Chapter Forty-Seven
CHAPTER FORTY-SEVEN
Kya cut her visit with Jon short and headed out to Quinn’s place. Only she wasn’t home, Kya waited in the lobby, and passed the time chatting with Benny. After a while, even the warm, talkative doorman ran out of things to say. ‘I’ll call her,’ Kya said, ‘and ask when she’ll be back.’
‘Very well, miss,’ he replied.
Kya stepped away and stared at her phone. She couldn’t bring herself to dial the number. ‘Actually,’ she said to Benny. ‘I have some errands to run. I’ll take care of it and come back.’
‘Very well,’ he repeated, kindly.
Benny had seen it all. He knew all the telltale signs of a broken heart.
Head low and heavy, Kya walked to the nearby coffee shop. She must have looked like the loneliest woman alive, drawing pitying looks from the wait staff, sitting alone in a booth, waiting for her ride.
Only her precious Lucky was home to greet her when she got back. Kya poured herself a glass of water and sat at the kitchen table with the puppy on her lap. Hugo came home first. ‘Hey, pretty girl!’ he called out, dashing by. He explained that he was late for a conference call with the design magazine before locking himself in his office. Adrian arrived a moment later with bags of Chinese takeout, all her favourites. ‘I was looking forward to this all day.’
‘Me, too,’ she replied, her voice thin.
He tossed her a fortune cookie. Kya unwrapped it, cracked it open, and teased out the strip of paper. YOU WILL LIVE AN ABUNDANT LIFE. It was as generic a fortune as anyone could expect. She read it, put it aside, and burst into tears. Sobs rattled through her. The silence amplified her sniffles and hiccups. Then suddenly, Adrian cried, ‘I can’t believe it!’
Startled, Kya looked up and questioned him with watery eyes.
‘You and Quinn!’ he cried. ‘How could I be so dumb?’
Hugo entered the kitchen right then. ‘My love, I was wondering the same thing,’ he said. ‘What took you so long?’
He confronted Hugo. ‘Why didn’t you tell me?’
‘It was her news, not mine.’
‘Fair enough.’ He confronted Kya. ‘Why didn’t you tell me?’
‘There’s nothing to tell, Adrian,’ Kya answered.
‘You’re crying over Quinn! Don’t deny it.’
‘I’m crying because it’s over. We’re done. End of story.’
Hugo ran a hand through his curls. ‘You lose your job and your lover in the same month? How much grief can you take?’
Kya was wondering the same thing. Her karma must be in the trash to deserve all of this.
‘I was too distracted with your career issues to pay attention.’ Apparently, Adrian was more concerned with his failure to read a situation clearly than anything else. ‘No wonder you didn’t want to come home today. What went wrong with you two?’
‘Everything went wrong,’ she said, resigned. ‘It’s not the right time for us.’
That sounded infinitely better than what she knew to be true: she’d blown it. She’d escalated a minor issue until it drove a wedge between them. Quinn had not called or replied to her text message. After checking her phone all day, Kya had given up.
Hugo joined her at the table and picked up the fortune strip. ‘Cheer up! You’re gonna get some money, honey!’
She nudged him. ‘Please! Give me a break.’
‘You don’t want to be sad and broke,’ he said. ‘That’s tragic.’
‘I don’t want to be sad at all, yet here we are.’
‘And you’re sure you want to fly out tomorrow?’ Adrian asked. ‘There’s a chance you could resolve this if you stayed.’
‘I’m leaving. It’s time to go.’
She had no regrets. Her extended stay in Miami wasn’t wasted time. She’d met so many interesting people. Had she rushed back to California, she would have never considered starting her own company, even as a side hustle. Sam had only recently quit her day job; that seemed like the way to go.
Adrian came around and hugged her. ‘You deserve to be happy.’
‘You really do,’ Hugo said.
‘Thanks, guys.’
‘It doesn’t have to be like this,’ Hugo said. ‘You met someone wonderful, and you had a great time. There’s no need for tears or a mental health crisis. Just say goodbye with love.’
Saying goodbye to Quinn would be difficult enough. Love would only make it ten times worse.
In the morning, her clothes were laundered and neatly folded in her luggage. She trusted Adrian to ship the laptop directly to Ex-Cell’s headquarters; she would never step foot into that building again. Kya gathered her braids in a ponytail and slipped on her softest T-shirt and leggings. She was ready for the long trip back west. One last lunch on the patio, a final cuddle with Lucky, and it was time to head to the airport.
