“Oh, hey,” Anya said. “You’re home.”
Both of them had Styrofoam cups, Leo sucking from a straw.
“Sup,” he said.
“Where were you?”
“We went down the street to get a drink.”
“There are drinks in the refrigerator, and you know you’re not supposed to leave the apartment.”
“Chill, Kat,” Anya said, sliding onto one of the couches. “We went to the market. It’s just a block down the street.”
“Without texting me to let me know where you were. Without permission.”
“Uh, okay, Mom. We’re fine,” Leo said, heading to his room.
“Stop.” Her voice came out sharper than she intended. “We need to talk about this.”
Leo kept going, and then closed his door.
Sonofabitch. She hated raising teenagers. She had never been like that when she was their age. She’d been cooperative and respectful. Where did all this attitude come from?
With a sigh, she took a seat on the sofa, feeling tired and defeated. It had been like this for about a year now—the constant battles, the defiance. She had no one to turn to for advice. No relatives, no friends to talk to. She was a novice at this. She hadn’t even gone through her own period of rebellion, because at barely eighteen she’d been in charge of two young children. She’d had to grow up in a hurry.
“You need to relax about this, Kat,” Anya said, leaning back against the sofa cushions, her feet up on the table as she scrolled through her phone. “It’s no big deal.”
She was too tired to deal with them. She’d been on the road for three weeks straight, and then after barely unpacking had spent an entire day in meetings.
At least she’d be home for a while now. Maybe they just needed some attention. And some reminders about the rules.
“I’m going to take a bath.” She pushed off on her knees and stood, heading down the hall.
“Oh. Hey, Kat?”
She stopped, turning toward her sister. “Yes?”
“I have a new recipe in mind for this homemade pizza I’d like to make. Can we do that tonight?”
She tried for a half smile. Anything that would engage her with her siblings was a good thing. “Sure.”
GRANT GOT SETTLED IN HIS HOTEL ROOM AFTER DOING the signing and photo shoot for the Merritt Foundation that Liz had set up for him. He debated whether he wanted to go out for something to eat or wander around the area. He grabbed his phone and decided to call Katrina first. He dialed her number. It rang several times before someone who definitely wasn’t Katrina answered.
“Yo, hello?”
“Hi. Is Katrina there?”
“Who’s this?”
“This is Grant Cassidy. And who’s this?”
“Anya.”
“You’d be Katrina’s sister.”
“And how would you know that?”
“I did a photo shoot with her a couple weeks ago.”
“You did, huh? Are you two dating?”
He grinned. You had to love the nosiness of teenagers—and siblings. “Jury’s still out on that one.”
“She’s resistant. Thinks all her free time should be babysitting us, but I can assure you we don’t need babysitters.”
“I’m sure you don’t. So is she around?”
“She’s in the tub. So why are you calling?”
“I’m in town and thought we could all get together and do something.”
“So, by ‘all,’ I’m assuming you mean me and Leo, too?”
“I do mean you and Leo, too. Are you all free tomorrow during the day?”
“Hang on. Let me check with her.”
She laid the phone down, Grant assumed to check with Katrina. He could only imagine the response. But she came back about a minute later.
“She said that sounds fine to her.”
Grant was shocked to hear that. “Are you sure?”
“Absolutely. I think she’s bored hanging around us. You’re probably a nice distraction.”
He laughed. “Okay, then. How about I pick you all up about ten tomorrow morning?”
“Sounds like a plan. Do you need our address?”
“I do.”
She gave him the address.
“What should we wear, Grant?”
“Tourist clothes.”
Now Anya laughed. “Awesome. See you tomorrow, Grant.”
“Okay. If Katrina has any questions, she can call me.”
“Noted. See ya.”
She hung up, and Grant shook his head.
Tomorrow should be interesting.
He couldn’t wait.
KATRINA FELT A LOT BETTER AFTER A LONG SOAK IN the tub. She helped Anya make the pizza, plus salad.
At least she and the kids were eating together. It always took her a while to get balanced again when she got back from a long bout of travel. She felt out of sorts, and they would hit her with a wave of rebellion, so this wasn’t unusual. She’d just have to set some firm ground rules and stick to them and the universe would right itself again.
She took a drink of the merlot she’d poured herself and felt a calm settle over her.