14. Chapter Fourteen
After a quick look in the mirror, I head downstairs in my matching sweats set, ready for a morning with my favorite girls. Once Winston has finished his business outside, I make my way to the kitchen.
I get to work making our favorite fall-flavored drink with my cheap espresso maker. Step aside, pumpkin spice, maple lattes reign supreme in this house.
I pour the steamed milk into the mugs of espresso, not even attempting to make a maple leaf design with the foam. Trying to create designs on drinks without a stencil was my least favorite part of my barista gig.
“It smells like heaven in here.” Alyssa gives me a side hug, already looking perfect in a burnt orange silk blouse and fall floral silk scarves tied into her space buns, and then reaches down to rub Winston’s head.
“No talking before coffee.” Mallory shuffles in behind her. I place a mug in her extended hand. Even though she’s usually teaching before the rest of us are awake, she’s a gremlin in the mornings without her caffeine. She sits at her usual spot at the kitchen table and takes a sip.
“Better?” Alyssa laughs as I hand her a latte.
“Much.” Mallory closes her eyes and sighs contentedly.
I hear the front door open and shut, and then Shayna walks into the kitchen wearing a cute white floral set. Her dark-brown hair is pulled up in a messy ponytail, and her signature knotted pearl headband sits perfectly in place. She sets two brown to-go bags on the kitchen table.
“Mmm.” She inhales deeply, and her eyes light up. “Maple lattes?” I nod. “I love you,” she coos.
Shayna grabs the yellow mug, and I take the remaining one to the table for myself.
Winston lays dutifully at my feet under the table as Alyssa pulls the food out of the bags and passes out everyone’s orders. “Thanks for grabbing breakfast, Shay.”
Mallory and I hum our thanks while digging in. I’d like to personally thank whoever thought to put hot honey, fried chicken, and pickles together on a biscuit for their ingenious creation. The biscuit makes it a breakfast food, okay?
“I can’t wait any longer. I’m dying to hear about your blind date with Tyler ,” Shayna says in a sing-song voice.
I take a sip of my latte, savoring the sweet maple notes. I carefully place the mug back on the white-painted table and then jump into storytelling mode.
Once I’ve finished regaling them with the events of last night, my friends sit in stunned silence, the last bits of their lattes and sandwiches long forgotten. I grab a bonut and dip it in the berry compote before devouring it in a single bite.
“I can’t believe that Darla is his great-aunt.” Shayna grabs a bonut and clinks it with the next one I grab.
“Do you think she knew?” Alyssa gets up and adds some ice to her latte.
“Knew what?”
“That you’re Evie’s nanny and Tyler’s neighbor.”
I shake my head and then pause, wondering if it’s possible. I do remember telling Darla about my annoying next-door neighbor…but I never mentioned his name. “No, I don’t think she knew. Although, I’m sure she would have put the puzzle pieces together by now if Tyler told her who I am.”
“It’s so romantic how he started using headphones for his morning workouts.” Shayna tilts her head to the side with a dreamy sigh. “Don’t you think, ladies?”
My friends nod like bobbleheads.
“I’m going to be winning that bet in no time.” Alyssa grins.
Shayna eats another bonut. “Not if I beat you to it.”
I scoff. “There’s no way any of you are winning that bet because I’m not going to fall in love with Tyler Reed.”
“We’ll see about that.” Mallory gets up and microwaves her latte. It kills me a little, knowing it will likely make the coffee taste more bitter from the rapid heating.
“Why are y’all so set on the idea that we’ll fall in love?” I ask.
“Point number one: You’re beautiful, and he’s handsome.” Alyssa shrugs like this is all common knowledge.
Mallory pulls her mug from the microwave and walks back to the table. “Point number two: There are literal sparks between you and Tyler. All it will take is the tiniest amount of fuel to turn those sparks into a roaring inferno.”
I shake my head at how ridiculous it all sounds.
“It’s true.” Shayna pats my arm. “And point number three: He’s different than you originally thought. He brings his aunt flowers and takes in his niece for three months at the drop of a hat. Not to mention the headphones thing. Since he’s not the jerk you thought he was, there’s nothing to hold you back from falling now.”
Hearing my friends speak my thoughts from last night into existence is slightly terrifying.
“Fine, I’ll say it.” I groan, and all my friends press in, leaning forward on their elbows. “Tyler’s hot. Like hotter-than-the-average-human-should-be hot . But it doesn’t mean I’m going to fall for him.”
“We’ve still got time.” Shayna fist bumps Alyssa.
Mallory nods. “But boy, does Tyler have his work cut out for him.”
Alyssa raises her mug in the air. “To Kelsey falling in love, buying a nice espresso maker, and making us lattes for a month.”
“Hear, hear.” Mallory and Shayna raise their mugs to meet hers.
