Crap. How do I explain Brody?
"This is Brody Sparks. A friend of my father's. He came by to drop off a gift from my dad. I told him I was going with you to Aspen, so I guess he wanted to make sure I had some cash to spend."
Kade's eyes soften, and I realize this is quite possibly the first time I've ever mentioned my dad in front of him. Brody doesn't correct me and tell Kade about Ray being a convict or a con artist. I'll thank him one day for that.
"Raya, I was planning on covering all the costs. You don't have to spend your money," Kade says, sounding like he wants to soothe me.
I'm the mooching friend. Fucking eh. Not this week. This week is going to be different. It can be.
Brody's grin continues to grow as he watches us. I roll my eyes as I go to stand beside Kade.
"I'll go show Brody out, and then we'll watch a movie if you want. Unless you're going out," I murmur, trying to sound brave. I want to spend time alone, possibly seduce him. I don't know. It almost sounds ridiculous.
"Ah, being tossed out. Well, it was nice to meet both of you. Raya," he says walking up beside me as I lead him away, "I'm sure I'll see you around. Have fun. I mean that. You deserve to kick back a little."
I smile tightly, and then hold the door open for him to leave. He does so without any further awkward moments. When I turn around, Kade is leaning against the doorframe of the foyer.
"Your father? So he's alive?" he asks, acting as though he's been waiting patiently for Brody to leave so he could question me.
I rack my brain, trying to think of anything I might have said to make him think he was dead. Nothing.
"You thought otherwise?" I ask while moving back toward him.
His arm slides over my shoulders like it so often does as he takes me back into the living room. "I assumed he was because you never talk about him. He's alive but you're not close?"
I sit down on the couch beside him as I try to think of vague but informative answers.
"We're close." That's just vague. It won't sate his curiosity.
"That's all I get?" he chuckles out.
I don't want to lie to him, but I'm not ready to pour out the truth, either. "My father and I are really close, but things are... complicated. I'll tell you one day. If you decide to hang around me after the end of school."
"I think you're stuck with me at this point," he says with a grin, but the butterflies shuffle through my stomach without any concern for how they distort my face. "You okay?" he asks.
I wish I knew what he meant by that. How am I stuck with him? Romantically? Are we friends? Are we only ever going to be friends? So frustrating.
"I'm fine. So we're flying out tomorrow, right? On your dad's jet?"
"Early tomorrow, as in four in the morning. My dad loves to be the first on the slopes."
Rich people and skiing. I've never understood it.
"I've never skied before. Is it hard?"
His grin spreads over his face when he finds amusement in that.
"You've never skied? At all?"
I snort out a laugh. "Don't sound so surprised. You saw my home. I lived there from twelve until I moved out here. People from Springton trailer parks don't spend much time in Aspen."
His smile quickly dissolves, and I look away when I see pity. I can't handle that. It's too embarrassing. I shouldn't have said anything. I was trying to be funny. Now this just got too heavy.
"So you didn't always live there?"
Good. He's not going to comfort me with all the poor-pitiful-you speeches.
I look back up to meet his eyes as memories flash through my head of a warm tan house with a big backyard. It was small in comparison to what Kade is used to, but it was home. It was full of love and life. My father had millions, but he didn't flash it around for all to see because he needed to stay under the radar. So, he found a small but comfortable home to be with his family.