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And can I blame them? Hell no.
Having dinner with Van last night reminded me of what it’s like to have someone in your life. Someone to come home to. Calista was a great roommate, but the two of us did our own thing, drowning in our sorrow so that we didn’t offer much companionship to each other except for binge-watching movies and eating raw cookie dough.
“Hey, you.” Calista walks into my office. Speak of the devil.
“What are you doing here?”
“Stealing you away for lunch. I already talked to Aunt Savannah, so no excuses.” She’s glowing—like actually glowing with rosy cheeks and a big smile, all while wearing yoga pants and a sweatshirt with sneakers.
“Must be nice to be the wife of a professional soccer player,” I chide, and she shakes her head.
“I have to go over to the sports complex after.”
“Look at you.” I walk around the desk and grab my coat and purse. “Kicking ass and taking names.”
She shakes her head. “Actually, the little one is causing some nausea,” she whispers.
“Why are you whispering?”
“Because we haven’t gone public yet.”
“Calista, you were in BuzzWheel.”
I’m so excited for my cousin but she doesn’t seem to realize yet that there’s no point in trying to keep it under wraps around here. Especially when she accidentally left the positive pregnancy test in the bathroom at the sports complex.
She huffs. “I’m mad at Francie, you know. You’d think that woman to woman she could keep a secret. Anyway, I haven’t announced it, and I’m not showing, so… but he or she is starving, so we’re going to the pizza place.”
“Okay,” I say and follow her out of my office.
“See you girls later.” My mom waves at us, her ass perched on her assistant’s desk, gossiping. “Have fun.”
“Thanks, Mom,” I mumble.
Calista kisses Mom’s cheek before we leave the Bailey Timber building. Walking out of the office, I inhale a deep breath of cool Alaskan air, happy to be out of the stiffness of the office.
“How’s work going?” she asks.
We decide on her car since it’s closer because she parked along the curb, a.k.a. the fire lane, instead of in an actual spot in the parking lot.
“Meh.” I shrug. “I’m not sure all this is for me. Mom said this morning we might have to fire someone.”
Calista starts the car and cringes. “Which means…”
I nod. “Yeah, I have to fire the someone.”
She gives me a pitying look because she knows I don’t have my mom’s steel spine. Mom said she didn’t either when she started and Great-Grandma Dori taught her how to run the business, wisdom she’s trying to impart to me. My mom insists that eventually it’ll become second nature to me. I disagree, but she doesn’t really want to hear that.
Calista drives to the outskirts of town toward her and Rylan’s favorite pizza place.
“Is Rylan meeting us?” I ask.
She glances over at the stoplight. “No, why?”
“Because it’s, like, your spot.”
“Actually, we’re going to pick it up. I have something I want to show you, but first I want you to tell me about Mr. Muscles.” She waggles her eyebrows.
I stare out the window at streets I’ve known my entire life. Sometimes I wonder what’s beyond the city limits of Lake Starlight. Sure, I’ve left for vacation and college, but I’ve never entertained not living in this town. “There isn’t much to say. He cooked me dinner. He’s nice. Respectful.”
