Val pointed her finger at him. “You’re just trying to rope me into watching your game.”
“You’re not even going to watch my game when you’ve got nothing else to do? Low blow, sis. Low blow.”
Everyone at the table erupted in laughter.
“I’ll try,” Val said. “But I get a headache when I watch quick movements on a screen.”
***
“In a few weeks she’ll go crazy,” Landon said later when we left Val’s house. We climbed down the slope using the wooden trail.
“Anyone would if they were housebound. Don’t worry. I’ll keep an eye on her, report any mischief.”
“Spying for me now, are you?”
“I’m adaptable. Dinner was so much fun. And loud. My ears are still ringing a bit. But can I just say one thing? You shouldn’t put up that bravado in front of your siblings. They can see right through it, and it makes them worry.”
He hesitated. “It’s a reflex by now. Growing up, Val and I did whatever it took to keep any trouble from them.”
I nodded, understanding where he was coming from. “I get what you’re saying.”
“You do?”
“Yes. Our situations were nothing alike, but I often felt like a parent for Grace. Especially on the nights our parents were performing.”
We came to a stop at the foot of the wooded trail.
“The venues where they performed weren’t exactly kid friendly, so we were on our own a lot from the time I was about nine.”
Landon frowned. “Nine is young to be left alone. Especially with a younger sibling.”
“I know, but they didn’t have much choice. They’re good people, but very passionate about music.” I’d often wondered if they loved music more than us, but that was a really unfair judgment. They did the best they could, and that was really all any of us could do. “They provided us with enough to get by, it’s just... I’d just wished they’d been more present, you know? It was the little things that added up, like Grace falling asleep waiting for them, wanting to show them something she’d drawn. Or when I wanted to talk to my mom about girl issues, but she didn’t have time, so I interrogated the lady at the pharmacy. I sound ungrateful.”
“You wanted love and attention,” Landon said softly. “Those are normal things to want.”
I blinked, shaking my head. “I don’t usually talk about this.” What was it about him that made me talk so freely?
“You can talk to me about anything, Maddie. I understand where you’re coming from, and I like listening to you.”
We were more alike than I’d thought. I felt the connection between us like a physical hook in my heart, pulling me closer to him.
“Anyway, back to you and your family. You should try being more... relaxed around them. When they ask you how it’s going, try not to automatically say, ‘I have everything under control.’”
“I’m that predictable?”
“No, but I’m starting to figure you out, Landon Connor. And if I can figure you out, so can they, so be upfront with them.”
“I’ll try.” The corners of his mouth twitched. “You took Jace’s trolling like a champ.”
I feigned shock. “Trolling? That was serious advice. And I plan to use my womanly wiles on you tonight.”
“Do you now?”
“Yep.”
“What are you doing this weekend?” he murmured. “I’d like to spend it together with you, if that’s possible.”
“I’d love that. I have plans for tomorrow, though. In the morning, Grace and I are going to the flea market. You want to come with us?”