Chapter Nineteen
Cara dragged a crumpled tissue beneath her nose and padded into the kitchen, where Mom was unloading the dishwasher while Dad pressed against her from behind. He lifted the dark curls from Mom’s neck and replaced them with nibbles and kisses.
“Nice to see nothing’s changed since I’ve been gone.” Cara dropped onto the nearest chair, too exhausted to stand after the walk from her bedroom. The simple act of pulling on her bathrobe had drained her.
“Oh, honey.” Mom abandoned the dishwashing to wrap Cara in a warm hug. “Are you ready to talk yet?”
Cara shook her head. She’d told Mom about the breakup, but she didn’t want to rehash it. Thinking about Aelyx made her heart pinch.
“I hate seeing you like this.” Mom smoothed a palm over Cara’s loose hair in a comforting sweep. “When was the last time you ate?”
“Yesterday, I think.” Cara had nearly gagged on her Reese’s. As if to prove she was still human, she’d choked down both peanut butter cups, but her body had punished her for it. She’d felt sluggish and queasy ever since.
“Want me to make your favorite breakfast?” Mom asked. “It’ll only take a minute.”
Hell must have frozen over, because the idea of Mom’s triple-chocolate-chip pancakes sent Cara’s stomach into a somersault. “No, thanks.”
“Sweetheart, why don’t you call Tori? She always makes you feel better.”
“I did.” The inside of Cara’s nose tingled, and she grabbed a fresh Kleenex from her pocket in time for a vicious ker-choo. Groaning, she dabbed beneath her raw nose while sliding a glare at the empty doggie bed in the corner. Mom had boarded Linus at the kennel, but the fluffball had left behind plenty of pet dander. “She’s taking me to the mall for a girls’ day.”
Mom arched a stern brow. “Not without your brother.”
Cara huffed a sigh, but secretly she was glad to have Troy home. Colonel Rutter had done them a huge favor by assigning Troy to her security detail. This was the first time in three years their entire family had slept under the same roof, and it reminded Cara of simpler days when her biggest problems were acne and frizzy hair.
“Fine,” she said. “He can come, too.”
“And I want you to eat something,” Mom said. “What’s it going to be?”
Cara scanned the open pantry for her options: Captain Crunch, coffee cakes, fudge Pop-Tarts, Nutri-Grain bars, and sweetened oatmeal. None of it appealed to her. Maybe her nutrition counselor had been right when he’d likened sugar to a toxic drug.
“I guess I could eat some eggs,” Cara said.
Mom squeezed Cara’s shoulders. “Coming right up.”
By the time Mom finished making breakfast, the back door swung open and Troy bounded inside from his daily jog, the pits of his SEMPER FI T-shirt soaked with sweat. Cara noticed he’d tried to maintain the bulk he added on L’eihr, but he’d begun to thin at the shoulders. He tugged his earbuds free and nodded at the frying pan. “Got extra?”
“That depends,” Mom said. “Do you feel like tagging along to the mall with your sister and Tori?”
He made a sour face, which Mom took as a yes.
“Good. Then I’ve got plenty to spare.” Mom dished out two plates and set them on the table in front of Cara and Troy.
They ate in silence until Cara remembered something. She glanced over her shoulder to make sure Mom and Dad were out of earshot. “Elle told me to say hi and that she misses having you as a roommate.”
Troy paused with a bite of scrambled egg suspended an inch from his mouth. “For real?”
“Mmm-hmm. She said taking off her shirt feels anti-climactic now.”
His focus softened and he shook his head in wonderment. “What a pair.”
“You’re such a pig.”
Shrugging a shoulder, he crammed in the rest of his eggs and spoke with one cheek full. “Yeah, well, if this pig’s gonna spend his last day of vacation following around your skinny ass, he’s getting a free lunch out of it.”
Cara smiled for the first time in what seemed like forever. “You think my ass is skinny?”
He rolled his eyes so hard he probably glimpsed his own brain.
“Thanks for coming to the mall,” she told him. “I’ve missed you.”
Troy watched her for a long moment before ruffling her hair. “You’re welcome. Dorkus.”
The inside of Tori’s car smelled the same as Cara remembered—a mixture of leather, fruity hair products, and Cool Ranch Doritos. It wasn’t a scent she would describe as pleasant, but it evoked happy memories of away games and summer. After giving her best friend a long-overdue hug, Cara strapped into the passenger seat and used the rearview mirror to ensure no orange strands were peeking out from beneath her blond pageboy wig. Her disguise would work if nobody looked too closely at her auburn brows or the freckles dotting her cheeks.
“Here.” Tori handed her a pair of oversize sunglasses, then slung a bronze wrist atop the steering wheel, narrowing her kohl-lined eyes at Cara’s sweatpants and matching gray hoodie. “If you’re going for the whole ‘burned-out soccer mom’ look, you nailed it, babe. Nobody will recognize you like this.”
Cara frowned and glanced again at her reflection. Maybe she should have worn a little makeup, at least to conceal the redness beneath her nose. After her shower, she’d plucked her favorite cosmetics from her bag, but then the whole ritual seemed kind of pointless. Who decided freckles needed to be covered up? Who said eyelashes had to be thick and black and unnaturally long? Cara thought she looked fine without her cheeks dusted or her lips painted. Nobody wore makeup on L’eihr.
But you’re not on L’eihr now.
“Hey,” she said to Tori. “Lend me some gloss, will you?” When Tori produced Gritty in Pink, Cara smoothed on a heavy coat. Her lips shimmered in the sunlight, but they felt sticky and unkissable. Not that she had anyone to kiss.
“That’s a step in the right direction,” Tori said. “Now let’s find an outfit to show off that hot new body of yours.”
“Can we not talk about my sister’s body?” Troy asked from the backseat. “A trip to the mall is torture enough.”
“So put in your earbuds,” Tori said.
He followed her advice, then rolled down the rear passenger window and signaled to the unmarked SUV behind them that they were ready to go. The driver flashed his lights twice, and Tori pulled onto the street.
“E can’t make it,” Tori said over the hum of the engine. “But he says hi and he hopes you change your mind about living among the L’osers.”
Cara ignored the argument bait, relieved that Eric couldn’t join them. She didn’t harbor any residual feelings for her ex, but it was still awkward seeing him with her best friend. “Tell him I said hey.”
“Tell him yourself tonight at Jared Lee’s kegger.”