Chapter 4 – Kirby
four
Kirby
I press the button on the parking meter, waiting for the machine to spit out a slip.
Snatching it, I pull into the first parking spot I see.
I take my phone out of the center console and grab the iced coffee, along with the white bag that holds a blueberry muffin in it, before slamming the SUV door shut.
The sun is high in the sky and it’s already burning my head and I’m wearing a baseball hat.
I walked out of on-ice practice twenty minutes ago with my hair wet from the shower and it’s already dry.
I make my way into the hospital, the glass doors opening when I get under the sensor, and the cool air hits me right away.
I’m making my way over to the elevators when I spot her.
She’s standing in front of her husband, who has his white coat on.
His hands are in his pockets while he says something to her.
She’s wearing white pants that go all the way to the floor, but fall just short of it because of the brown wedges she’s wearing.
Her blue-and-white striped, long-sleeved button-down shirt is folded and tucked in with a big brown belt wrapped around her tiny fucking waist. She has two gold bracelets on her wrist with a gold watch and that big-ass fucking diamond on her finger.
“I have a reputation to uphold.” I hear his voice as she nods at him. Her hair is parted today like it was the other day, but it’s tied in the back at the nape of her neck in a ponytail. “Don’t embarrass me. You know your role here.”
“Trent,” she says his name, “I have a meeting with Cheryl and thought I would bring you coffee. I didn’t think it would be that bad.
” Her voice wavers and she looks a bit uncomfortable as if she did something wrong by coming to visit her husband at work.
She’s saying what he wants to hear and I have to think if she maybe said what she said about me just so she could placate him.
“It’s not bad,” he says softly, holding the cup in his hand. “I just don’t like you surprising me at work. We went over this. I like to know when you are coming.”
“Well, it was a last-minute meeting and I didn’t want to disturb you,” she murmurs and she looks over and sees me. Her eyes flash with something before she looks back at her husband.
“Hey, you two,” I say, stopping by them, not even trying to hide the smile on my face, knowing that he thinks he’s better than anyone here.
“Nice to see you guys here.” She looks at me, not saying a word, and I have to wonder if she even knows who she is.
Is this the real Lexi or was she forced to be this Lexi?
“I’m here to visit with some of the kids,” I announce, even though neither of them has asked, “and then I think we all have a meeting with Cheryl, right?” I look right at her, knowing she has to answer.
She puts one hand in the other. “Yes.” She gives me a fake smile. “Cheryl and I will be meeting with all of you in an hour.”
“Sounds good.” I turn back to look at her husband, who is just watching. “I’ll let you go save lives.” I chuckle and smack the side of his arm, knowing he will probably fucking hate it. “The real hero of the place.”
I nod to both of them before walking away, hearing her words again as I press the button to go up to my sister. I’m too good for him. I don’t even know why I’m still harping on it a week later. I should care less; I’ve been called worse. Far worse by people who lived in my own house.
I step into the elevator, pressing the fourth-floor button before going to the back and waiting for the doors to close.
My head turns to where I know they are, or at least were, finding them still standing there.
He leans in and kisses her cheek and I have to roll my eyes.
Who the fuck kisses their wife like that?
She smiles at him and then turns to walk away.
Instead of watching his wife, he turns to walk away from her and dumps the coffee cup in the trash.
I look down at my feet, trying to fight back the anger that is creeping up in my blood.
Looking up when the elevator doors open, I walk toward my sister’s office.
She’s on the phone when I stick my head in, and she holds up a hand to say hello.
Her eyes go big when I place the iced coffee on her desk with the white bag next to it.
Her hands go into the shape of a heart. “I have you down for next Thursday at noon,” she confirms. “I will see you then.” She puts the phone back on its receiver.
“Who is my best big brother,” she says, grabbing the coffee, “ever?”
“That would be me.” I sit in the chair, taking off my hat and tossing it in the chair beside me, before running my hand through my hair. “Let me ask you something.”
“Ugh, I know,” she starts, grabbing the bag, “three thousand is a lot for a dress. But it’s gorgeous and was literally made for me.” My eyebrows pinch together. “If it makes you feel better, I bought the shoes myself.”
“What the fuck are you talking about?” I ask her and she takes a piece of the muffin.
“I’m talking about the dress I bought on your credit card this weekend,” she explains, leaning back in her chair. “What are you talking about?”
“I didn’t even know you used my credit card. I also don’t give a shit.”
“Good to know, I should have also charged the shoes to you,” she mumbles. “What has you all uptight and shit?”
“I’m not uptight.” I glare at her. “Anyway, I have a question for you.”
“Obviously, I’m a woman, so I have all the answers.” She smiles at me and then winks.
“Do you think Mom knew Mac was a narcissist when she met him?” I mention my stepfather, who came into our lives when I was eight and my sister was three.
Our father passed away from a heart attack, and six months later my mother started dating Mac.
The way Lexi acts around her husband reminds me of how we used to walk on eggshells around Mac and cater to his needs.
How we would make sure to act the way we thought he wanted us to act.
How we would say what he wanted to hear.
How it didn’t matter what we wanted; it mattered what he thought we wanted.
“No.” She shakes her head. “She definitely didn’t know. Did we know?”
“I figured it out in high school, I think,” I admit to her. “We were so…” I snap my fingers to think of the word.
“Manipulated,” she offers and I shake my head.
“Brainwashed,” I correct and she shrugs. “Gaslighted is another word.”
“Why are we talking about this?” she asks me. “We all got out from under him.”
“Because he died,” I snap.
“What difference does it make?” she questions me.
