Kara turned and shut the front door behind her, taking her time to rotate the knob so as not to elicit a sound. The sizzling coming from the kitchen told her which direction to avoid, and she made her way up the stairs to her room as quickly and as soundlessly as possible.
In the kitchen, Dave tossed the garlic, which he had been effortlessly chopping, into the oil in the pan, and glanced towards the ceiling. Did she think she could sneak around in his house and he wouldn't know she was there? He was slightly amused by her disregard for his alert senses, but also concerned. If she was sneaking around, it was because she was trying to hide something, and that could not be good. The case that had just closed had been a long and difficult one, and, being his first night home all week, he was anxious to spend it relaxing with his wife and stepdaughter. Investigating misdeeds committed in his own house was not an entertaining prospect. A quick look at the clock and he realized that his wife would be home from work soon. He contemplated running up the stairs and catching Kara in whatever act she was performing, but that wasn't his style. He would wait. Be patient and let the situation unfold, as it was bound to do.
"Hey," Kara said from the doorway, trying to control her breathing and appear natural. "Welcome home." She watched him as he cooked, but when he turned her way, she averted her eyes.
"It's always good to be home," he continued sauteeing as she walked over and he leaned slightly towards her so she could kiss him on the cheek before moving to the table to toss the purse that she so cleverly remembered to bring back downstairs with her.
"Do you want to help?" Dave asked.
"Sure, what do you need?"
"How about you start on a salad?"
"Ok," she was grateful for the job so that she could keep busy without having to look in his direction. One look into her eyes and he was bound to see right through her.
"How was your week?" he asked.
"Fine. The usual. School, studying, mom. Is she coming home soon?" she asked attempting to work the conversation away from herself.
"Yep. Soon I hope. She was finishing up some paperwork when I left."
"How was your case?"
"It's over. That's all that matters." He never gave her details about a case, but it didn't stopped her from asking. She was intrigued by his line of work, and considered it for her own future.
"Are you ok?" he said. "You seem distracted." He wanted her to look at him.
She gave a quick glimpse in his direction, then went back to chopping her tomatoes. She made her best effort to act naturally. "Everything is great."
The glance was enough to affirm his suspicion. She was definitely up to something. "You and your mom doing ok?"
He was referring to the tension that frequently crept into her relationship with her mother as they both came to terms with the after effects of the alcoholism. "Never better." She inwardly cringed as that sounded phony even to her.
"Mmm, hmmm," was his only reply and she knew she was busted.
Erin burst through the door at that moment and rushed into her husband's arms. The tension in the air was temporarily lifted.
"Kara's up to something," Dave said as his wife curled up next to him in bed later that night. Their evening had been the peaceful one he hoped for, with the slight exception of the niggling feeling about Kara. He kept a close eye on her during dinner but, on the few times that their eyes did meet, she swiftly looked away. Studying called to her afterwards and she disappeared to her room for the night.
"Do you think so? Everything was fine while you were gone. She even saw the therapist this week."
"I'm pretty sure. She was acting strangely before you got home."
"Well, did you call her on it?"
He turned towards her, "You want me to interrogate our daughter?"
"Tell you what, I'll talk to her tomorrow. She and I are supposed to go shopping. It will be the perfect time for us to chat. But I think you're overreacting. She seems ok to me."
"Let's talk about something else now, shall we?" he said as his hands made their way over her body.
"What would you like to talk -" was as far as she got before he covered her mouth with his. It was good to be home.
Kara took several deep breaths to calm herself from the top of the stairs. The typical sounds of morning rushing were coming from the kitchen where both of her parents would be readying for their day. Usually Kara joined them for breakfast and she and her mother exchanged a quick rundown of the day so everyone knew where everyone else was going to be, and when they were all expected home. Kara's plan was to escape from the kitchen as quickly as possible without drawing any attention. Armed with her strategy, she descended the staircase.
"Good morning, sweetheart," her mother crossed the expanse of the kitchen to plant a kiss on her temple.
"Morning," she said while making a show of hurriedly jamming books into her backpack. "I'm running late."
Looking at her watch, Erin said, "I thought your first Thursday class wasn't until ten."
"I have to meet with some people to plan a project," she gathered her things and started towards the door.
"Wait," Erin moved towards her, "we're going shopping on my lunch break today. Where do you want to meet me?"
"Oh, mom, I can't do that today. I have too much to do."
"We've been planning this all week. What changed?"
"It's this group project I have. I think everyone is going to want to meet this afternoon."
"Well, when will you be home?"
"Mom, I really don't know."
Erin's disappointment was evident in her voice, "Keep your phone on and text me your plans as soon as you know them, please." It sounded more like an order than a request, but Kara knew better than to argue. She was still intent on a exiting the house.
"No problem, Mom," she said as she moved to the door.
"Kara," Dave had been standing against the counter, drinking coffee and witnessing this conversation. She heard the insistent tone of his voice which always demanded her attention, whether she wanted to give it or not, and turned to see his glare. He held her attention for a beat and then added, "Have a good day."
"Yeah," she said quietly, turning back to the door, "you too." She adored him, but he could scare the hell out of her sometimes.
Erin watched her daughter leave and turned back to look at her smug husband.
"Told you," he smirked at her
She narrowed her eyes on him, feigning anger, "Yes, you told me."
He grabbed her arm and kissed her, which always worked to rid her anger, fake or otherwise. "Don't worry, Mama Bear, we will figure her out. We always do."