The screen pops up with the image of the sleep-deprived, and slightly irritated, face of my older brother. He doesn’t seem happy to see me. Then again, he’s never very thrilled to be in my presence.
Cade lets out a long-suffering sigh and rolls his eyes. “What the fuck, Kady? Do you know what time it is? It’s the middle of the night and I was asleep, goddammit.Some of us actually work for a living and have jobs that we need sleep for.”
Oops. I forgot about the time difference in my panic to fix my financial problems. It’s early here in Florence, meaning it’s the middle of the night back home in Phoenix.
Even though he’s angry and snarling at me, I’ve never been happier to see his face. I smile as he turns on the lamp and scoots back against his headboard.I see Ainsley stir in the corner of the screen, pieces of her long, black hair strewn across her pillow.
Cade started his new job as a biomedical engineer at a prominent hospital this week. And Ainsley, his new fiancée, is on track to graduate next year with a nursing degree. They’re both amazing people who have their lives mapped out in front of them.
All I have in front of me right now are crumbs from my breakfast croissant. It sucks that I ended up in this destitute predicament, because Cade will only give me more shit.
Biting my lip, I make my apologies. “I’m sorry I woke you up, Cade. But I really need your help.”
I never plan on screwing up. Who does? With the school thing, I had every intention of buckling down, as my dad would say, and trying hard to hit the books. But I had so much fun partying with my new friends at school, that classes and coursework soon became irrelevant and weren’t a priority.
By the time the school year ended, I was so embarrassed by my lack of achievement that I couldn’t possibly go home with my tail between my legs, having to explain to my family how and why I flunked out of college.
That’s why Izzy and I decided to spend the next three months in Europe.I want to be inspired. Learn about other cultures. And meet as many gorgeous foreign men as I can possibly cram into the summer abroad. Izzy and I were having the time of our lives…
Until this teeny-tiny hiccup.
He scoffs. “Just like you forget everything important. Sometimes, Kady, you are the most thoughtless and self-absorbed person I know.”
I blink back hot tears and glance away, focusing on the old man across the piazza from me. He’s whistling a little tune to himself. I’ve noticed a lot of older Italian men doing that. It’s rather sweet.
“Shit, K…I’m sorry. I didn’t mean that. I’m just fucking tired. Real-life is exhausting.”
I wave away his apology with a flick of my hand. He’s right. I am self-centered and self-absorbed at times. I’m completely opposite of Kylah, my twin. She’s the martyr and saint between the two of us. In fact, I wouldn’t be at all surprised to see a statue erected in one of these old cathedrals in her honor.
Saint Kylah. Revered by all.
Fallen angel Kady.An insufferable mess.
My voice is soft and remorseful. “It’s okay, Cade. I honestly neglected to remember the time difference. I’m really sorry. But I wouldn’t have called you now if it wasn’t an emergency.”
Cade moves from the bed and walks out into his hallway, closing the door behind him so as not to disturb Ainsley.
“Why? What’s going on? Are you okay?” His tone is now that of a worried big brother.
Apparently, I’m easy to read.
“Don’t be mad…”
Damn, this is hella difficult.
I hate having to beg and acknowledge I’ve screwed up. Especially with my brother, who already has a savior complex. A few months back, just as he and Ainsley were getting serious, he helped her rescue her sister, Anika, who’d been abandoned by their mother. It was terrifying and everyone was in hysterics, but he kept his cool and did what he had to do.
“Oh Christ, what the hell did you donow?”
There goes all his concern. I scrunch my nose offensively, slightly hurt by his accusation. While he has reason to assume something bad has happened, otherwise I probably wouldn’t be calling, he doesn’t have to point out this isn’t a one-time isolated incident.
“Shut up, dickhead. I didn’t do anythingwrong. Not technically. It’s just…” I stall, breathing in deeply to gather my strength. My determination. My mojo.
I think back to last night, and the party we attended after meeting some touring musicians from Denmark and Izzy’s harebrained idea to run off with the band.
She’d tried hard to convince me to go with her. “Come on, Kady…youhaveto come with us. I can’t believe you’d rather stay here.”
“Iz, I can’t just leave the country now. I have no ID and no money. I need to call Cade tomorrow to see if there’s anything he can do to help me get this sorted out. There’s no way I’m calling my dad.”