It was just the three of them, Hugo at the wheel, Adrian in the passenger seat, and Kya with the back seat to herself. She ignored the lump in her throat and the unbearable feeling that she was making a mistake. She ignored the voice that repeated: Don’t do this . It seemed, the city itself did not want to let her go. Traffic piled up on the interstate. They advanced at a snail’s pace. All the while, the guys did their best to cheer her up.
‘Spend the holidays with us,’ Adrian said. ‘We’ll have to do the family thing, visit Mom and Dad, but afterwards we’ll come back to Miami to ring in the new year. It’s always a blast. Right, H?’
‘Always,’ Hugo agreed. ‘This is our first year in the new house, so you know we’re going to throw down.’
‘We’ll see,’ Kya said.
‘If you’re too busy over the holidays,’ Adrian continued, ‘come in the spring.’
‘We’re going to the Bahamas!’ Hugo announced, ‘come with!’
‘Oh, cool,’ Kya said with zero enthusiasm. ‘I’ll tag along with my big brother on a romantic getaway. I love that for me.’
‘We’re going with a bunch of friends,’ Adrian said. ‘You won’t be the third wheel.’
‘But it will be romantic,’ Hugo insisted. ‘That sunset does things to me. But who knows? You may meet someone.’
Kya wanted to scream. She had met someone. The cosmic pi?ata had been generous to her. She’d scooped up the possibility of a life with Quinn. A big, full, happy life, filled with music, fun, late nights out with the coolest girls you’d ever meet, and quiet nights in with wine, pasta, working through her collection of vinyl records, weekends at the beach, at the pool, spicy margaritas, watered-down cocktails, DJ battles, and so much drama. All of this had been dropped at her feet by forces unknown to her, and what had she done? She’d kicked it to the kerb.
Suddenly, the wide back seat was too small. Kya was close to suffocating. She took big laboured breaths. She would’ve toppled into a full-blown panic attack if her phone had not lit up with a text message.
Quinn: I’m still not scared.
‘Stop this car! Stop right now!’
‘What’s wrong? Are you all right?’ Adrian fired those questions, searching her face for signs of distress.
‘I changed my mind. I’m not leaving.’
‘What about your interview?’
‘I’ll leave tomorrow.’
Ever the pragmatist, Adrian was not willing to drop it. ‘Kya, that doesn’t make any sense. It’s too late to cancel the flight. The airline won’t refund you.’
‘What does it matter?’ Hugo asked Adrian. ‘I once booked a first-class flight just to meet you in Hawaii, or don’t you remember?’
‘Guys, could we put your romance on the back burner a sec? I have to find Quinn and apologize. I have to do it right this second.’
Hugo flashed her a smile. ‘What? Again?’
‘You’ve done this before?’ Adrian asked.
‘Every eight to ten business days. Isn’t that right, Kya?’
They could tease and laugh at her expense all they wanted, but Quinn had reached out, and for once, she had hope. ‘If I don’t go to her now, I’ll lose the best thing that ever happened to me.’
‘Good to see you’re finally coming to your senses,’ Adrian said. ‘Better late than never, I suppose.’
‘She’s performing on the beach today. Take me home, and I’ll ride over.’
‘I know exactly where she’s performing,’ Hugo said. ‘We’ll take you there.’
Adrian slipped on his sunglasses. ‘This is exciting.’
‘You need to hang out with us more often,’ Hugo replied, and veered off the nearest exit. A few crazy turns later, they were on their way back to Miami Beach.
They were late; the concert had started. They didn’t have tickets, and their names weren’t on a list. Hugo tapped his network and while they waited, the sun bored down on them. It was hot, and only getting hotter. Adrian decided he was not built for excitement. He wanted to go home and hydrate. As Kya listened to her brother complain and watched Hugo place call after call, she questioned the logic of her decision. Even if she got in, she’d have to fight to approach the stage. Even if she made it that far, it would be a struggle to catch Quinn’s eye. Even if she managed to get her attention, she might not hold it for long. Her work meant everything to her. Maybe the smart thing to do was to go home and wait until the concert was over—
‘You’re in!’ Hugo cried. ‘I found a spare ticket, but only one. I’ll forward it to you now. You’re on your own.’
With that announcement, Kya’s anxiety abated. Her body tingled with determination. If she had to fight her way through the crowd, she’d fight. Nothing would stop her. She had finally come to her senses, and it wasn’t too late.