Again

Chapter 43

Later in the evening, once Isaac, Taylor, and Zac had finished work for the day, they parted ways and began their separate drives home.  The rest of the day had gone by uneventfully; no strange calls or text messages freaking anyone out.  Diana had called Isaac, no doubt after she'd spoken to Walker, but Isaac had decided to leave it be, and hadn't answered the call.  He told Nikki he'd pick up the kids, since he needed to talk to her anyway, and that they'd meet her at home.  

He pulled into his mother's driveway, and shifted his SUV into PARK, before killing the engine and making his way up the short walk and the three steps that led up to his mother's front door.  Before he placed his hand on the knob, he noticed movement out of the corner of his eye, followed by voices.  He looked left, shifting his weight so that it wasn't so obvious that he was spying, and focused on the scene unfolding before him.

"Thanks again," Kayla said, as she hugged the man she'd followed out of her front door.  They retreated from the hug, and turned to face each other.  Isaac wanted to know who the man was, be he knew now wasn't the time to find out.  His sons were inside waiting for him, and he knew Diana was itching to open the door and drag him in, so he shook the thoughts out of his head, moving his eyes from Kayla and the mystery man, and took a deep breath, before heading into his mother's home.  He shut the door and stepped into the living room, the quiet surrounding the house hitting him all of a sudden.

"Mom!" he called out.  He paused for a moment, listening for movement, before he heard his mother's feet coming from the kitchen.

"Hey, Ike.  What's up?" she asked, as she dried her hands on the dish towel she'd brought in from the kitchen.  She reached over and gave her oldest son a kiss on the cheek. 

"Nothing," Isaac replied, suspiciously, "I came to get the boys.  And to talk to you.  I didn't get a chance to call you back earlier." 

"You hungry?" Diana asked, ignoring Isaac completely, and making her way back to the kitchen, "I just packed everything up, but it's still warm.  I can make you a plate.?"

"No, thanks," Isaac said, still trying to decipher her behavior, "Where are the boys, mom?" he asked.  

Diana sighed as she folded the dish towel into a rectangle, before laying it over the side of the sink.  She turned her body towards her son, and took a breath before she replied, "I had Taylor take them home.  He just left, not five minutes ago," she finally answered.

"Didn't Nikki call and tell you I was coming to get them?" He asked, somewhat annoyed.

"She did," Diana answered matter of factly, "But I wanted to talk to you alone.  Sit down, please," she said as she pulled out one of the table next to the table Isaac had been leaning on.  He made a slight face before pulling out a chair for himself.  He pulled out his phone, "I already called Nikki back," Diana remarked.  

Isaac nodded, then set his phone down, "Thanks.  So, what's up?" he asked, knowing it was a loaded question; he knew what Diana wanted to talk about.  "I feel like if Taylor was already here, he could have told you what you wanted to know."

"Well, your brother can be vague," she answered.  

Isaac scoffed, "Are we still talking about Taylor?  Or was it Zac who took my kids home?" he asked sarcastically.

"I don't trust him, Isaac," Diana said, suddenly no longer concerned with tact.  "I feel like he's just going to tell me what I want to hear."

Isaac sighed, growing more frustrated with his mother.  

"Mom, what did he tell you?" he finally asked.

"About you guys carrying on with that girl last night?  First he told me some crazy story about Kate showing up--"