Sleep eluded Sam, but it didn't feel as bad when he had other things to focus on. He'd thought that the flight to Texas would have him spiraling further down his self-destructive ladder, but Kyle and Kay figured something out that prevented his mind from wondering down long, deserted hallways.
They seated him between them and launched into a long exposition of every place and every person who mattered for their little adventure. It was hard to focus on Christine when he had to remember the name of the members of Kyle's band and the basketball team, and Max's employees and horses. And even if he was mostly still down in the dumps, Sam had to admit that their enthusiasm was contagious. So much that Sam actually wouldn't have minded attending the wedding of Sonia and Dustin, Kyle's former band mates.
Whenever there was a break in conversation, Sam would make a mental list of names and places and who used to date who in high school, so by the time they landed, he hadn't had time to get depressed. There was one tiny, unsettling detail, though.
"Are you alright?" Kay asked Kyle as he picked up their carry-on bag from the luggage belt.
"Yeah, sure," he answered. His voice was pretty good at hiding things, but his stiff posture, not so much.
Sam grabbed his own luggage, wondering what was up. It was true Kay did most of the talking as they landed and walked around the airport, but he hadn't thought it was because Kyle had fallen silent for some reason.
"Is this about seeing Max?" Kay asked, shining a little bit of light on the situation.
Kyle huffed. "No." Which Sam took to mean yes.
"It's going to be alright," Kay said soothingly. "I'm sure he's not mad at you or anything."
"Mad at me?" Kyle raised his eyebrows. "I'm not sure I'm done being mad at him."
"Kyle, it's been almost five years!"
"We've been together that long?" Kyle asked with a grin.
"What's going on?" Sam asked, a little lost in their exchange.
Kyle sighed. "When I came home for college... Max lied to me to get me there. And because he did that, I lost track of Kay. Hence major misery. Not sure how I feel about him stabbing me in the back."
"But now you know why he did it," Kay said, putting her hands on her hips. "Honestly, give the guy a break."
"We'll see about that," Kyle mumbled as they headed for the exit.
Sam followed, scratching his head. Apparently other people beside him had serious drama in their lives. He hadn't known about Max, hadn't even bothered to ask. But now he was a little nervous about seeing his uncle as well.
But when Sam saw the honest smile on his face, he couldn't help but smile back. Max had the same blond hair and blue eyes as his sister, and was shorter than them which surprised Sam a little. Since he'd never seen his uncle in real life, he'd always supposed he was as tall as them, or taller, since he was an adult and everything.
Turned out he was just a little taller than Kay who rushed to hug him. He also wore a light-blue sweater, stone grey jeans and boots, looking much younger than his actual age.
"So glad to see you," he said to Kay, hugging her back. He then threw a fleeting glance towards Kyle before focusing on Sam. "Hi, Sam. So glad to finally see you."
Sam hugged his uncle back, once again feeling like a complete idiot for thinking it was normal to not see close relatives. "Nice to finally see you, too."
"We're going to have so much fun," Max said, grinning at him. "Scout's honor."
"You'll see, Sam," Kay said, clasping her hands together. "The Ranch is wonderful. I missed it so much."
YOU ARE READING
Lose Control (The Jewel Project #5)
Adventure"It's never going to end, is it? The rivalry, the hatred, the madness. Not even now. Not even after so many years." It has been three years since the last jewel was recovered, and the Agency seems to have put the project to rest. They have a new tar...
