they? Worse yet, had Drew sent Tommy off with Jordan and stayed behind to torment her some more? She’d been back in avoidance mode since their last encounter several weeks ago. She wasn’t up to a run-in with him today.
"Ugh." Whoever it was, they weren't giving up. She rose and made her way to the door as stealthily as possible. Standing on the tips of her toes, she peeked through the peephole. Kayla stood on the other side, looking decidedly determined, like she was on a mission or something. Miranda didn't feel like a lecture from Kayla today, either, but it could've been worse. It could be Drew. She wasn't sure whether she was disappointed about that, or not.
"Are you alone?" Miranda called, from behind the closed door.
"Yes.”
“What do you want?" Miranda scanned the hall through the peephole, making sure Kayla was telling the truth.
"What do you mean, 'what do I want'," Kayla said. "I want to talk to you."
There was a long pause while Miranda considered. "What do you want to talk about?"
"C'mon, Miranda, you're my best friend. Do I need a reason?"
"I guess not." She poked her head around the door, taking a final quick look around to make sure no one else waited. Satisfied, she opened the door wide, and motioned for Kayla to come in. "Sorry," she said. "I'm just not myself lately, I guess."
"That's the understatement of the year."
Miranda couldn't help but grimace as Kayla's gaze traveled around the room, a frown darkening her generally happy face. It was obvious, she hadn't cleaned up in a while. By anyone's standards, it was cluttered, but Miranda was normally neat as a pin, and the room was now strewn about with clothes and magazines. She grabbed her quilt from where it had landed on the floor earlier and tossed it on top of the pile of sheets and clothes, and what suspiciously resembled a candy bar wrapper currently in residence on her bed. "I've spent a lot of time in here lately. Haven't had a chance to clean up."
"Uh-huh." Kayla stared, examining her, until Miranda couldn't help but turn away. "Look, I'm just going to get straight to the point here. The family is concerned about you, and they've appointed me as spokesperson."
"Oh," Miranda said, "and by family, you mean..."
"I mean me, my folks, and Jordan," Kayla said. "Drew has no idea I'm here, if that's what you're getting at." She took a deep breath and continued. "He is the reason I'm here, though. The whole family agrees—this thing with you and Drew has got to stop."
Miranda paled. This was a discussion she did not want to have. "It already has stopped. I haven't been with Drew in almost three months." Three long, heart-wrenching, months.
"I know. Believe me, we all know."
"What do you mean by that?"
"I mean we're all tired of pretending we don't notice the tension between you. We're tired of Drew moping about the place, and we're really tired of watching you act like you don't care about any of it."
Miranda sniffed. "I didn't realize I was being such a bother."
Kayla sighed, her exasperation filling the space between them like a birthday balloon stretched taut, to its limits. "Geez, Miranda," she said. "Would you listen to yourself? We're just worried because we care about you. Stop being so defensive."
Miranda opened her mouth for a sarcastic retort, but then thought better of it. Kayla was right. She was acting childish and insecure. She had made her decision regarding Drew—there was no reason to take it out on everyone else. "I'm sorry, Kayla," she said. "I don't know what's the matter with me. I don't have any right to treat you all this way. Your family has always accepted me as one of your own." She looked sorrowfully at her friend. "I don't know what I'd do without you."
"The good news is, you'll never have to find out." Kayla shoved an old newspaper aside and pulled Miranda to sit on the sofa beside her. "Fact is, we always hoped you and Drew would make it official one day. That you would not only be a part of the family in spirit, but in name, too."
"Yeah. I used to wish that, too." Miranda gave Kayla a wistful look. She sighed deeply and sank back onto the sofa. "He asked me, you know."
"Who asked you what?"
"Drew," she said. "He asked me to marry him."
"I thought something like that might have happened," Kayla said. "By the way you've both been acting lately, I'm guessing your answer was ‘no’."
Miranda only nodded her head, not trusting her ability to speak.
"Can I ask why?"
"You know why. I told you before I don't want that type of relationship with him. I didn't think he did, either." She grabbed a tissue from her night stand, dabbing at a stray tear. "I don't get it. He was fine with things the way they were, then suddenly he decided it wasn't enough."
"About that..." Kayla said.
"Yeah?" Miranda caught Kayla's guilty expression, the same one she'd often seen on Drew’s face.
"I may as well come clean," she said. "I might have had a talk with Drew, which also might have caused his change of heart."
