Every Glance (Every Life #3) (10 page)

After I help her out, she straightens her dress and sweater, even though it’s perfectly in place. Kyler looks up at the house and lets out a long, deep breath, seeming to steel herself for what she’s about to throw herself into.

But before I can question her obvious hesitation, she plasters on a bright smile and crooks her arm into mine. “You ready?”

“As ready as you are,” I say, without any doubt in my mind. Although, she doesn’t seem to sense my accusation.

She holds her head high as she leads us up the sidewalk; the only sound is the muffled music from the backyard and the tap of her flats on the concrete. And I can only barely hear that through my own heartbeat thrumming in my ears.

Devyn
won’t
recognize me. I look too different, and I doubt if she ever knew my real name. But it doesn’t stop me from feeling weird about this whole thing. I never would’ve imagined I’d ever be hanging out at a party at her parents’ house. With her sister, nonetheless.

I don’t know why I’m so nervous about it. That part of my life was ten years ago. That isn’t even me anymore, or so I thought. I guess the old me is still hiding in there somewhere, bringing up mountains of insecurity and feelings of worthlessness.

Kyler pushes through the ornate wooden door, stepping onto a plush rug that wouldn’t even be in the formal living area of my parents’ house, much less a doormat.

“Kyler! Baby! You made it!” Her mom rises from the couch, leaving a group of well-dressed ladies behind. Kyler steps forward, allowing her mother to kiss her cheek in an oddly formal way. It doesn’t even look natural. It looks…showy.

Much like the rest of her. Her blonde hair is curled neatly, coming to a rest at the very top of her shoulders, and her glittering black cocktail dress is fit snugly around her body, only loosening slightly around her knees. Her makeup is thick, accentuated by her bright red lips and matching candy apple fingernails. It wouldn’t all be too bad as it is, but all of it in addition to the gaudy diamond necklace and earrings just scream for attention from the other women in the room.

“Hi, Mom. Happy Anniversary.” She steps aside, bringing me into her mom’s view. “Umm, this is my friend, Dalton.”

“Oh! Well, it’s nice to meet you, Dalton.” She says, reaching out to shake the hand I’d extended. “I’m sorry I wasn’t aware you would be joining Kyler today.”

Kyler’s eyes dart over to meet mine, a silent apology that she didn’t tell anyone I was coming with her.

“I apologize for the surprise, ma’am. Due to my work schedule, I wasn’t sure I could make it until last minute, so it’s my fault she wasn’t able to let you know before today.” I send a quick wink to Kyler.

Her mom nods once. “I see. Kyler, do you mind to come upstairs with me for just a moment?”

“Sure, Mom.”

And she marches away, following her mother up the glossy staircase dutifully without even a glance back in my direction.

I totally understand why she didn’t want to live here. I can easily see there’s something missing in the relationship.

Not sure what else to do, I walk around in what appears to be a small library right next to the staircase. Although the room itself isn’t large, the floor-to-ceiling shelves make room for hundreds of books of all genres. I see several of my favorite classics, such as Moby Dick, The Catcher in the Rye, and For Whom the Bell Tolls. There’s even a small, worn paperback of Slaughterhouse-Five tucked deep into the corner of one shelf.

The wall on the back side is strictly non-fiction, mostly consisting of biographies and how-to books. But I don’t see anything of my particular interest there. No leather-bound medical books or dictionaries. No studies on diabetes or hyperthyroidism. Now that I think about it, I haven’t read anything that wasn’t related to the medical field in some way since I was in college.

I loved my literature classes, and I poured myself into every reading assignment, usually finishing the required reading that very night. But I could always hear my father’s voice banging around the back of my mind.

“If it has nothing to do with where you’re going in life, then it’s a waste of precious time,” he always said. The first time I heard it was when I brought him a permission slip to play baseball when I was in third grade. Needless to say, I never played sports. As a matter of fact, I never had any kind of recreational hobbies.

“Dalton?” Kyler’s voice echoes into the room. “There you are. What are you doing?”

I turn on my heel, thankful from the reprieve from where my mind was going. “Just looking around. I don’t think I’ve ever known anyone who has a library in their house.”

“My dad’s hobby.” She presses her lips together to form a thin line. “Uh, my mom wasn’t expecting me to bring a date, soooo…she kind of invited one for me. That’s why she asked me to go upstairs with her. So she could tell me.”

