Chapter 5
KYLIE
Ihad underestimated how difficult it would be to find an apartment.
I had briefly entertained the idea of rooming with Kelsey and Crew, but she nixed it before it got off the ground.
I wasn’t rolling in dough, but I made far more than she could as a single mother.
We had a great relationship and had always been close growing up.
She’d pointed out that living together with an infant could ruin that.
It was only by chance that I ran into my former classmate, Lily, while on a mid-afternoon coffee run.
God, I loved being able to walk to eight different coffee shops, especially when I was working late.
“Hey, Kylie!” Lily called from the back of the line. I immediately left my place in line, letting the two customers between us move ahead of me.
I wrapped my friend up in a giant hug.
“So great to see you! When did you get back?” The last time I heard an update, Lily had been studying abroad, so I was either completely out of the loop or something significant had changed in her life.
Lily’s expression darkened, and her eyes cast downward. “Well, some things happened. I guess you haven’t seen the news?”
“No?” I said as the line crawled forward. Confused, I wondered what would be newsworthy about her life, or enough for her to look so embarrassed.
“How long do you have?” She asked as she glanced at her watch.
“Not much longer, but I’ll be off work around six. Should we plan to meet for dinner and some drinks? We can catch up then.”
Her face relaxed, and a soft smile broke out. “Sure, just please, don’t Google before we meet.”
I ordered my chai latte and moved to the side while Lily ordered her drink.
When she joined me at the front of the cafe, we finalized our dinner plans, settling on Italian at my favorite North End spot.
I finished my workday dreaming of the rich pasta dishes and planning to talk Lily into sharing the calamari appetizer and tiramisu dessert.
Kendra: How’s the new job?
Both Kelsey and I had been working through some issues we had with how Kendra handled Kelsey’s pregnancy.
As the oldest, Kendra often took it upon herself to provide unsolicited advice on managing our lives.
When Kelsey found out she was pregnant with Crew, Kendra had been very outspoken that she should abort.
Not just offering it as an option, but she’d told Kelsey that she was destroying her future by going through with the pregnancy.
I knew Kendra thought Kelsey’s life was far more difficult than it should be, but she had yet to develop a relationship with my nephew. And that was probably both their faults right now. If I succeeded with one thing, it would be getting my sisters’ relationship back on track.
Me: I love it. There’s so much for me to learn, but it’s exactly where I want to be.
Kendra: Great. Did you hear Kelsey is traveling to Minnesota with some baseball player?
Nope. I was not going to go there with Kendra behind Kelsey’s back. There would be no talking about each other behind the other’s back. Period.
Me: Not talking about this outside the sibling group chat.
Kendra: Fine.
Ugh. I loved my sister, but she could be tough.
She had an opinion on everything, and her opinion was usually that everyone else was an idiot.
Kendra was brilliant, one of the most intelligent people I’d ever met, but her social skills sucked.
Since she graduated from Dartmouth, she’d been working in sports management, and to be honest, she interacted better with spreadsheets and numbers than people.
Something had happened when she was in college that had caused her to pull away from us.
Me: I’m meeting Lily Bradshaw for dinner tonight.
Kendra: Interesting. How did she seem?
Me: She asked me not to run a Google search before we met.
Kendra: Well, maybe you should honor that request. But fill me in on her side of the story. It would be interesting to hear it from her perspective.
Me: Now I’m really curious.
Kendra: For real. Get the tea and report back.
Me: I’m no gossip.
Kendra: No, but I’m pretty sure you’re going to need to process this afterward. And I’m here for it.
Oh man, now I was even more curious than I’d been before. But as promised, I did not Google her name, so when we sat down at the secluded table for two and Lily poured her heart out, I battled internally to hide the shock on my face.
“Dad got pulled out of Mother’s Day brunch in handcuffs.
He’d been hiding his financial troubles for several years instead of coming clean and asking us to cut our spending.
It turned out that he was embezzling from his company.
When Mom went to pay the bill for the brunch meant to celebrate her, every single card she used was frozen.
None of us knew why he was being cuffed and arrested, so I tried paying.
Jeremy tried, but every card for every single account had been frozen.
” Lily paused, and I reached across the table to take her hand, giving her silence and space to continue when she was ready.
She took a long breath in, let it out, and responded, her voice shaking. “At the time, I thought that the most mortifying thing I’d ever face was having my boyfriend pay for my mother’s celebration brunch. It has been humbling for sure.”
I squeezed gently, “Are you working?”
She smiled, “Yes, thankfully. I had been on a leave of absence while I was living abroad. They were happy to have me back earlier than originally planned. I don’t think they associate me with my father, but we’re in different fields, so maybe they don’t know.”
The waiter came back around, and I placed an order for a bottle of Chianti. When Lily started to protest, I assured her, “My treat. I’m celebrating my first paycheck, and since I’m still living with my parents, my expenses are minimal.”
“You’re still living at home?” she asked, and I could see the wheels turning.
“I am. I’ve started to look for a place, but what I can afford is either in a shitty neighborhood or too far from work. And I don’t want to buy a car.”
“I’m looking for a roommate. I’ve been scraping by with the rent, but honestly, without my parents’ assistance, it’s been absorbing most of my salary. Hence, I cannot afford to split a bottle of wine.”
Excitement immediately stirred. I hadn’t thought of looking for a roommate once Kelsey said no, but Lily and I had always gotten along.
We’d roomed before on class trips, and I’d been invited with her on more than a few family vacations.
We were compatible in a way very few humans were.
We both liked order and structure and thrived in tidy environments.
Judging from the recent changes with her father, we might now be on equal financial footing.
“When can I see it?” I asked, unable to hide my excitement. I hoped she would invite me back tonight. I finally visualized my life and future falling into place.