“She met him six months after Dad died. She was lonely and Dad did everything for her, so she had no idea what the fuck she was doing. I love her, but she was a bit of a space cadet. Meeting Mac, she changed to make him happy, and along the way we changed also. The good news is, we all got out of it. Why are you bringing all this up again?”
I can’t even begin to understand it. The last thing I want to do is tell her for the last week my head was all over the place, thinking about Lexi and wondering when she became who she is.
Why she was so nervous when Trent was around and thinking about her reactions after he called her at the baby shower.
“I don’t know, maybe it’s being home and shit.
” I get up. “It’s fucking with my head.”
“Well, don’t come over here and yuck my yum.” She takes a sip of her coffee. “It took me a year to come to terms with the fact that it’s okay to cry when you aren’t feeling well.”
“I’m sorry, I should have—”
“You had no idea either. We grew up that way. I guess it was sort of cult-like. Worshipping him and making sure we never triggered him and always did what he said.”
“Probably is,” I agree. “I’m going to meet with the kids and then I have a meeting with the fundraising committee. Want to have dinner with me at my house?”
“Yes, I would like that very much.”
“Love you,” I tell her and she smiles.
“I love you more.” I turn and make my way toward the pediatric wing. Spending an hour with them, I take a couple of pictures, less than last time, which is what I like. I get to color with one of the girls. My phone buzzes in my back pocket, telling me my meeting is going to start in five minutes.
When I walk out of the pediatric wing, I stop when I see Lexi’s husband standing with a woman.
He smiles at her, unlike the way he was smiling with his wife.
The two of them share a laugh, and she turns her head to the side bashfully.
“I only speak the truth,” he says to her and then he looks up and spots me.
His smile goes tight and he gives me a short nod, and I totally look the other way going to the elevator.
I press the button, waiting for the elevator to get there. “You seem to be all over this place,” a grating voice says and I turn to the side, seeing him standing there, his hands in the pockets of his white jacket. I see his name stitched on the side of it, Dr. Trent Yoder.
“I don’t know about that, Trent.” I use his name, knowing he probably wants me to call him Dr. Yoder. “I’m just here for the summer. In a couple of months, it’ll be time for me to head back to LA.”
He doesn’t say anything else as we both get into the elevator.
He’s a touch shorter than me, and where I’m buff and toned, he’s lean.
I press the second-floor button while he presses the first. Neither of us says anything to each other until the doors open, and I’m taking a step out. “Say hello to my wife for me.”
I turn and smile at him with a little smirk. “Oh, I will,” I assure him, fucking with him. His eyes go into slits before the doors close. “Asshole.”
I make my way over to the conference rooms, seeing a couple of guys lingering outside.
I introduce myself to them and they are all athletes also.
There are four golfers, which is normal for this area.
Two guys play for the NFL, and two are tennis players.
I’m the only hockey guy here, again making me wonder why Lexi’s family isn’t more involved.
I look over and see Cheryl walking with Lexi at her side, the two of them talking about something. Cheryl looks over and sees us standing here. “Now if this isn’t the hottest bachelor auction, I don’t know what is.”
My eyes go to Lexi, who walks over to a couple of the golfers. “Hi,” she says, kissing one on his cheek. “How are you? How is your sister, Bernetta, and the kids?”
“Good,” he replies. “How is Trent? I haven’t seen him at the club in the last couple of weeks.”
“He’s so busy,” she praises him, and I almost roll my eyes. “He was in New York at a medical conference last week.”
“Busy man,” he says.
“Shall we get started?” Cheryl urges us inside the conference room. “I know how limited your time is.”
I wait for the other guys to head in and then I follow, stopping next to Lexi.
“Your husband says hello, by the way.” I look at her and her mouth opens and, fuck, if she’s not the most beautiful woman I’ve ever laid eyes on.
If there was someone who would ask me who the perfect woman is, I would say her.
“I saw him in the elevator on the way down.”
“Oh,” she says, “thanks.” I nod at her and walk into the conference room, sitting in one of the empty chairs closest to the door.
Cheryl sits in the chair beside me while Lexi walks to the other end of the table.
“Thank you all for coming, we won’t take up much of your time.
” She smiles and sits down right when there is a knock at the door.
Trent sticks his head in. “Sorry to interrupt,” he says with a smile, and seeing a couple of the golfers he gives them a chin up as hello. “I need to borrow my wife. I forgot an important file at home and I’m about to do rounds, so I was hoping she could go home and get it.”
I swear I almost laugh at him, typical behavior from a narcissist. His work is always more important than anyone else’s and he makes sure she knows it. “Of course,” Lexi agrees, standing up. “I’m sorry about this.” She avoids looking at anyone. “I’ll try to get back as fast as I can.”
“Take your time,” Cheryl advises, as she walks out of the room.
I don’t even know what the fuck they talk about, the only thing that keeps repeating in my head is the scene that just played out. No one else batted an eye at what happened, but not many people can see the signs. They can be so subtle you don’t even know they are happening.
“We have the dance appointment next week,” Cheryl announces. She looks over at one of the golfers. “Darryl will send you a reminder since he’s the liaison.”
“About that,” Darryl starts, “I’m going to be deep in training.” He looks around the table. “If anyone else has extra free time to be the liaison, I’d owe you big if you took it on.”
“I’ll do it.” I don’t even know why I offer, it’s enough that I’m doing the auction. “Just tell me what to do.”
“Thanks, man,” Darryl says, “appreciate it.”
“No worries,” I reply, nodding at him and then turning around, trying to tell myself it’s for a good cause, while the other side of my brain is thinking it’ll be more time to spend with Lexi.