I don’t even know how to react to that. I’m relieved in one hand and completely offended in the other. “Well, I guess I can go back home. I should probably go into the hospital anyway.”

Kyler clamps her hand around my wrist. “No, no, no. I told her she should’ve asked me first, so she’s going to let him know it was her mistake. I want you to stay, Dalton. Maybe she’ll set him up with Aiden instead. I’m sure she’d love to sink her talons into him.”

“Okay, then. I’ll stay. But if you change your mind, all you have to do is say so. No hard feelings.”

Within minutes, I’m dragged into the backyard—which has so little grass, I’m not sure it even qualifies as one—amidst all of the other attendees and tents and gazebos and tables and…and…

This is really overwhelming.

Kyler has been introducing me to her other sister, her friends, and her parents’ friends, being sure to throw in the fact that I’m a doctor, which surprises me a little. She hasn’t ever seemed to be the type to care what anyone thinks, other than her mother, that is. But I’m getting the vibe that she’s hell bent on making it known that she brought a guy to the party for once, and he’s not her typical loser. I don’t know. Maybe I’m reading way too much into it. It’s not like I’m a world-renowned brain surgeon or anything. I’m just a small-town, general practitioner. It’s nothing to brag about.

“Kyler talks a lot, doesn’t she?” a small voice whispers behind me.

Turning around, I nod with a smile, immediately knowing the voice. “You’re so right. How are you feeling, Simon?”

“Still coughing, but the medicine is helping a little. Mom said I could only come outside to the party for an hour, but I usually get bored before then. I didn’t know you would be here.”

Today, Simon’s clothes almost match mine. He’s wearing black slacks and a white dress shirt, but he’s wearing a tie with superheroes flying around on it. But I love that he’s still keeping it real by wearing his Converse shoes.

“Kyler invited me, but I think she forgot to mention it to everyone else.” I glance back at her. She’s still completely lost in her conversation with her girlfriends. “What do you say we make a trip to the dessert table over there to sneak some chocolate chip cookies? I hear they’re good for bronchitis.”

One of his eyebrows rise while the other stays in place. I’ve always wanted to be able to do that. “Well, if it’s your professional opinion, I’m willing to test your theory.”

After we raid the desserts, taking a sample of several treats, Simon leads me through a trellised arbor and into a small garden at the side of the house where it’s quiet. Even now that the weather is growing cooler, I can tell that it’s well-kept. There are blush pink aster planted in a raised bed on one side, and the goldenrods in the back look even brighter with the sun shining down on them. There’s even fragrant clematis climbing around the little wooden fence and spilling over planters to creep along the ground.

Simon walks over to a wrought iron bench and sits, being careful not to spill his plate. “This is my favorite place. I like to watch all the bugs that live in here.”

“Yeah,” I agree, sitting next to him. “It’s pretty cool. I’ve always liked gardens, but my mom never had time for them.”

He stuffs half of a double chocolate chip cookie into his mouth, leaving a smear of chocolate at the corner of his mouth. “My grandma just pays someone to take care of it, and she doesn’t even come out here. My mom used to have a garden in our old house, but…now she doesn’t.”

I can tell something about that is a sore subject, so I change it. “So what kinds of things do you and your friends like to do?”

“Nothing.”

He doesn’t think about it. He doesn’t hesitate. Just nothing.

“So you mean, you just like to watch TV or watch the clouds roll by or what?”

His shoulders heave up and down on a sigh so hard that I can hear the wheeze in his lungs. “I don’t really do anything with friends. I like to do stuff by myself.”

This sounds a little troubling. “But don’t you have a best friend to do things with?”

He shrugs. “Not really. Other kids don’t really like me because I’m weird. Even my cousins that are here don’t want to play with me. They run from me.”

Well, talk about a story hitting home. I know what it’s like, and I know it happens a lot. But his words gut me. This is one awesome kid, and he can’t name a single friend because they say he’s weird.

“I don’t think you’re weird. I think you’re pretty cool.” I ruffle his curly mop of hair. “As a matter of fact, I think
we
should be friends.”

He shoves another half of cookie into his mouth and shakes his head. “That’s okay. You don’t have to because you feel sorry for me. Like I said, I like doing things by myself.”

