18. A NEW HOME
LEESA WAS SITTING on her bed reading when her mom and Bradley walked in through the open door. She had gotten a good night’s sleep after the bonfire and was feeling pretty rested this morning. Smiling, she bounced up off the bed and gave her mom a big hug. When she was done, she moved into Bradley’s arms.
“Hi, pumpkin,” he said, squeezing her tightly.
“How are you feeling, big brother?” she asked when she stepped out of his embrace.
“I feel great.”
In truth, he did look great, a far cry from the gaunt, glassy-eyed apparition Stefan had led out of the darkness when he had come to fulfill his side of his bargain with Leesa. Bradley’s blue eyes were bright and clear, and he seemed to have put on another pound or two since she had seen him a week or so ago. But the best thing about him was his wide smile, a smile that had helped Leesa through so many difficult days during her childhood.
Her mom looked great too, but she’d had much more time to recover than Bradley. They were here to drive Leesa back to Aunt Janet’s house, where they would all be staying for the holidays, at least until they found an apartment of their own to move into. Leesa could have remained on campus, but she would have had to move into another dorm, one the college left open for students who could not go home over the break for one reason or another. It would be a bit crowded at Aunt Janet’s, but a lot more fun. Besides, Cali, Caitlin and Stacie were all going home for break, so Leesa would have been pretty much alone if she remained on campus.
Her suitcase was already packed so she grabbed her parka from the closet and was ready to go. Bradley beat her to her suitcase, so she let him wheel it out to the elevator. For a split second she thought of protesting, but realized the small gesture was his way of trying to restore their normal big brother/little sister relationship. He had spent most of his childhood taking care of her, and she sensed that he wanted to get back to his role of caretaker, even though they both realized she didn’t need it any more. She didn’t mind—she kind of liked the idea of having a big brother again.
The elevator stopped on the third floor on the way down. The door slid open to reveal Caitlin standing there, along with a slightly older girl who looked so much like Caitlin she had to be her sister. None of the others had met each other, so Leesa and Caitlin made the necessary introductions. Leesa was glad her mom got to meet Caitlin for the first time when Caitlin was wearing a coat, rather the one of the risqué T-shirts she liked to wear during the warmer weather. First impressions counted, and Leesa did not want her mom to get the wrong idea about her friend, who was much more talk than action.
Since Caitlin lived in New Jersey, Leesa would not be seeing her again until school started up in January. They hugged each other good-bye outside the dorm, and then Leesa limped over to Aunt Janet’s blue Ford Taurus.
“Can I drive, Mom?” Leesa asked. “It seems like forever since I’ve had a chance.” She had borrowed her aunt’s car once to drive to see Rave, but other than that, she hadn’t driven since summer.
“Of course, dear,” Judy said, handing Leesa the keys.
Leesa got behind the wheel. Her mom slid in next to her and Bradley climbed into the back seat. A moment later, they were on their way.
“We need to make one stop, honey,” Judy said when they pulled out of the main Weston College gate onto Washington Street. “It’s right on the way.”
Leesa guessed they would probably be stopping at a store to pick up something to bring back to Aunt Janet or Uncle Roger, so she was surprised when her mom told her to turn into the driveway of a large apartment complex three miles from campus. She swung the Taurus into the driveway. She had ridden past this complex many times, but had never been inside the grounds.
“Take the second right, and then the first left,” Judy said.
Leesa did as instructed, winding her way among a series of two-story apartments constructed mostly of grey wood. Narrow lawns fronted the buildings and small bare trees filled the spaces between them. The place had a weathered, lived-in look, but both the buildings and the grounds appeared to be well-maintained. Strips of bare dirt lined the front of each building, and Leesa could imagine them filled with flowers in the spring and summer.
“Park over there, in space forty-seven,” Judy told her.
Leesa pulled into the parking space. She switched off the engine and turned to her mom.
“What are we doing here, Mom? Do you know someone who lives here?” She did not see how her mother could know someone outside her family well enough to be visiting like this, but could not think of any other explanation.
“I have a surprise for you, honey. C’mon, let’s get out.”
Leesa looked back to Bradley, who was smiling. Clearly, he was in on the secret, but he wasn’t telling.
They got out of the car and her mom led them toward one of the apartments, number twenty-four. The door was painted a dark blue.
“This is our new home,” Judy said proudly. “At least it will be, right after Christmas.”
Leesa looked at the door, then back at her mom and Bradley, thoroughly confused.
“I don’t understand,” she said. “I thought we were going apartment hunting next week. How’d you get a place already?”
“I found it on the internet,” Bradley said. “On Craigslist.”
“We looked at it in person the other day,” Judy added, “and we both agreed it would be perfect. It’s got two bedrooms and a loft. You can use the loft as your room, honey, during the summer or any other time you want to come over from school. And I can’t believe how much cheaper apartments are here compared to San Diego.”
“Wow, Mom, that’s great,” Leesa said. “It’s awesome you found a place already. I’m proud of both of you.”
She really was glad to see her mom and Bradley were well enough to go out and find an apartment by themselves, and it seemed like they had chosen a nice one. Best of all, the place was only three miles from campus, easy walking distance for her. She was mildly disappointed they had found it without her—she had hoped apartment hunting would help keep her mind off missing Rave.
“We don’t have it officially until January 1st,” Judy explained, “but the manager said we could move in any time after Christmas. I wish I had the keys right now, so I could show it to you. I know you’re going to love it.”
“Tell her your other news, Mom,” Bradley said.
Leesa looked at her mom, who was positively beaming.
“I’ve got a job,” Judy said proudly. “Can you believe it?”
In truth, Leesa could not believe it. Her mom had never held a job, at least not as far back as Leesa could remember. How could she, when she had refused to leave the house for more than ten years?
“Mom, that’s totally awesome! Where are you working?”
“At the bakery, for your uncle Roger. He’s always extra busy during the holidays. I started last Saturday. I’m having so much fun, meeting so many people.”
Leesa gave her mom a quick hug. “Mom, I am sooo happy for you.”
“After New Years,” Judy continued, “I’ll start looking for a real job. Your uncle said he’ll be my reference, and he’ll tell anyone who asks that I worked for him for a year. Isn’t that exciting?”
“It sure is,” Leesa said, amazed at how quickly things were starting to become normal for her family. And normal was definitely not something they had much experience with.
Perhaps that explained her feeling that somewhere, somehow, another shoe was about to drop. She prayed it wasn’t going to drop on any of them.