Finding Me

Chapter 20

"Maya, come down and eat! You don't want to sleep the day away!" Emma calls.

I groan and roll over, slowly opening my eyes. I blink a couple of times and then look at my clock. I see that it's almost ten o'clock. I moan and slowly sit up. I rub my eyes and run my fingers through my hair before getting out of bed.

I walk to my closet and turn on the light. I stare at the clothes inside. For the first time since moving to Clearwater Bay, I wonder why I own so many t-shirts and so few nicer tops, pants, and even skirts. Come to think of it, I don't even think I own a skirt or a dress for that matter. I sigh and grab a faded purple t-shirt and black Nike shorts.

I throw my hair into a ponytail and then go downstairs. When I'm downstairs, I'm greeted with an amazing aroma of something baking. I take a deep breath and then sit down at the kitchen island.

Emma turns around and smiles. "There you are, sleepyhead. I have a breakfast casserole in the oven, and I'm about to make a smoothie. Do you want some?"

I raise an eyebrow. "I would love some of the casserole, but I would like to skip the smoothie."

"Alright. I'll cut you a slice," Emma replies as she walks over to the oven and pulls out the casserole.

She places the casserole on the kitchen island. She gets a plate out of one of the cabinets and then gets a knife from one of the drawers. She cuts a square out of it and then places the plate in front of me. She gets a fork from a different drawer and places it beside the plate.

I pick up the fork and take a bite. It's delicious. The egg, sausage, and cheese all taste amazing. I smile at her, and she smiles back. "Thank you. It's really, really good."

"Anytime. Do you want a drink?"

"Could I have some water?" I ask.

She nods and gets a glass from one of the cabinets. She fills it with ice and then water. "So, anything interesting happen last night? You stayed with Nick for quite awhile," Emma says.

I roll my eyes, but I feel my cheeks get warm as I tell her, "He just, um, asked me to help him out with the festival, and I, um, said yes."

Emma raises her eyebrow at my response. "Okay."

I nod and take another bite from the casserole. Then, I remember what I heard my uncle call her last night, so I decide to mess with her a little bit. I take a couple more bites while Emma is reading something on her phone.

I clear my throat and carefully say, "Well, there was one interesting thing last night."

Emma looks up and sets her phone down. "Really?"

I take another bite, chew, and then swallow. "Yeah, and I thought you might know the answer to the question I have about it."

"Sure," she replies with a slight hint of confusion in her tone.

"Why'd my uncle call you 'darling?'" I ask her.

Emma seems to freeze, but she soon recovers and asks, "What are you talking about?"

I laugh. "I'm seventeen. That won't work on me. You two were talking last night when I came in, and I heard him call you 'darling.' I just want to know what's going on."

She looks at me nervously. "What else did you hear?"

"Nothing really. Will you please just answer my question?" I reply.

She sighs. "Maya, it's hard to explain."

"I have time."

She sighs again and gives me a small smile. "He likes me, and I like him. We're just seeing where it goes."