She had no idea and quickly walked back over to the bleachers and grabbed her purse and didn’t even attempt to talk to anyone as she made her way out of the gym and out to the parking lot. There was no way of knowing how long she’d have to stay out there and wait, but…however long it was that Haley needed, she’d wait.
“It’s okay,” she whispered to herself even as her heart raced and she felt like a big failure. “It’s going to be okay.”
Maybe if I say it enough, I’ll start to believe it.
It took an hour for Haley to come out and Sydney had no idea what she was supposed to do. Again. So she waited in the car and it wasn’t until her niece was sitting beside her and buckled in that she spoke. “You okay?”
“Yeah. Sorry.”
Unable to help herself, she reached over and took one of Haley’s hands in hers. “There’s nothing to apologize for. I wish your mom were here too.”
And that admission had them both crying.
By the time they were done, neither wanted to go to the library or the beach. It was easier to just go home.
The sight of Kyle’s truck in the driveway made Sydney want to pitch a fit of her own. The front stairs were halfway demolished, which meant they were going to have to either go in through the garage or around the back of the house.
“Why did they have to start today?” Haley cried, shoving the car door open and running around to the back of the house.
“It’s going to get better; it’s going to get better…” she quietly chanted. After a minute, Sydney slowly climbed from the car. Kyle stopped what he was doing and faced her. Clearly he could tell something was wrong and came jogging over. “You okay?”
She shook her head. “First day back at gymnastics camp and she had a bit of a meltdown and only wanted Tracy.”
He looked confused and then into the car. “Um…where is she?”
Now it was her turn to be confused. “Didn’t you just see her bolt out of the car and into the house?”
His eyes went wide. “That’s your niece? I thought she was little! Like a toddler!”
Rolling her eyes, she asked, “Then who did you think ran into the house?”
“I don’t know. The babysitter?”
As much as she wanted to be annoyed, there were more important things for her to focus on. “Look, it’s been an emotional morning and I really need to go and make sure Haley’s okay.”
“Damn. I’m sorry. Is there anything I can do?”
“Not unless you have any words of wisdom to help a grieving pre-teen.” She tried to make light of it and laugh, but deep down, she seriously wished someone had the answers.
“Um...”
She was about to say something more when Haley came stomping back over to the car.
“I forgot my bag,” she murmured but stopped and stared at Kyle like he had two heads. “You’re the contractor?”
He glanced nervously at Sydney before looking at Haley again. “Uh…yeah.”
“Seriously? Isn’t your hair a little long for that?”
His hand immediately reached up and started smoothing it back. “Not really.”
She shrugged. “I would think it would be a liability around the power tools.”
Sydney had to stifle a laugh.
Kyle took a step toward her niece and as much as she wanted to stop him, she was mildly curious about what he was going to do or say.
He nodded toward her duffle bag. “You into gymnastics?”
“Yeah. Why?”
“My future sister-in-law was one of the top gymnasts in the country. She almost went to the Olympics. You can see some of her routines on YouTube. Her name’s Violet Drake—
soon to be Jones. You know, if you were interested.”
Haley’s eyes went wide. “Seriously?”
He casually shrugged. “Why would I make that up?”
Haley mimicked his move. “How would I know? For all I know, you gave me the name of some weirdo with inappropriate videos on YouTube.”
“Haley!” Sydney cried, but Kyle held up a hand to stop her.
“Why would I want you to look at inappropriate videos?” he demanded lightly, staring at Haley as hard as she was staring at him. “You know, you’re kind of suspicious for a nine-year-old.”
“Hey! I’m twelve!”
“Really?” he said, his high-pitched tone showing his surprise. “Are you sure?”
This time, Haley laughed. “Yeah, I’m sure. I’ll be thirteen in January.”
“Huh. I never would have guessed.”
“What’s that supposed to mean? I’m not some little kid, you know.”