"You?" Miranda stared in disbelief. "I thought you wanted us to be together."
"I do." Kayla took Miranda's hand in hers. "You have to understand. I love you both. I'm caught in the middle here—I just want everyone to be happy."
"It's okay." Miranda smiled at Kayla, years of friendship and shared experiences flashing through her mind. "I know you only want the best for us."
"You're not mad, then?"
"Of course not. How could I be, when you were just looking out for your brother? We're both trying to do what we feel is right." Her eyes clouded, and she shook her head in dismay. "But, if it’s right, then why do I feel so miserable?"
"Oh, honey." Kayla wrapped Miranda in a warm embrace. "If you're not feeling it, then maybe it's not the right thing, after all. You can always change your mind, you know."
"Absolutely not." Miranda's jaw tightened, and she sat up, straightening her back. "I can't."
"If that's the way you feel, there's nothing to be done about it, I guess. Just thought it was worth a try." She turned her head to the side, toying with a loose button. "It's too bad, though," she said. "It'll be hard getting used to someone like Susie Billings for a sister-in-law." She sighed and rose from the couch. "Not as bad as you having to get used to her being Tommy's step-mother, though."
"What are you talking about?" Miranda could feel her face turning beet red, and her indignant expression busted out before she had time to remind herself that she didn't care. "Is she his girlfriend now?"
"Of course not, silly. Everyone knows Drew is in love with you." She turned to Miranda, giving her a quick parting kiss on the cheek. "You have to know he won't stay single forever, though." She walked to the door, picking up a stray magazine as she went. "Ooh...I've been meaning to pick this up. Do you mind?"
Miranda only nodded her head, affirmatively.
"Yeah," Kayla said. "He'll move on eventually, and when he does Susie Billings will be right there waiting for him. Or, someone like her."
Miranda did her best to keep her sudden outrage in check. What did she care what, or who, Drew did? She was in control. She was the one making the decision to let him go.
"They're going to the party together, you know," Kayla said.
"The staff party?"
"Yup."
Miranda grumbled under her breath. The autumn harvest party-with everything else going on, she'd forgotten all about it. It had started out, over twenty years ago, as a small staff appreciation picnic, but had quickly developed into a huge event for not only staff of the Inn at Solace Creek and their families, but basically the entire town, as well. It started out with lunch and games for the kids on the lawn and ended with kegs of beer and a clam bake around a bonfire on the beach. Miranda knew she and Drew wouldn't be going together, but she hadn't thought about the possibility of him going with someone else. "He's really taking Susie to the party?" she asked.
"Uh-huh." Kayla gave her hand a dismissive wave. "Well, it's more like she's taking him. She sort of ambushed him into going."
Miranda scoffed. "I bet she didn't have to try very hard."
"He said no at first," she said. "But, by the fourth or fifth beer, she had him convinced. I just thought you should know so you're not caught off guard." She opened the door and walked into the hall.
"Yeah, thanks. Where is Drew, anyway?" He was probably back from lunch by now. She had a few things she'd like to say to him. Like how inappropriate it was to date a subordinate, especially one who waltzed around the Inn like she owned the place in tight tank tops and short little skirts.
"Oh, he's probably in one of the only two places he ever seems to be these days," Kayla said. "Either in the restaurant, bothering the staff, or at his house, bothering the construction workers." She walked down the hall, pausing just long enough to cast the final stone. "Of course, my bet would be on the house," she said. "You know he’s living there now, don’t you? There’s still a lot of work to be done, but it’s comfortable enough for him, I guess. Besides, I saw Susie Billings walking up the hill about an hour ago. Cute dress, too. A little low-cut for my taste, but I guess a high neckline would look kind of funny with a skirt that short."
Miranda slammed the door shut behind Kayla. So, he loved her, huh? He would wait for her, give her time to change her mind? It was easy to see how long that had lasted. That little gnawing voice that lived inside of her head was doing its best to remind her she had no right to be angry with Drew for dating. After all, she was the one who had been so adamant about not wanting a relationship. If he chose to move on and date a tasteful woman, then it was no business of hers. Except, Susie Billings was not a tasteful woman. She was a sleazy little tramp. And Miranda had no intention of watching Drew cavort around the Inn with her in front of their son and the rest of the world. No way. He might not be hers anymore, but, as the mother of his child, she could still give him a piece of her mind. And, that is exactly what she intended to do.