Chapter Sixteen
As Kara drove to the restaurant, she thought about how things were panning out. She hadn’t realized how very alone she would be down here. Yeah, she had Kevin, Brian, and the guys, but that was IT. Everyone she knew down here was connected to them in some way. Not that that was a bad thing, but . . . it meant that if they were gone, she was alone. It also meant that if she wasn’t speaking to them, she wasn’t speaking to anyone. She always had Megan, but having someone within, say, thousand mile radius would be nice. She sighed, turning the volume on the radio up. Hopefully things with Leigh would go well today. In all fairness, she hadn’t given the girl much of a chance. The woman did have some good points . . . She was very good to Brian, so she couldn’t fault her there.
She’d also taken the first step toward some sort of connection, and that- well, it deserved credit. Then again, Leighanne was eleven years older than she was, and it had taken her three years to put forth an effort. Kara thought back to their first meeting . . .
It was during the Millennium tour, on their Minneapolis stop. She had gone to the concert, and was waiting backstage to say hi to the guys. Brian was the first to show up, grinning brightly as he waved Kara over to him.
“Hey, Ker-Bear! This is my girlfriend, Leighanne. Leigh, this is my cousin, Kara. She’s the one girl in the family, so we give her as much trouble as possible.” Leighanne looked the young girl up and down before offering her hand, a look of disapproval on her face.
“Nice to meet you!” She flashed a bright, fake smile. “I’ve heard SO much about you! I think it’s just great the way they take care of you.” Kara bristled at the remark. She wasn’t some sort of baggage, and she didn’t appreciate the insinuation.
“Yeah. I’m honored to be allowed into their great presence on occasions like this.” Kara ignored Brian’s warning glance, covering her mouth to hide her laughter at Leighanne’s confused expression.
“They’re really something else, aren’t they? I especially like the way they donate to charity.” Leighanne responded, looking pointedly at Kara’s T-shirt. Kara looked down, and her temper began to boil. It was Brian’s, one he’d given to her before going into surgery. Brian saw the expression on her face, and quickly grabbed her arm, pointing over at a table of food in the back of the room.
“You’re looking a little pale, Ker-Bear. Why don’t you go get something to eat?” He turned to Leighanne. “I’ll be right back.” He ushered her over to Kevin, who was standing at the far end of the table. “Sorry about that, Ker-bear. Leigh’s a little . . . picky when it comes to her wardrobe.”
Okay, so maybe she DID have reason to dislike the woman. She’d managed to hold her tongue pretty well for the rest of that night . . . with the exception of the comment about Leighanne being a fat country singer’s name, that was. She chuckled when she remembered the expression on Leigh’s face after THAT one, and was still chuckling to herself when she went into the restaurant.
“What’s so funny?”
She coughed, then cleared her throat at Leighanne’s question. “Ahem. Something caught in my throat.”
“O-Kay, then . . . Leighanne gave her an odd look, motioning toward the host “Shall we?” Kara nodded, afraid she’d start laughing again if she tried to speak. While they waited for their food to come, they talked about the tour, Los Angeles, Leigh’s auditions . . . everything but the argument. Kara sighed in relief and contentment as she took her first bite of ravioli. If they’d avoided the topic of her fight with Brian thus far, she was home free.
“Now, about this argument you and Brian are having . . . ” She held up a hand when she saw Kara rolling her eyes. “Just hear me out.” Kara leaned back in her chair, crossing her arms over her chest as she raised an eyebrow. This ought to be entertaining- Leigh would probably tell her to forgive Brian on the grounds that he was just ‘so damn fine’.
“First off, I want to say that I agree with you.” Kara sat straight up in her chair, eyes wide with shock. Leighanne was agreeing with her? This was getting good! “Brian was completely out of line.”
“THANK you! I’m glad SOMEONE else realizes this!” Leighanne gave her a look.
“I believe he knows he was out of line, Kara. I’d even go so far as to say that that’s why he’s been trying to get a hold of you for the past two weeks.”
“Yeah, but . . . ” Kara played with the food on her plate, avoiding Leighanne’s gaze. Suddenly, she wasn’t hungry anymore.
“But nothing! Correct me if I’m wrong, here, but didn’t this whole argument stem from you wanting both Kevin and Brian to treat you like an adult?” Kara nodded in response. “ Now, do you really think that giving the silent treatment is the best way to go about doing that?” Kara fiddled with the napkin in her lap, processing what was being said to her. For once, the woman was making sense. Leighanne’s tone softened, and she looked at Kara earnestly. “He’s really upset about this, Kara. It’s not like you to stay angry with him, and it’s tearing him up. He’s in rehearsal most of the time, and I don’t know what goes on there, but when he’s home, he’s moping.”
Kara’s head shot up at that. She’d known he was upset, but not to THAT degree.
“Just talk this out with him- with Kevin too, actually. ” She gave a slight smile, reaching across the table to squeeze Kara’s hand. “It might be difficult, but I have a feeling everyone involved will be happier in the end, myself included.”
“You will?”
Leighanne raised an eyebrow at Kara’s question as she handed her credit card to the waiter. “I know we didn’t get off to the best start, but I DO care about you, Kara, and I care about your relationship with Brian. You two have a special bond, and I’d hate to see something that precious thrown away because you won’t talk to each other.” She pulled a compact out of her purse and began powdering her nose. “That said, I have a favor to ask you.” Kara’s eyebrows furrowed in confusion.
What could Leighanne want from her?
“What’s that?” An impish grin spread across the older woman’s face as they made their way out of the restaurant.
“Tell AJ to stop giving me pleather. I’m running out of places to hide the stuff.”