Chapter 17 - A Million Rainbows

I sat at the enormous granite-topped island in Kyle’s kitchen. The thing was so massive it would have taken up all the cramped dining area at my house, but in the sizable room we were in, it fit just fine.

Kyle was sitting beside me. His mom was busy cooking. She was making several fancy dishes like she was preparing for a party, but it was just me.

The first thing I noticed when coming into the house was that she had placed my heart, thank you note on her fridge, the one I had given her for the bread. That made me smile, and I kept coming back to it as I gazed in awe around their lovely kitchen.

It was such a beautiful space. The cabinetry was painted a light cream, complementing the soft taupe walls. The back wall behind the sink and stove was covered in natural stone tiles. All the appliances—stainless steel and shiny—matched.

The room extended out beyond the kitchen, where a plush rug divided it into a sitting area. A sofa and loveseat sat in front of a large stone fireplace, and a real wood fire blazed, making everything cozy and warm.

Kyle was right. There had been no need to worry about his mom. Sue was the easiest person to talk to. Easier than Kyle, which in my book was saying a lot. It was mostly because she didn’t stop talking, but I was okay with that.

She kept putting food in front of me: a delicious spinach artichoke dip with homemade pita bread chips, a big square of lasagna, a tray of chocolate chip cookies. And she continued adding more, all the while going between explaining each dish in detail and telling me her life story.

“Kyle’s father and I met while he was attending school at Stanford over in California …” She transferred a gooey cheese dip from a pan, scooping it into a pretty ceramic serving dish and sprinkling it with scallions. She pushed the dish and a box of crackers across the granite to me. “That’s bacon and cheddar. It’s real good with Ritz,” she said, before going back into her story.

“I moved to the city after graduation, wanting to get away from my …”—she frowned anxiously, her lipstick lips pulling down, displaying her pretty white teeth—“well, let’s just say my very stringent father. Anyway, I got a job as a waitress for a local catering company and was working at a gala he was attending.”

Sue crossed back to the sink, running water over the soiled pan. She shut off the tap and wiped her hands on her apron. “Both Kyle’s dad and grandfather attended school over there. His grandfather still sits on the board, so Kyle’s dad has been on him about attending.”

“Ugh, I’m not going to Stanford,” groaned Kyle. He folded over onto the countertop and buried his head in his arms.

Sue gave him a small, displeased head shake, her eyes rolling up a little before turning to me. “So Kyle tells me you plan on going to Boston University?”

I paused with a bite of lasagna in my mouth, using the moment to stall and pull it together. I chewed and swallowed and took a sip of my water. “Yeah,” I said, “I’m not sure yet. It depends on if I’m accepted. I haven’t made any final decisions, though.” I took another bite of food, hoping she’d take the hint that I wanted to drop this conversation.

“She’ll get accepted,” inputted Kyle, the vote of confidence sweet but unhelpful. “Aren’t you on track to being Valedictorian?”

“Yeah, I think so,” I said, feeling my heart race. I turned to Kyle, realizing I would have to be the one to shut this down. “Hey, where’s the bathroom?”

Kyle pointed me toward the other end of the room, to a closed door along the wall.

“Thanks,” I said, getting up, finding a moment of solace as I closed the door behind me.

“Kyle, I like her,” said Sue, her high-pitched, southern tone easily reaching my ears. “Much nicer than Lyndsay.”

“Mom, come on,” said Kyle. “She can hear you.”

“Sorry,” said Sue, drawn-out and unabashed. “I like her. That’s all I’m saying.”

I had mixed feelings about that. I hated being compared to the perfect, beautiful Lyndsay. But Sue liked me better, and she had good taste.

The bathroom I was in was amazing. It looked like a mermaid’s haven, painted a tranquil blue with glistening white tiles halfway up the wall and a pretty glass, oyster-shaped vessel sitting on the counter as the sink—God, I would love to live in this house.

I shook my head, deciding not to let a stupid mention of Lyndsay ruin my night.

But now I had to be all awkward and pretend I hadn’t overheard.

I came out a few minutes later, finding my seat beside Kyle. Sue was being quiet, washing some dishes at the sink, and I was all hunched in and stiff, not knowing what to say.

Emily had given me a pair of socks. It had been a weird thing to ask her, but she had so many cute, colorful ones, and when I explained to her about Kyle’s heated floor tiles, she understood and had given me a pair of light pink ones to keep.

I anxiously rubbed my stockinged feet over the smooth, spindled wood at the foot of the high-backed stool I was on. Kyle twisted to face me, and with his Tide-white socks, he lifted his foot and nudged his toes with mine.

I met his gaze. He was about to say sorry. I saw it both in his eyes and on his lips. I shook my head to stop him. “It’s okay,” I whispered.

“So,” said Sue, “Kyle tells me your sister is a bit of a psychic?”

I stiffened. My breath, hitching. My worried gaze, freezing with Kyle’s. He looked up and away, then closed his eyes with a weary sigh.

I tried to run it through my head real fast. Sue had seemed excited about the idea, not weirded out. Kyle had told her, so he didn’t think it would be a big deal. So it was fine. They didn’t think psychic Charlie was weird.

I turned to Sue. “Um … yeah,” I said, glancing back over my shoulder at Kyle to let him know he was off the hook. “She did something kind of amazing at the nursing home today.”

I went into the story about Charlie and Nancy at the piano.

Sue was in tears by the end, weeping quietly into the corner of her apron. “That was beautiful,” she said with a small sniffle. “Please bring Charlie by anytime. I would love to meet her.”

That was the nicest thing she could have said to me. I smiled graciously, wishing I could give her a hug.

Kyle got up from his stool. “Hey, do you want to go upstairs? Put the movie on?”

I nodded, following his lead and getting up with him.

“Kyle, y’all take this food with you. And Bree, you make sure you take some home for Charlie. I’m watching my figure. God knows I can’t have all that sittin’ in my fridge.”

Sue was petite and slim. If she was watching her figure, she’d been doing it for a while now.

“Hey,” I said, “do you want to watch the movie with us?” It seemed rude to just take all her food and leave her alone down here.

Her mouth fell a little, a hint of a smirk pulling up at one end. “What are y’all watching?” she said, her gaze darting to Kyle’s, and they exchanged a funny, somewhat heated conversation with just their eyes. Kyle’s eyes were screaming, Hell, no!

“The Shining,” he answered, throwing a strong, disapproving head shake in my direction.

“Oh Lord, no,” said Sue with a laugh. She rounded the corner to us, giving me a quick hug. “Thank you, Bree, but I’ll have nightmares if I watch that. And I think my son here might turn all Jack Torrance on me and actually kill me if I did.” She moved to Kyle, patting his back. “The clock strikes at midnight, ya hear? That’s already past my bedtime, and you can’t risk taking the car again. Just come get me.” She leaned into Kyle’s ear to whisper (but I was standing close and heard it plain as day), “And I do like her.”

Sue reached for me, warmly patting my shoulder before going back to the sink.

Kyle’s dimples pinched, his eyes smiling. He tilted his head toward the back door that led to the upstairs game room, mouthing the words, Let’s go.