For Hating Me You Sure Are Possessive

26: Jumping to Conclusions

I stooped down to fish around under the hanging flower pots. For a few minutes I groped at the dirty cement ground before my fingers finally landed on the familiar cold metal of the key. “Aha!” I exclaimed happily as I pulled it out and straightened back up. It’d been a while since I’d last had to search for it.

With a little smile I unlocked and opened the door, creeping into the house as quietly as possible. I wasn’t sure exactly what time it was, my phone had died, so I tried to be as quiet as I could. I didn’t make it past the first doorway before I was spotted. 

“Kara!” he yelped out when he saw me, quickly striding towards me. 

He wrapped his arms around me without hesitation and pulled me into a hug. “Hey dad,” I greeted him bashfully. It’d been quite a while since I’d been to Maver’s house. Maver may have had an excuse not to visit them, but I sure didn’t. They’d never been anything but amazing to me.

I hugged him back and waited for his routine three pats on my back before releasing me from the embrace. Maver’s father smiled down at me with his bright blue eyes, the corners wrinkling as he did so. “This is a pleasant surprise.”

“I’m sorry I haven’t called,” I admitted, still looking bashful, “I just got caught up in school and basketball.”

Maver’s father nodded knowingly. He’d played sports in school as well. In fact, he was the one who’d taught me basketball to begin with. “Are you hungry? Diana should just be finishing with breakfast.”

“A little,” I admitted with a nod and he stepped aside so I could enter the kitchen first.

The moment I stepped onto the white linoleum floor he set his hands on my shoulders and pushed me forward a few steps. “Look what the mailman dropped off this morning Diana!”

She turned from the eggs she’d been making and the moment her brown eyes landed on me her entire face lit up. “You!” she chimed out, waving her spatula at me. “You never visit, you never call, you never even write!” she scolded, though her mouth was still turned up in a smile. 

“Sorry mom,” I apologized. She spread her arms and I obeyed the unspoken command, coming up so she could hug me. 

Her spatula now sat abandoned on the counter as she hugged me tightly. “How have you been? Are you eating right?” she started to gush as her hair fell over my lips the second I tried to respond. “You’re not forgetting your jacket are you? It’s getting cold out and I know how you are with those things.”

Maver’s father gave me an amused smile as he scooted around us to tend to the forgotten eggs. I finally managed to pull my head away from her so I could respond with, “I’m fine mom, really.” 

She pulled away a little, holding me at arm’s length as she examined me at great length. I waited patiently until she released me. “Are you hungry?” 

I nodded, which pleased her greatly, and she finally lifted her hands from me and turned to her husband. “Get her a plate ready Jared, I need to get dressed. I’m not fit for company right now.”