Chapter 17
Cat
Ilike winter; it’s one of my favorite seasons.
Not because my birthday is in December and on Christmas Day.
It’s everything about it. I love the lights everyone puts up all over the city; people are in a jolly mood.
Christmas trees and decorations all around making everything look like one big shiny Christmas present wrapped up in a bow.
Candy canes and Christmas carols all month long.
It feels exciting and special, it brings everyone closer together.
I love the warm feelings you get when all your friends and family are gathered around together.
It’s even better when it snows on Christmas Day; it makes it extra special, like French vanilla ice cream on top of warm apple pie.
It just looks so good. Who doesn’t love a white Christmas?
That’s one of my favorite movies—White Christmas.
I used to watch that movie every year with Sophie and my mom.
That’s one thing me and my mother have in common, as it’s her favorite movie too.
How ironic is it that her favorite part in the movie is when the two sisters sing the song “Sisters” together?
She would sing along every time; her favorite part was the end, “and lord help the sister that comes between me and my man!” Boy, if she only knew that could be the theme song to my life right about now.
I walk across the street and into the café where I’m having lunch with Chloe.
I see her sitting in one of the booths lined up against the window, talking to a guy leaning over the table.
He has a muscular build, like he could be the quarterback on a football team or something like that.
She sees me and waves me over to the table.
“Hi, Cat.”
“Hi.”
“Cat, this is Richard. Richard, this is Cat, the friend I told you I was waiting for.”
Richard straightens up, turns to me and takes my hand. I can see why Chloe was smiling from ear to ear. He’s so beautiful he almost takes my breath away; it’s more of a masculine than feminine beauty. Talk about a Colgate smile. I can’t help but smile back at him.
“I didn’t believe her when she said she was waiting for a friend that’s equally as beautiful as her.”
“Thank you.” Cute and charming. I move in to the seat across from Chloe and shrug my coat off. He turns back to Chloe.
“My apologies. You weren’t trying to get rid of me.”
“No, I wasn’t.”
“Do you accept my apology?”
“I don’t know. Cat, what do you think, should I accept his apology for doubting me?”
I look at her and at him and shrug my shoulders. “I don’t know. Why should my friend, who has never told me a lie since I’ve known her, accept your apology?” Chloe and I look at each other then turn and look at him, our hands folded on the table Doublemint twin style, waiting for his answer.
He looks at us up and down with a warm smile that reaches his eyes.
He sits down in the booth next to me. “Excuse me, Cat, can I sit here?” He doesn’t wait for me to answer.
“I know you’re going to say yes already.
I can tell you like me, and you think your friend and I look good together.
For that reason alone she should accept my apology, because I’m going to be her future husband and the father of her future kids, who will have her caramel brown skin and my green eyes. ”
Chloe and I look at each other with big eyes, giving each other the is-this-guy-serious look.
He has to do better than this if he’s going to get anywhere with Chloe.
One, the guys she dates are usually more rugged.
And as rugged as they are, they better have the money to finance her or be on their way to getting that money, if they want to last past one date.
As if he can read our minds, he starts giving us a rundown of his résumé.
“I don’t think I’m that much younger than you, I’m perfectly healthy, I’m a soon-to-be graduate with a 4.
0 GPA majoring in computer engineering. I was raised by a single mother who taught me and my brother to respect women and treat them right.
I’ve never spent a single night in jail or been arrested.
My record is spotless. I’m on the rugby team and I’m also an RA at my school.
So I’d like to know when I can pick you up for the first date that’s going to lead to our future epic love story that we will one day be telling our kids about. ”
Smooth. Smooth. Smooth.
“If you have any doubts about anything that I have said, you can always Google me and I will gladly introduce you to any and all of my friends and family to verify everything I’ve said.
I wouldn’t do that for just anyone, but I’m captivated by your friend’s beauty, Cat.
If she forgives me, we can have a beautiful future together. ”
I nod my head up and down at Chloe. I’d say yes. He has me hooked.
“Richard, I accept your apology. Give me your number. You can pick me up tomorrow at seven sharp. If you can’t make it, date’s off. I will be Googling you as soon as I leave here. If I see one thing I don’t like you will never hear from me again. Everything you told me better check out.”
He picks up the pen and paper Chloe was using and scribbles his number down for her.
