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“I don’t give a shit,” My mom snarled. I was taken aback – the few times I’d ever heard her curse, it had never been directed at me.
“Well, Mom, I can’t come home,” I said. “I’ll be home tomorrow, okay?”
“Unless you’re coming to get your things, you’re no longer welcome,” Mom said icily.
“What?” The word came out as a yelp. “What did you just say?”
“If you can’t obey my rules, you’re not welcome in my home,” Mom snapped. “You lied to me and disobeyed me, Kristin. You’re a bad daughter! And since you’ve shown you can’t respect the rules, I’m not going to let you stay here anymore.”
I felt like my world was crashing down around me. Without saying anything else, I hung up the phone and slid it into my pocket. All around me, people buzzed in crowds and groups. They were all happy – laughing, singing, making jokes. I hated them for being so carefree. I bet they don’t know what this feels like, I thought, glaring.
An icy wind whipped over my face and stung my eyes. Finally, I pushed my way back into the restaurant and sat down with a huff at the table.
Megan and Amanda eyed me. “What’s wrong?” Megan asked. “Everything okay?”
I shook my head, feeling numb. “It’s not okay,” I said. “She kicked me out of the house. She found out I lied to her. She told me I can’t come back unless it’s to grab the rest of my stuff.”
Megan and Amanda looked at each other.
“Well, you’re welcome to crash with me for a night or two,” Amanda said slowly. “But my landlord has a really strict policy about no other people staying in the apartment for more than a week.”
I stared at her. “It’s okay,” I said, even though I felt so far from okay that it wasn’t even funny. “I know I’ll have to find somewhere else.”
“You can always move in with me,” Megan said brightly. “Michael’s friend Teddy did that when they were still in pre-med. My parents only charged him three hundred dollars a month for rent, isn’t that good?”
I stated at her dully. “I don’t have a job,” I said. “I have no savings – at least, not savings I can get my hands on. I share a bank account with my mom.”
“Girl,” Amanda said slowly. “You have got to learn how to be more independent.”
That’s when Andrew’s smug, smirking face popped into my mind.
“I think I know someone I can call,” I said slowly. “But it’s gonna be a long shot.”
An hour later, I was waiting nervously for Andrew in the lobby of Amanda’s building. There was a little wine bar, Café Amana, where we’d agreed to meet. I was chilled to the bone and I didn’t feel like drinking, but I knew that I couldn’t just come right out and tell him what had happened over the phone. After all, we’d barely spoken to each other or spent much time together. Andrew was basically a stranger to me.
All we had in common was our parents.
“Kristin?”
I turned around at the sound of my name. Standing in front of me was the most gorgeous man I’d ever seen. His skin was deeply tanned, like he’d just gotten back from Greece, and his dark hair was smoothed into waves that showed off his sculpted face. There was a hint of dark scruff on his chin and jaw, and his sexy dark eyes seemed to penetrate me.
“Hi, Andrew,” I said nervously. God, he’s even more handsome than I remembered! How is that even possible?
Andrew relaxed into an easy smirk. “You look so grown-up,” he said with a tinge of sarcasm in his dark, rich baritone. “It’s good to see you.” Before I could reply, Andrew pulled me into a hug, crushing me against his muscular body. The scent of expensive, woody cologne radiated from his skin.
It took all the effort I had not to swoon.
“So,” Andrew said. “What are you doing in Boston?” We’d just sat down at the bar and ordered drinks – I’d gotten something called a Candy Cane Martini and Andrew had ordered a bourbon on the rocks. I couldn’t stop sneaking little glances at him. Every inch of his appearance seemed to radiate confidence and sex. He was wearing a dark button-down shirt that clung to his graceful, brawny torso and his dark pants made his legs seem longer than humanly possible. He was both feline and boyish at the same time.
I wanted to kiss him.
Instead, I sipped my drink. It was sugary sweet – which was the only kind of alcohol I could stand.
“I’m surprised to see you drinking,” Andrew smirked. He sipped his bourbon and rolled the glass around in his sinewy hand. I snuck a look at his hands and shivered when I saw how veiny and thick they were.
“Well, I’m not at home,” I said tightly. “That’s um…that’s kind of the reason why I called you.”
Andrew leaned back in his chair. “Oh, yeah? Thought you’d pay me a visit now that you’re in Boston?”
