“Hey, honey, I’m so glad you’re back. You’re just in time.”
Aspen pushed the vegetables and meat around on her plate once they were seated, but couldn’t finish anything. Her appetite wasn’t as good as it could be. After dinner, they gathered the plates and washed the dishes before she went upstairs to soak in the bath. Dressing in her fluffy slippers and pajamas, she joined her mother in the living room to watch television. Leeman had already left for Lanta.
“This is the first time that I’ve been allowed to watch TV in the living room,” she commented as her mom flicked through the channels.
“I know. I’m so sorry, honey. I know that things were rough before, but they’re changing now.”
“It’s okay. I’m just happy that things are different.”
“You don’t look very happy,” her mother remarked. “What happened today? Do you want to talk about it?”
Aspen sighed and sank back into the couch. She couldn’t put her feet on the sofa yet; it was too soon and she didn’t feel comfortable enough to do that in her uncle’s house, even though she knew he wouldn’t mind.
“Does this have something to do with Dylan?” Norma prompted.
She sighed again. “Yes.”
“He seems like a nice kid.”
After rolling her eyes, she looked at her mother. “He’s not a kid, Mom.”
Norma’s lips tilted into a half smile. “What did he do?”
“Nothing, everything, argh! I don’t know. I don’t know what I want from him, Mom. He makes me happy and then he makes me angry. One minute I like him, and then I hate him in the next. I don’t know what it is.”
She stood up and paced around the sofa. “There’s this girl and she’s so pretty. When she’s around, it’s like I don’t exist. I can’t stand her. She’s always hanging on to him.”
“Does he fix up her dad’s house and go to visit her like he does with you?” Norma asked softly.
“No, I don’t know. Maybe he does, I don’t know. She’s got this brother who likes me but I don’t like him, and I’m flirting with him just to make Dylan mad so he’ll notice me, but it’s always about her.”
“I’m sure he notices you too, Aspen. It certainly looked like he wanted to be with you when he came here today.”
Aspen turned to face her mother thoughtfully. “He did, didn’t he? Argh! I’m going to pull all my hair out. I’m so frustrated.”
Norma chuckled and got up. “I’ll go and make some hot chocolate for the both of us. That should calm you down. Why don’t you skip your visit to Lanta tonight and stay at home? Maybe he’ll miss you more.”
“That’s not a bad idea,” Aspen mused.
After the TV program had ended, her mother tucked her into bed and kissed her good night. Aspen lay in bed and listened to the street noises. The house was big, but it was in a well-populated area and close to the school, so she could hear cars as they passed by outside. She willed herself not to travel to Lanta in her sleep, and concentrated hard to not cross over. It didn’t help, because as soon as she’d drifted off, she woke up in her father’s house.
Darn. I didn’t want to be here.
Voices in the living room made Aspen turn around quickly, and she tiptoed to the door.
Chapter 19
Clean House
“Helloooo?”
“I told you she’s not here.”
“I’m sure I heard a noise in the room.”
“Whatever, you just want to go looking for her. There’s plenty of work to be done. I finished the kitchen yesterday, but there’s a lot of work left in the bedrooms.”
A half smile played across Aspen’s lips. Ginny and Sandy were in the house. She walked into the living room. “Here I am.”
“Princess, you gave me heart failure,” Sandy cried and clutched her chest.
“I’m so glad you’re here,” Ginny said with a grin. “Sandy wanted to start without you.”
“Thank you, both of you.” Aspen threw her arms around her friends and hugged them. “I don’t know what I’d do without you.”
“The sooner we get your house livable, the better.”
“Uh-huh, and I want to invite everyone over for a barbeque.” Ginny gave a cheesy smile.
Aspen grinned back. “Well then, let’s get on with it.”
The three girls went to the kitchen to get the brooms, mops, dust cloths, and furniture polish that the store had sent over earlier. Sandy filled up a bucket of warm soapy water, and Ginny grabbed a bunch of towels.
They tackled the master bedroom first. Aspen’s room had already been cleaned, but it needed new furniture. The crib wasn’t going to stay.
Inside the master bedroom, Sandy grabbed the bedding and pulled it from the bed. Aspen dusted the top of the chest of drawers and the dressing table. Dragging the chair up against the window, Ginny tugged at the curtain.