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Aside from Pip’s throwing a minor tantrum when Kimmie moved his car collection back downstairs to the living room, the evening went smoothly enough. Meg was a bundle of nerves and motion until she swept out at quarter to six, complaining about how late she’d be, wishing Kimmie good luck on her big date as if it were a final exam at school.
The door slammed shut behind her with an echo, and then the house fell silent. Kimmie had showered and changed into a pair of her sister’s black slacks and a black shirt. It was darker than what she’d normally wear, but the burgundy cardigan and a turquoise necklace from her sister gave a cheerful splash of color. She’d lost track of how many times she’d opened and shut the kitchen cabinets just so she could remember where everything was when Taylor arrived with the food.
Pip adored his new dinosaur pajamas from Meg and was already dressed for bed. Kimmie was glad he was happy playing with those cars. Her sister might never know what a genius purchase that was. Kimmie wandered from room to room, wondering what she could do to make anything look more attractive. The house was spotless, and the decorations were sparse but tasteful. She hoped it wasn’t too opulent for Taylor. She didn’t want to make him uncomfortable, didn’t want him to think she came from the kind of family that had nothing better to do than flaunt all their wealth to make others jealous.
She tried to imagine how the night would go. She’d never been on a date before. Even though she and a boy in high school had crushes on each other for a while, she’d never been allowed to see him outside of school. She wondered if Meg was this nervous before her first date with Dwayne.
Kimmie glanced once more at the mirror, hardly recognizing herself. From one angle, she looked tired and old, like you’d expect from someone who’d just lost their mother. But when the light caught her face a certain way and when she gave a faint smile, she glowed with maturity. She hoped Taylor wouldn’t think she’d spent too much time getting ready. Meg insisted on putting some makeup on her even though Kimmie had never worn anything besides chapstick and blush before. The foundation did wonders at hiding the smudges beneath Kimmie’s eyes, but when she met with Taylor she still wanted to look and feel like herself.
Meg had fixed the house phone, and Taylor had called a few minutes earlier to let her know he was running late. Apparently dozens of other hungry Anchorage residents were also in the mood for Chinese, and the wait for takeout would be longer than he’d expected. Kimmie paced the downstairs hallway, trying to calm her nerves, trying to keep from feeling guilty. What kind of daughter goes on a date the week her mother dies?
She hummed one of her mom’s Bible tunes. Surely I am with you always, even to the end of the ages.
How much longer was Taylor going to take? She’d forgotten to ask Meg how to let him through the iron gate up the driveway. She checked the window every few seconds to see if he was on his way, ready to meet him.
From the living room, Pip let out a squeal. When she got to him, she saw him struggling to separate two cars whose bumpers had gotten stuck together.
“Let me help,” she urged, but her brother refused to let either of them go.
“If you give them to me, I can fix it.” She felt bad for sounding irritated. It wasn’t Pip’s fault he got frustrated so easily.
She finally managed to yank the cars out of his hands, ignoring the angry shrieks that died down the moment he realized his toys were free. She wondered what Taylor would think if she tried to wrestle her brother’s medicine into him after dinner. It would probably be best to wait until he was gone.
The doorbell rang, and Kimmie sprinted ahead, reaching it in just a few strides. Suddenly feeling foolish, she waited until she caught her breath so Taylor wouldn’t think she’d been running, then flung the door open.
The smile froze on her lips.
It wasn’t Taylor at the door.