CHAPTER 29
627 Words
CHAPTER 29
“Thanks so much for dinner.” Kennedy couldn’t articulate why she felt like apologizing to Nick during the ride back to Carl and Sandy’s. “It was great.”
Nick pulled the bus into the Lindgrens’ driveway. “They make good chowder there, don’t they?” For a minute, he looked like he was about to get out of the car too, but then he just gave a little wave. “Well, I’ll see you around, I’m sure.”
She opened the passenger door. “Yeah. Sandy said you’re coming over for dinner Christmas Eve.”
He smiled. “I’ll be there.”
“All right. Thanks again.” She failed to infuse as much enthusiasm into her voice as she had intended, but she hoped she at least didn’t sound rude.
“Have a good night.”
“You, too.”
She walked up to the Lindgrens’ porch, aware of his eyes following her. It wasn’t until her hand was on the knob that she realized she didn’t have a key or any way to get in. She was about to wave Nick down to ask to borrow his phone when the door opened.
“Well, there you are!”
Kennedy was so relieved to see Sandy in the doorway she didn’t mind the exaggerated wink. “I was wondering where you two went. I left Providence at least half an hour after you did.” She leaned forward and waved to Nick, who was pulling the bus out of the driveway. “So you got something to eat, did you?” Sandy wrapped an arm around Kennedy’s waist and pulled her in. “That was awful thoughtful of Nick. I knew he had it in him to be a romantic when the right woman caught his eye.”
“We were both hungry, that’s all. It’s been a long day.”
Sandy insisted on making Kennedy some tea, and once or twice she gave Kennedy a sly smile while she bustled around the kitchen, but she graciously didn’t say anything else about Nick.
“The doctor says now Carl might be home by Saturday.” Sandy sat down at the table across from Kennedy. “You know that’s Carl’s first thought. He hasn’t missed a Sunday preaching in years.”
“That’s good.” Kennedy’s mind was elsewhere, on getting in touch with Reuben, on the Christmas she wasn’t going to spend with her parents or her aunt, on the dozens of meetings and legal proceedings ahead of her. She wished she could dump all her memories onto someone else who would testify as her proxy.
“Oh, I almost forgot to tell you. That newspaper reporter stopped by the hospital looking for you.” Sandy spoke as casually as if she had been mentioning a missed phone call from the friend next door. “You know which one I mean? The red-haired boy?”
Kennedy had been forced to deal with all kinds of nameless members of the press over the past few months, but one face stuck out in her memory. “Yeah, I know who you’re talking about.”
“Nice kid.” Sandy looked at Kennedy out the corner of her eyes. “Of course, I don’t know if he’s a Christian like Nick. Do you?”
Kennedy buried her face in her teacup and didn’t respond.
“Well, Carl insisted I spent tonight here at home and try to get some rest.” Sandy lowered her voice. “Between you and me, I think he just wants the room to himself so he can watch those silly Westerns he likes so much.”
“I’m probably going to go to bed soon, too.” Kennedy had emailed her aunt, who had probably called her mom, who had probably left fifteen or more voicemails by now. She needed to remember to plug her phone in tonight. She almost envied Carl. People in hospitals could choose not to return phone calls and blame it on the meds or the nurses or any number of convenient excuses.
Kennedy helped Sandy clean the table, tried twice to help with the dishes, and was finally shoved off to bed with a hug and a good-night prayer that left her feeling like she was five years old again. Kennedy fell asleep right away, thoughts of final exams and detective interviews, car chases and failed assassination attempts retreating before the heaviness and exhaustion that had clung to her the whole semester.
- Writer
