sorry about that," he admitted sheepishly. "Don't worry, you won't get charged for the upgrade. I took care of it."
"It's about time you paid for something, tight wad!" Noah teased and pushed Ashton onto the bus, where Colton and Jayden were already seated and waiting to take off. The silence once the bus got moving was deafening.
Colton started drumming his fingers on the table and Noah picked up a tennis ball that was near him and bounced it on the floor. Jayden started blowing bubbles with his gum, then sucked it back into his mouth so hard that it made popping noises. Ashton listened for a few minutes to everything going on around him. Finally, he couldn't take it anymore.
"Stop!"
Everyone stopped what they were doing, and looked at him as if they had no clue what he was annoyed about.
He stood and stalked to the back of the bus, where he could be alone. He just hoped that the rest of the tour wouldn't be like this.
A couple of magazines and a short nap later, Kaylee felt the limo come to a stop. She looked out the window and was relieved to see home. Jenny bolted out of the front door when she saw the limo pull up, eager to see the girl who had essentially been her daughter.
She carefully helped Kaylee out of the vehicle and up to the house, thanking the chauffeur profusely for bringing Kaylee's bags in. Once they were settled, they caught up with each other's lives, and it felt like they had never been apart.
"Jenny, do you remember the last time I had a cast on my arm?" Kaylee asked, laughing a bit at the memory.
"That was a long time ago," Jenny recalled, feeling a little guilty.
"I was only nine years old. You were on vacation, and Noah and I thought it would be fun to jump off that tree limb into the lake. You never let us do it when you were here, so we figured it would be a perfect opportunity," Kaylee remembered.
"And you learned why I never let you jump from that tree, didn't you," she pointed out sternly.
"Did I ever!" Kaylee groaned. "I knew I should have let Noah go first. But no, I had to show him that I wasn't a sissy, and I went first. I don't know who screamed louder when I slipped and hit my arm on the tree, him or me." Kaylee was finally able to laugh about it.
"You know, the killer was that when Noah called Mom at work to tell her what happened and that the bone was popping out of the skin, all she said was that she was busy and had to go. She left him to deal with his little sister who was hurt. But ever since he threw me onto the seat of his bicycle and pedaled us to the hospital, he's been my hero."
"I wish I'd been there for you, Kaylee," Jenny said, tears coming to her eyes.
"Hey! Stop that right now! You deserved a life too, Jenny. It wasn't your fault that our parents were such shits. We were your job, and every job needs a vacation," Kaylee lectured.
"You kids were always more than my job," Jenny reminded her.
"We know, and you were more than our nanny. You still are." Kaylee patted Jenny's hand. "Thanks for always taking care of us. Hell, thanks for still taking care of us!"
"I wouldn't have it any other way." Jenny smiled at her. "So, tell me more about what's happening with you and Ashton."
"Jenny, you probably know more than me. That boy has me so confused, I don't know up from down anymore." Kaylee was happy to finally have someone to talk to about what had been happening. She also knew that she could trust Jenny with the truth, without it ever coming back to haunt her. Maybe heading home early really was for the best.
Chapter 12
"I don't know Jenny. On one hand, he's such a player and he can irritate me no end. On the other hand, he makes me feel like I am the only person in the world when I'm with him, and I just get this rush." She paused. "He can be so sweet and caring sometimes; but there are the other times, and when they're bad, they're horrible. I just don't know what to make of the whole situation."
"Sounds like he's someone you need to watch out for. I don't want to see your heart get broken,"