Chapter 7
Kaylee
“Hey, Gramps,” I said fondly when my grandfather answered the phone. “How’s my favorite grandfather?”
“I’m your only grandfather, Kaylee. But this old man sure is glad to hear your voice. To what do I owe the pleasure?” I normally called him every Sunday morning, but I’d missed this week.
This was the first chance I’d had since I’d been spending all week working on my website and doing extra lives.
“Gramps, I need advice about a house.” Might as well lay it out there.
“Want me to buy you one?” He was joking, but he’d pony up if I’d let him. No doubt about that.
I sighed. “Of course not. You know I wouldn’t. But I’m in a bidding war with someone, and I’m a little bit shy of enough of a down payment to top him. Is there anything I can do to delay things?”
“Let me give you the difference, Kay-kay. Let an old man help out his progeny.” His voice pleaded, and I seriously considered taking him up on it, but in the end, I stuck to my guns.
“No. I just can’t do that. If I can’t buy it myself, I don’t want it. Somehow, as much as I love you, that would taint the purchase.” I hoped he heard the love and respect in my voice and knew it wasn’t him at all keeping me from accepting.
He sighed. “You wouldn’t be just like me if you took the money. I never took a dime off of anyone either.”
“See? I’m just strong.”
“Little girl, that you are. As far as delaying, I’m not sure there’s much you could do. Have you asked to see the appraisal and inspection?”
“No, but I will. The realtor is a friend, but tomorrow makes a full week since she started trying to stall for me. I should have enough money by Monday, but I don't think she’ll be able to wait that long.”
“Well, you know I don’t approve of your chosen line of work,” Gramps said.
That had been a mortifying day when he’d found out what I did for a living. He’d ended up being far more supportive than I ever could have hoped for, though. For that, I was infinitely thankful.
“I know, Gramps,” I said, trying to keep my voice from being sullen.
“But I know you work hard. That’s who you are. So, you’ll request the appraisal and inspection, and that should get you through the weekend, if your realtor friend is willing to work with you.”
I nearly bounced in my seat. “Gramps, you’re the best. What would I do without you?”
“I hope you don’t have to find out for a very long time.” I opened my mouth to agree, but Gramps kept talking. “Remember that fellow, Porter, that interviewed the last time you came to the office?”
I nearly hung up the phone. He’d had no idea we were already talking about Porter with the bidding war on the house. “Yeah?” Now my voice was sullen for sure. “What about him?”
“We offered him a position. He starts Monday in our family law department. I thought I sensed some hostility between the two of you. I wanted to make sure you were okay with him working for me. If it makes you uncomfortable, I’ll withdraw my offer.”
Oh, man. That was hella tempting. Shit. It took all of my willpower to say no.
But I wouldn’t be the reason the man lost his job.
If Gramps wanted to hire him, he must’ve been a good lawyer, even if he was a shit person.
“No, Gramps, it’s fine. I don’t care what he does one way or the other. I just know him through my friend Bri.”
“So, I didn’t sense any hostilities?” he said with an edge to his voice that said he knew damn well he’d sensed something.
“Yeah, okay,” I said. “He’s the one I’m in a bidding war with for the house. But I don’t want you to let that influence his position. I’m not that kind of person.” I knew my grandfather pretty well by now. He would’ve fired Porter for looking at me wrong.
“Oh, I see, I see. Well, a little healthy competition never hurt anyone. It must be a gorgeous house.” He chuckled to himself.
We talked for several minutes about his firm and caseload and he asked me to come next weekend for dinner. By then, hopefully I’d be well on my way to purchasing my new house and could dial back my live streams a bit, so dinner with Gramps sounded perfect.
After talking to Gramps, I called Gazelle and asked her for the paperwork, and asked her if getting that together would delay anything. She said she could easily take all day tomorrow getting it, giving me the rest of the weekend.
I hung up in triumph, the knowledge that I’d soon have everything I’d ever wanted solidly settling my anxiety. I was going to do this.
And the good news deserved a treat. Wayne never made desserts for me, which was an intentional request on my part. I rarely indulged my sweet tooth, but what better time than after getting that great news?
I headed down to Main Street and walked a couple of blocks up to the ice cream parlor. It was so cute, all old-fashioned. Every time I went in, it was like being transported to the fifties.
Briana’s little sister, Bianca, was already at one of the tables nursing a milkshake. She looked upset. I put in my order at the counter, then walked to the booth where she sat. “You okay?” I asked.
Bee looked up and smiled at me, but it was a watery, tremulous smile. “I’m fine.”
Plopping down across from her, I called her out on the bullshit. “You’re not fine. You’re sitting in an ice cream parlor nursing a chocolate milkshake with tears in your eyes.”
She sighed. “Benson broke up with me.”
The cashier walked over with my ice cream cone. “Thanks,” I said warmly and went to town. Returning my gaze to Bee, I arched an eyebrow as I enjoyed the decadent treat. “Spill.”
“It’s not Benson. He was just another guy. Nothing special, not really. But it was what he represented. I’ve had so many guys just barrel through my life lately.” She sighed and took a long drink of her shake. “I’m having feelings.”
I chuckled. “Lady, I’m the queen of guys barreling through my life.”
She looked hopeful. “You are, aren’t you?”