He pulls out his phone and she gives him her number and her phone rings.
“Don’t answer it; I was making sure you have my number.
Lock it in—you’ll be using it often. I’ll pick you up at seven sharp. You won’t be disappointed.”
“I better not be.”
“It was nice to meet you, Cat. I hope to see you again.”
“I hope I see you again. Good luck on the date with the General here.” He flashes me his infectious Colgate-commercial smile before leaving the table walking out the door. “You pick them up wherever you go, young, old, rich, poor.”
“Not this time. As you can clearly see, he came over here and picked me up.”
“He’s cute.”
“I know, but he’s a little young… Well, younger than the men I usually date. He’s in college; that means he doesn’t have much in the way of finances.”
“That doesn’t matter, you like him. I can tell you do. He seems like a nice guy. You never know what could happen. He might be your Prince Charming.”
“If I believed in fairytale endings. I’m a realist. Real shit happens to real people. I create and write my own stories and they end the way I want them to.”
“Cynical much?”
“Yes, all the time.” She takes a sip of her soda.
The waitress comes to take our order. Chloe orders a grilled chicken salad with chili cheese fries and extra cheese. She says it balances out. Like her, you get the good with the not so good. I choose a cherry Dr Pepper with a chicken Caesar salad.
“So how are the rug rats you’re teaching?” Chloe pushes away her half-eaten salad and takes a bite of her chili fries.
“My kids are not rug rats! They are very entertaining young individuals. I haven’t started teaching yet. Mrs. Smith is due to go on maternity leave any day now, then I’ll take over the class for her until the end of the year.”
“Good luck with that. I don’t have that maternal thing like you and Isabel. Spending more than a day with all those kids would be torture to me. They’d fire my ass after the first day for drinking on the job.”
“You would not.” I laugh and wipe my mouth.
“Cat, wouldn’t I?”
“Yeah, you would. You would be the last person I would call to babysit for me when I have kids. No offense.”
“None taken. Speaking of kids, I saw Vanessa with your niece Sasha yesterday.”
“Where?”
“They came into the store. She was shopping for a dress to wear to a cocktail party.”
“Yeah, my parents, Jay, and she are going to a charity event tonight. I’m babysitting Sasha for them.”
“Sounds boring. Why aren’t you going with them instead of sitting at home changing shitty diapers?”
“I haven’t spent a lot of time with my niece since I’ve been back. I like spending time with her, and she’s out of diapers. Besides, it’s better than spending the night with my mother, forcing what she believes are suitable well-to-do gentlemen on me every time I turn around.”
“That doesn’t sound bad to me. All my mother forces on me is food and opinions I don’t want or ask for.”
“I’d take the food over the men any day.”
“Have you switched sides?”
“What are you talking about?”
“Are you waving the rainbow flag? Since you’ve been back I haven’t seen you go out on one date. The closest I’ve seen you come to a guy is Richard.”
“I have not switched sides.”
“It’s cool if you’re a lesbian now or if you’re bi-curious. We’ve all been there, no judgment.”
“I’m not a lesbian, bi-curious, or any other type of curious when it comes to my sexual preferences. I like men. I’m attracted to men.”
“Okay, so why haven’t you been with any?”
“Who says I haven’t?”
“Have you?” she asks, putting her head closer to me over the table.
“Maybe.”
“Who was it?”
“I can’t say.”
“You can’t say? You would only be this secretive if it was someone I knew.”
“It is someone we know, and for that reason I’m not going to say anything else about it.”
“This must be big. Is he big? Does Ava know? If Ava knows, then I should know too.”
“I’m not going to say another word about it.”
“Fine. Speaking of Ava, why is she cock-blocking?”
“What?”
“You heard me; she won’t give me her cousin’s number. I was feeling him; I think he was feeling me too. We could get together and feel each other out to see how good we can feel together.”
My fork stops in midair then I put it in my mouth.
“Cat? Did I say something wrong? You’re looking at me funny.”
“No, I’m not.”
“Yes, you are. You look upset. You said Nick and you were only friends.”
“We are.”
“Are you sure you’re not interested in being more than friends with him? If you were, I would totally understand—he’s a hottie. I don’t know how you made it this long without jumping him. I would have ridden that like a cowboy, Wild Wild West style, raw, bareback and all.”