Page 3 of Noble Neighbor
“’s’kay,” Molly replied between sniffles.
“Go fetch your sister’s backpack,” Sunny ordered. If she remembered correctly, there was still a clean change of clothes for Molly. Her gaze back on Molly and the wet puddle her girl stood in, she called after Kenzie, “And bring a roll of toilet—”
The slam of the front door truncated her words, and Sunny swallowed another sigh. Kenzie wasn’t even a tween. Heaven help them all during the teenage years. She hustled Molly to the half-bath and stripped her daughter out of the wet clothes. Kenzie returned, dumping the bag and toilet paper before backing away.
A few minutes later, with Molly changed and dry, hands washed, and puddle mopped up, they heard feet stomping on the floor above them. “Let’s go see what Kenzie’s up to,” Sunny said, taking hold of Molly’s hand.
She wasn’t daunted by the peeling wallpaper lining the charming oak staircase with its intricately turnedbalusters and smooth handrail, nor the threadbare carpetunder their feet. Pure cosmetics.And I have a lot of experience with that,Sunny wryly admitted. Compared to what she’d endured, taking on a house, their new home — their forever home — would be a breeze.
At the second-floor landing, Molly stopped and leaned against the railing to look about. “It’s so big, Mommy,” she said, her voice filled with wonder.
Sunny grinned. “Isn’t it awesome?”
It was big. Far too large for the three of them. Five beds, three baths. And that was only the second level. The attic stretchedalmost the entire length of the house, and the first level split into six — or was it seven? — inter-leading rooms.
Their nomadic lifestyle of the past years had been a series of furnished apartments and long-stay motels. Their only constant had been the next move until she’d woken one morning tired of the wandering and started looking for a place to put down roots.
“But there’s no furniture, Mommy. Where will we sit? And sleep? My bed’s not even here.”
Sunny smiled at the puzzlement in Molly’s voice. “Remember the call Mommy got at breakfast?”
Molly nodded. “That’s when you said the bad word.”
She chuffed a laugh. “It was the furniture company, honey, to tell me they can only deliver our stuff tomorrow. I’m afraid we’re going to have to camp another night.”
“Camp? In a house?”
“Well, I guess we won’t have to pitch our tent tonight,but we’ll definitely be sleeping on the floor again.” When they’d set out from the East Coast, stopping off at campsites instead of hotels had seemed like a great idea, but after the third night sleeping on the ground, the appeal had definitely worn off for Sunny.
“I like camping, Mommy.”
Sunny only smiled, tugging one of Molly’s blonde plaits.
“I get a bedroom all to myself?” Kenzie stood in the doorway of the first room to the left. The wonder in her voice underscored Sunny’s knowledge she’d made the right decision to finally settle.
Sunny nodded, swallowing past the budding lump in her throat. “Yes, hon. I promised you.”
“This one?”
Moving to Kenzie, Sunny cupped her jaw and squeezed gently as she dropped a kiss on her crown. “Sure. You like this one?”
For the first time in weeks, a genuine smile bloomed across Kenzie’s features. Mocha brown eyes shone with enthusiasm and dark curls bounced about her shoulders as she nodded before turning to rush back into her newly claimed room.
Blinking rapidly, Sunny followed at a more sedate pace, giving herself a few moments to get her emotions under control. Kenzie sat on the wide seat spanning the gap between two bookshelves on either side of the window. She’d tucked her legs close to her chest, her cheek resting on her knees to stare out the window.
Sunny took up position on the other end and leaned her body against the bookshelf forming the alcove. “We’re going to be happy here, Kenzie,” she whispered.
“It’s really,reallyour forever home?” Kenzie asked, tracing her finger against the windowpane.
“Yes,” Sunny replied. “Really, really.”
“Good. I think I like it here.”
“I’m very pleased to hear that.” Sunny reached out and ruffled her daughter’s curls before settling back against the wall, enjoying the peaceful silence between them. It didn’t happen often. Certainly not of late. They’d been at loggerheads for ages.
“Mom?”
She met Kenzie’s questioning gaze.
