Chapter 5 #2
“In the back corner, Gran.” I sigh.
My mother is annoyed. She pulls out a chair for my sister. “Now, Winnie, you need to watch your sister for me while I take your grandmother to the medical center.”
“Do you have a family-and-friends discount?” Gran comes over, her arms filled with stacks of books.
“Just take them, Gran. I’ll pay for it. Mom, Kathy can’t stay here. It’s galette day.” I check the timer and make sure I don’t miss taking the next batch out of the oven.
“Kathy needs to get out of the house, keep her spirits up. That will give me time to reorganize your kitchen.”
“Mom, no, please don’t. Also, Kathy is a grown woman. Maybe she could go for a walk somewhere else by herself.”
Mom is horrified.
“She’s a baby, a little girl. She can’t be out alone in the city, downtown. She could get kidnapped.”
“No one gets kidnapped in Seattle, Mrs. Larkspur,” Carolina assures her.
“Winnie, make sure Kathy doesn’t get into trouble.
” She fishes a five-dollar bill out of her purse.
“You two can order lunch. Something healthy. I’m going to try to get Kathy a modeling contract.
Frances,” she says to her mother-in-law, “put those books back. I don’t want you bringing that trash into my house. ”
“My house!” I yell after her.
Even in her hoodie and athleisure pants, Kathy—eyes puffy, cheeks flushed—looks like a sad aesthetic girl. It’s one of my hoodies, so the sleeves go to the fingertips. She slumps in the café seat across from me and pouts.
One of the influencers that seem to live in the café rushes over. “OMG, are you, like, a model? Your cheekbones? Slay.”
Kathy brightens. “I did Abercrombie and Brandy Melville and—”
“Excuse me,” I interrupt. “We are having a meeting.”
“I want a coffee,” Kathy whines. “Oat milk, medium ice. Froth it, but not too much. And just two little dabs of the sugar-free caramel syrup.”
I sigh.
“Winnie, please,” Kathy cries. “One of the WAGs posted pictures of Knox and his new girlfriend. She took all my friends.”
“They weren’t your friends.” Carolina makes a face.
“No coffee, Kathy. You can’t just look pretty and have people give you stuff.”
“But why? That’s what people always do for me, because I’m a nice person, and people do nice things for nice people.” My sister pouts.
“No, they do nice things for pretty people, which in a few more years, won’t be you.”
Kathy’s lower lip quivers.
“No, don’t cry. It’s time for hard truths.”
“That’s all you ever give me. You’re never any fun.”
“Because someone has to be the adult.”
Kathy huffs and whines like she’s a teenager again, which she basically is.
“You have nothing to show for yourself,” I lecture. “Knox left you high and dry after you spent most of your adult relationship life with him, and all you have to show for it are Google search results for your name that say ‘Knox Yandle’s ex-girlfriend.’”
“Mom says I can work at your café. I like coffee. And decorating cookies. And coloring books.”
“We don’t have adult coloring books here.”
“Maybe we should,” Carolina whispers to me.
“You know, sip and color. Could be a good way to get people here in the evenings. We can start it at the location on Redwood. They have free parking after seven. Then roll it out to all locations. The package could include espresso martinis or Baileys hot chocolate—I don’t know, mix it up.
We have that alcohol license we barely use. ”
Kathy beams.
“Okay, fine. We will have adult coloring books.”
“So do I have a job?” Kathy claps her hands. “Ooh, I can be your social media manager.”
“That’s my job,” Carolina reminds her.
“I can be your model.” She mimes sipping a cup of coffee.
“Kathy, focus. I already have one Olive, and I don’t need another. I am going to solve this. I already have a plan. You’re going to get a new boyfriend.”
“I am?” Kathy perks up.
“Yes. He’s rich and a self-absorbed asshole, so he’s just your type.”
“Does he have a car?”
“What? Yes, of course he has a car. He’s got, like—Carolina, help me out. ”
“Twenty. Twenty cars, Kathy,” my friend interjects.
“Will he take me on nice vacations?”
“Sure, if you put out.” I shrug.
“You can’t just lie there like a starfish,” Carolina warns. “Seattle is the town of Fifty Shades of Grey. Billionaires here have unrealistic expectations about sex with a woman.”
Kathy’s already staring out the window dreamily, probably thinking about being jetted off to Monaco or a private island.
“I’m going to give her the sex-therapist gift card I bought you for your birthday,” Carolina says in a low voice.
“I already burned it.”
“I have a copy in my email because I knew you would.”
“Kathy, pay attention.” My little sister is playing peekaboo with a little girl in line.
“I’m tired and bored. I want to work with you, Winnie.”
“She could help bag pastries,” Carolina suggests. “Hey, do you know how to read?” she asks Kathy.
“Uh, yeah?”
Carolina mouths What? at me.
“Better than Olive.” I give in. If this location is going down the toilet, what does it matter?
“Yay!” Kathy claps her hands and bounces in the chair. “Sisters! In business together! Can I have an apron? This is going to be so much fun, Winnie.” She bounces over to Olive, and they jump around screaming like best friends.
“She’s emotionally immature.” I stare at her.
“Men like that.”
“Men like that in twenty-year-olds.”
“So we’ll go for older men.”
“We’re going to saddle Fitz with Kathy,” I say firmly. “He deserves it. I hope my mom rearranges his kitchen and throws out all his stuff.”
“You’re the one who always taught me at Rainier Investment to have a viable backup plan for your backup plan. Don’t let those good ol’ boys catch you on your back foot.”
“You’re right,” I grumble. “Fine. We’ll go to some rich divorcée mixers.”
“Ooh! Fancy parties!” Carolina waggles her eyebrows. “Are we finally doing spa day makeovers? Thank you, Jesus. We’re going to whip those toenails into shape. I’ll put you down for an everything wax.”
“This is just for Kathy.”
“We need to do them all together. Also, you need new underwear.”
“No, they’re fine,” I mumble around the pen as I make notes on my spreadsheet.
“Hair, facials—I’m putting that on your to-do list. Ooh! Let’s do a burlesque class!” Carolina shoves me aside to type. “We can all go lingerie shopping too.”
“My sister and I are not that close…”
“There’s that new shop that Brea from Wedding in the City opened. It’s all, like, fancy lace stuff. And silk. They have plus sizes too. They are body positive.”
“Kathy just needs a normal size.”
“No, for you, girl.”
“I don’t need new underwear. The ones I have are fine. A little stretched out but they work.”
Carolina waves my phone at me. “Your mom just texted and says she’s throwing them all out.”
“Goddamn it. I am finding Kathy a boyfriend like it’s a job. Well, like it’s my third job, since I already have two and Kathy has none.”
“One job,” Carolina reminds me, pointing to Kathy chatting away with customers, Brew & Browse hat on her dyed-blond head.
I sigh. “I’m going to have to put her on payroll, aren’t I?”
“At least it’s not your mom working here,” Carolina says soothingly.