“You don’t have to look so happy about it,” I said with a laugh. “But yeah. You sound like me, except you let your feelings get in the way of your fun.”
“Why do all my relationships go bad?” she asked with big, pitiful eyes.
This was my best friend’s little sister. Should I give it to her straight or butter it up? “You want the truth, or do you need me to do that thing girls do where we bash Benson and get a second dessert?”
She stirred her milkshake and heaved a deep, weary sigh. “Give it to me straight.”
“Okay. You’re missing something in your life.
You’re trying to find it in men.” Lord knew that was my problem.
I wanted a family, deep down, so I compensated with a revolving door of good sex and great dates.
Or reverse that. Good dates and great sex, if possible.
“You’ve got wonderful parents and an enviable family.
What exactly is it you’re trying to find that these men can’t give you? ”
Bee furrowed her brow and sat back, her finger idly twirling her straw. “Good question. The only thing I can think of is my career. I’m floundering, with no purpose.”
“Okay, so that’s a great start,” I said encouragingly. “What interests you?”
“I want something of my own. I work part-time, dead-end jobs for spending money. My parents pay for my rent. That sounds great, and it is, but it’s not mine.
I want to do something for myself.” She looked encouraged just talking about it.
Sitting up straighter, she held out her chin and smiled at me.
“You’re right. The thought of making something of myself makes me almost not sad at all about Bobby. ”
“Benson,” I corrected.
She rolled her eyes. “Benson, of course. Bobby was last week.”
After a good laugh, I leveled her with a stare. “Okay, so what do you love to do? What are you passionate about?”
She shrugged, and then her shoulders slumped. “I guess that’s the next problem. I’m not good at anything.”
Immediately, I knew that wasn’t true. “You do your makeup beautifully. Have you thought about doing a beauty blog? And do you do your own hair?”
She nodded. “I thought about going to beauty school, actually, but I just… never did.”
“What about a beauty blog? Influencers are enormous nowadays.” Bee was gorgeous, with high cheekbones and perfect, poreless skin. I’d seen her without makeup on, and to be honest, she didn’t really need foundation. But with it, she always looked like she could walk onto a movie set.
“Not to speak out of turn, but I watch a lot of those beauty videos online. There are not enough women of color out there, showing other women with some color to their skin how to do the whole contouring, shading, and all that other stuff I still can’t get right.”
Bee burst out laughing. “It’s easy. I could show you.”
“See?” I said. “If you can teach me, you can do a blog on it. I’ll be your first model, if you’d like.”
She sipped on her milkshake and shifted her eyes, deep in thought. “Women of color, huh?”
There was a market there. She had the talent to take advantage of it and provide a service most women would love. “I mean, I don’t go searching them out, since I’m pale enough to guide in a ship in the fog, but when I’m just scrolling through, yeah. You are grossly underrepresented.”
“I don’t know. I don’t know if I could get in front of a camera like that.” She cut her eyes at me. “I mean, I know you do it all the time in more invasive ways, but…”
“Hey, what I do is certainly not for everyone. I don’t even want to do it long-term. Why don’t you come over Saturday morning? I’m not doing any streams until later in the day and you can use me as a test, get me ready for my live shows.”
She perked up. “That would be cool. I could bring my tools and use your makeup since our palates are so different.”
“It’s a date. And if you like it, I’ll start teaching you how to edit video.”
Her eyes widened. “I didn’t even think about that part of it. I actually think I might enjoy doing that. The editing parts.” She seemed excited, and my heart swelled knowing I might’ve just helped her change her career.
If it worked out for her, I’d be able to say I had a hand in it. My little duckling.
We sat a while longer while I finished off my cone, talking about bits of nothing.
Out of the blue, the hairs on my arms stood on end, and my heart beat double fast for a second. Turning my head when the bell over the door rang, I caught Porter walking in with Jace. Both men were laughing and talking until Porter stiffened and frowned.
Jace leaned close, looking at his brother in concern as Porter’s gaze landed on me, and we proceeded to have an intense stare-off.
I wasn’t one to back down, at all. Given how Porter stayed in one spot with his gaze glued to mine, he was as stubborn as me.
It was okay. I could be stubborner. Was that a word? More stubborn.
I’d win.
Finally, Jace noticed what Porter was doing and rolled his eyes, then shoved Porter toward the counter. But Porter continued to glance at me repeatedly over his shoulder.
After they got their order, they walked over to our table, and Jace slid in beside Bee. “I hope you’re not corrupting my little sister,” he said, referring to Bee.
I scooted over to make room. “If you haven’t done it by now, she’s not corruptible.”
Porter hesitated before sitting beside me. “Corruption?”
“Everything is innocent,” I said with my hands up. If Porter came back with something about my job, he was getting a jab to the ribs with my elbow.
But he didn’t. He just stared at me until it was weird or uncomfortable.
“Well, we came for this cake,” Jace said, holding up a pink box that I knew from experience held an ice cream cake. He nudged Bee. “See you at family dinner on Sunday.” He got up to leave, but Porter had caught my gaze again.
There was something in his stare that unsettled me to my bones. My breaths came a little quicker and my heart did that weird pounding again.
I didn’t know what the hell was going on with Porter, but as he got up and left, nodding once to both me and Bee, I was more confused than ever. He was supposed to be totally anti-Kaylee. What was with the intense stare that didn’t feel hostile in the least?