I grab the rest of the bonuts and berry compote from the middle of the table. “Just for that, I’m not sharing the rest of these.”
“So, are you going to make out with him when he gets home from work on Monday?” Mallory crosses her legs, looking like she’s thoroughly enjoying all this. “Get it out of your system?”
“That’s a definite no. Honestly, I don’t know how I’ll get through the next two months nannying for him. I feel like it’s going to be awkward after our non-date.”
“Why don’t you just quit?”
I bite my bottom lip. There are two reasons I couldn’t quit. One: I would never want to do that to Evie. She’s already dealing with her mom being out of the country and living in a new house. She needs some stability right now. Two: I need the generous paychecks.
Shayna takes a sip of her latte. “What are you not telling us?”
I bite my lip. “There might be something I’ve been saving up for a while now.”
“You mean the real reason you had four jobs?” Alyssa raises a perfectly manicured brow. “Well, two now. But one of which pays you extremely generously.”
“How did you know?”
She shrugs. “I sort all our mail, and you haven’t gotten any about your student loans lately, so I can only assume you paid them off.”
“Sooo,” Mallory draws out the word. “What are you working all these jobs for?”
“This wasn’t really how I planned on telling y’all.” I wring my hands together in my lap. “I want to open a dog rescue,” I blurt out, scared that if I don’t say the words quickly, I never will.
“That’s amazing.” Shayna smiles.
“If I could ever pick a perfect job for you, that would be it.” Alyssa reaches across the table, squeezing my hand.
“What they said,” Mallory echoes.
I feel like I can fully breathe, knowing they’re not mad at me for not telling them. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell y’all. I think it’s just scary to voice my dream out loud to anyone, even my best friends.”
“You don’t have to apologize.” Shayna gets up and wraps her arms around me from behind. “You told us when you were ready.”
“And now you have us to help you achieve your dream. Whatever we can do to help, we’re here.” Alyssa joins the hug before waving for Mallory.
“Oh, all right.”
Soon enough, I’m wrapped up in all three of my besties’ arms. Their support fills me with hope that I’ll be able to achieve my dream with them by my side.
I swipe my thumb under my eyes. “Okay, enough of this.”
Shayna wiggles her eyebrows. “If you’re not going to kiss Tyler tomorrow, then what are you going to say when you see him?”
Tomorrow. Monday. Oh, crap.
“Oh my gosh.” I jump, grabbing my phone as a thought crosses my mind. I scroll through my emails until I find the one I’m looking for. I scan through it, searching for the last date I can cancel.
I groan when I notice the cancellation deadline was Friday.
“What did you do?” Alyssa searches my eyes like she’ll find the answer there.
I press my lips together, wishing I could turn back time. “I might have put out an ad in the newspaper.”
“For what?” Mallory asks.
I hand her my phone so she can read it. Mallory bursts out laughing, clutching her stomach. When she’s calmed down, she reads it aloud. “ Doctor for hire. In-home visits only. Here to help with your every need . And there’s a photo of Tyler in his scrubs above his phone number.”
Shayna’s mouth falls open while Alyssa laughs so hard that tears begin streaming down her cheeks.
“I have two questions,” Alyssa says when she’s composed herself. “When and why?”
“I sent it in last weekend on the car ride back from Hemlock Cliffs.” I play with the ends of my hair. “I was so fed up with him that day and wanted to do something to get back at him.”
“And your first reaction was to have his phone blown up by overeager women?” Alyssa raises a perfectly manicured brow.
“It sounds a lot worse when you say it like that.” I facepalm. “Obviously, if I knew then what I know now about him, I would’ve never done it.”
“Did you put his work phone number or cell?” Shayna asks.
I hang my head. “His cell.”
“He’s going to have to change his number.” She clenches her teeth, looking like the grimacing emoji.
“Or leave the country. At least he could join his sister in Africa.” Mallory steals one of the bonuts from me and pops it in her mouth.
I feel too awful to even care. “It goes out tomorrow morning. What am I supposed to do?”
Mallory dabs her mouth with a paper napkin. “You can’t tell him.”
“Of course, she needs to tell him.” Alyssa throws a hashbrown at Mallory. “He needs to be prepared for all the calls he’s about to get.”
“What do you think, Shay?” I always trust her opinion.
“I mean, it’s funny, but it’s also his business. This could impact his reputation with patients and colleagues. I think you need to tell him tomorrow.”
My stomach drops. I never even thought about the implications this could have for Tyler workwise. After last night, I thought we could move past our rivalry and maybe even move toward being friends. I wasn’t trying to start a neighbor war, but I just might be getting one.
I can only hope that Tyler’s in a forgiving mood, and we can both laugh about this tomorrow when he discovers what I did.