Remembering what Kyler said his interests are, I get an idea. “Well, I think I’d make a pretty good friend. Don’t forget that I’m a doctor, and I have access to some cool stuff.”

He stops chewing. “Like what?”

“Well, my office is full of books with some gruesome surgery pictures in it. And I have a few different kinds of microscopes and other lab equipment. I could maybe take you into the office one weekend, and show you how it all works.”

“Maybe. If my mom will let me.”

I forget that, if I take Simon under my wing, I have to deal with Devyn, too. But I can’t ignore the fact that this kid doesn’t have a friend. I get the vibe that he feels like he doesn’t have anybody. “I’ll talk to your mom and dad if it’s something you want to do. Kyler says you love science, so I think you’ll have fun.”

“Okay.” Simon jumps up, dusting the crumbs off the front of his pants. “I think I will. But I’ll have to bring my inhaler, and she’ll need to give you all of my emergency instructions.”

I chuckle. “I think I can handle that.”

“I should’ve known you were out here. I think it’s time to get back into bed, mister.” Devyn appears in the arbor, her arms crossed over her chest. She looks even better than she did yesterday in a rose print sheath dress and matching heels.

“Okay, mom.” He hands me his empty plate. “See ya later, Dr. Hoover.”

“We’re friends, remember? Call me Dalton.”

A wide smile shows a couple of missing teeth. “Bye, Dalton.”

He walks out of the garden, only stopping to be kissed on the top of his head by Devyn. I assume she’ll follow behind him, but she doesn’t. Instead, she joins me on the bench.

And I feel like I just might implode.

“So I hear you came with my sister.”

I keep my gaze straight ahead because I can’t bring myself to look at her. “Yes, she invited me. But I’m glad she did or I may not have had the chance to talk to you again.”

Devyn huffs sharply. “You’re here with my sister, and now you’re here to hit on me? You’re a real slime ball, you know that?”

“No, no, no.” I hold my hands up in surrender, turning in my seat to face her. “I didn’t mean to say it that way. I meant that I needed to explain something about yesterday when you brought Simon into the clinic.”

She raises her brows sharply.

“The lipstick on my neck. I know you saw it, but I didn’t know it was there until my nurse pointed it out.”

“I did,” she admits with a growl. “But my sister doesn’t wear lipstick like that. I’m going to assume that you wanted to talk to me, so I don’t tell her.”

Damn, she’s still a ball buster. “Devyn, that’s not it at all. I know it gave you the wrong impression of me, but it was completely innocent on my part. A patient of mine got a little inappropriate, and I had no idea about the lipstick until after you left.”

Her glare softens slightly. “Oh. My. God. It was Linda Avery, wasn’t it? I saw her hanging around in the parking lot when we came in.”

My silence tells her she’s right.

“I’m sorry,” Devyn says after a few beats. “I shouldn’t be throwing accusations around like that. It’s no excuse, but it’s been a rough week, and I’m seeing the worst in everybody.”

She reaches up and touches the small heart hanging around her neck. I guess the little guy finally gave it to her.

“That’s okay. I know the situation didn’t look good.” Now is as good of a time as ever to bring up Simon. “Hey, I have a favor to ask. Would it be possible for Simon to come with me into the clinic next weekend? I know he loves that sort of thing, and I think it’d be cool to show him a few things in the lab.”

“Thanks,” she says, her brows furrowing. “I really appreciate you taking an interest in him, but I promise it’s not necessary to get into Kyler’s pants. You’ve probably figured that out already. I hate to say it, but my sister doesn’t have any restraint when it comes to hot men.”

I should be offended that she thinks so poorly of me that she believes I’d use Simon that way, but all I can concentrate on is the fact that she just said I’m attractive. Devyn Rion thinks I’m hot. And I’m pretty sure my smirk just made her realize what she just said.

“Uh…I mean…you know what I mean.”

“Actually, this has absolutely nothing to do with Kyler. I promise you that. She just mentioned he liked that sort of thing, and I hope this doesn’t upset you, but he told me that he’s having some trouble making friends. I just want him to know he has one.”

She softens a little, but she’s still being defensive. “You want to be friends with a seven-year-old boy? That doesn’t sound creepy at all.”