The Girl Next Door

Chapters 25-28

-25-

Catie was watching from the front window when Emma's car pulled into their driveway for their pre-arranged lunch date the following Sunday morning. She bounced with excitement, gathering her coat and bag in her eagerness to go... but then she noticed that Emma was not getting out of the car.

"She's not coming in?" she asked, frowning.

Finn, who had also noticed the exact moment Emma had pulled up, feigned interest in the Sunday New York Times. "She doesn't want to see me. She wants 'space.'"

"That's stupid. Why?"

He shrugged. "She's got a lot on her mind, I guess."

"She won't even come in to say hi, though. That's like when Ashley Wheatley broke up with Mark Foster and wouldn't talk to him for three weeks, even though they were lab partners in bio."

Finn looked up from his newspaper with a weary smile. "I appreciate the support, kid, but please don't give her grief about it. This is hard for her. Enjoy your lunch."

Catie sniffed. "This sucks."

"For all of us," Finn agreed, "Emma included. Here." He pulled out his wallet and handed her a $50 bill, still crisp from the bank. "Don't let her pick up the tab."

Scowling, Catie snapped the bill out of her father's hand. "This is dumb. You guys need to grow up."

Finn's mouth twitch in a humorless approximation of a smile. "Sorry, kid. Sometimes grownups are dumb."

Catie rolled her eyes and ran out the door. At the car, Emma leaned over to unlock the passenger door, apologizing for the dog hair on the seat. Ludo himself was lolling across the cluttered backseat, snoring. Catie reach back to pat his head, and he perked up his ears and opened one eye in greeting, and then went back to sleep.

"It's good to see you," Emma said, grabbing Catie in an awkward, sideways hug, impeded by their seatbelts and the gearshift between them.

Catie wanted to cling tight and refuse to let Emma go, but she was mad at her, too. She'd been taking out her anger on her father all week, but Emma was the one who'd left. Instead of returning the hug, she held herself stiffly until Emma's arms fell away.

"You're mad," Emma realized.

Catie just stared at her.

Emma sighed. "Yeah, of course you're mad. I'm sorry. I should have talked to you before I left."

"You shouldn't have left," Catie grumbled.

Emma frowned up at the house. "Is your dad home?"

"You know he is. Otherwise you'd have walked to the door to come get me, wouldn't you?"

Emma's cheeks pinked, and Catie knew she was right. Emma didn't ask anything else about Finn, but restarted the car and backed out to the street. "Where you want to eat?" she asked.

Catie gritted her teeth. "I don't. I don't want to go sit in some restaurant somewhere eating sandwiches and pretending everything's okay. Nothing about this is okay."

"Hmm. Mexican, then?" Emma tried to joke, and Catie honestly wanted to hit her.

"Never mind. Let me out," she said, reaching for the door handle.

Emma sighed apologetically. "I'm sorry, sweetheart. I know you're mad, but please: I've been looking forward to this lunch date all week."

"I don't want a stupid lunch date! I want you to come home!"