“Can you come by after work tomorrow? I’ve been storing some boxes in the bedroom and would rather get those situated before you see the apartment.”
I tried to hide my disappointment but remembered how meticulous Lily had always been.
“It’s okay if it’s not perfect.”
“No, I want you to get the full picture so you can imagine the space with only your things,” she said as our bottle of wine arrived.
I sipped the wine, and then nodded, indicating to the waiter that it was delicious. We were both quiet as he poured us each a full glass.
“Do you want to split the calamari appetizer?” I asked Lily. She nodded, and I ordered a creamy smoked salmon pasta while Lily ordered a wedge salad.
“Man, I wish I could eat what you do. You and your sisters have always been able to eat whatever you want,” she grumbled.
“We do, but our portions are much smaller than everyone else’s.
” It was in times like these that I wanted to congratulate my mother for raising three daughters who weren’t obsessed with dieting.
She had to unpack a lot of generational baggage to do it, but the fear Lily had of the calamari nearly crippled her enjoyment.
“Okay, enough about me,” Lily said. “Tell me about your new job. And dating life. Is there anyone interesting?”
“Oh God, you sound like my mother. It’s like now that Kelsey has the baby, she wants all of us to settle down and have families.”
Lily watched me carefully once the subject of Kelsey came up.
She slid into my direct messages once when I posted a Kelsey-approved photo of Crew after he was born.
She’s been happy for our family, but the announcement had been unexpected.
We weren’t the only ones shocked by Kelsey’s unplanned pregnancy; many of our acquaintances had also expressed their surprise.
In some cases, they did so publicly. Kelsey had always been ultra-responsible, and the one time she let loose, she found herself pregnant.
“How is Kelsey handling it?” Lily asked, genuine concern apparent in her gaze.
“She’s such a good mom to Crew. At the expense of herself sometimes, because she never gets a moment to rest. And she’s too stubborn to move back in with my parents, so things are nearly impossible for her right now.
She’s driving Uber and working at a sports bar, and my parents are doing what they can to help her with childcare.
If I move in, I’d like to have Crew over as much as possible.
You’ll be okay with him visiting the apartment? ”
“Yeah, it’s your home, Ky. Just make sure I know ahead of time if he’s sleeping over. I wouldn’t want to wake him up accidentally.”
Relief flooded me: “I’m so happy we ran into each other today. I missed you like crazy, Lily.”
“I missed you, too. It’s so nice to have a genuine, friendly face around again,” she beamed.
When the waiter brought our meals, I practically moaned in pleasure as I took the first bite of my creamy pasta.
“Mmm.”
“Ok, dish some out for me. I tried to be good, but this salad is sad compared to your dinner.”
“Life is too short to regret your meal, especially when there are so many great options.”
I waved down the waiter for an extra side plate, and when he returned with one, I moved half of my pasta onto it.
“Do you want some salad?” she asked.
I shook my head, “Nah, I need to save the stomach space for the good stuff.”
As we were polishing off our plates, the waiter stopped by to offer dessert, and when Lily immediately went to shake her head, I nodded.
“Come on, Lil, Cannoli or tiramisu?”
“Oof, I guess if you’re forcing me … tiramisu?”
“One tiramisu, with two spoons,” I answered the waiter. “God, I missed the food while I lived in Washington. There is nothing better than North Boston for Italian food.”
Lily nodded and helped me polish off the entire dessert as we continued to chat. God, I had missed this.
When I arrived home for the night, it was after ten thirty. My mother was working, and my father was in bed for the night. It was strange to be back in my childhood home and have it be so damn quiet. It didn’t feel right without my sisters.
I started my nighttime skincare routine, brushed my teeth, changed into my pajamas, and checked my phone again before plugging it in to charge on my nightstand.
Unknown number: Kylie, it’s Luc from the plane. I have a strong suspicion that I might have waited too long to text you. If you’re still interested, you can call or text.
Huh. I read the text three times, surprised at first to hear from him, and then wondered if I should give him the benefit of the doubt. I had enough failed attempts at relationships these past few years to know that I didn’t want to be involved with men who were wishy-washy about dating me.
I sighed, and saved his number in my contacts.
Me: It’s only too long if the delay was because you weren’t sure you wanted to see me again.
I waited what felt like an eternity watching the text bubbles appear and disappear. Was he nervous? Shit, how could my heart beat so hard watching text bubbles on my phone screen.
Luc: There is nothing I want more than to see you again. I had planned to call, but my brother just informed me that cold calling isn’t a thing anymore.
I smiled, nope, I would have freaked the fuck out if he’d just called me.
Me: Until three minutes ago, your number would have come up as an unknown number. He’s right. I never would have answered it.
Luc: Then I’m sorry. I’m rusty, but genuine. When can I see you again?
Me: Well, since we met on the airplane, my sister and I were lucky enough to attend a Minutemen’s game as the guests of Sam Drummond. And I happened to notice that you’re a little more than support staff.
Luc: Wait, your sister is the good luck charm?
Me: Please tell me you don’t believe that nonsense?
Luc: I’ve been a coach for a long time, and before that, a player. If a player thinks something or someone is bringing them luck, it’s true. Or it’s true enough that they can perform.
Me: Well, I’m pointing it out because my sister is traveling with Sam this week. I’m assuming you’ll be gone until the weekend, too?
Luc: Yup. Back late on Friday afternoon. Would seven be too late to take you to dinner?
I had never been on an actual dinner date. In college, the most interest I’d received was through invitations to hang out or meet up with someone, either at a party or out at a bar. Formal dates never happened. Once I started my master’s program, I stopped pretending to care anymore.
Me: Not at all. Just let me know where to meet you.
Luc: I can pick you up.
Nope, no way was he going to see that I was still living at my parents' house. He was not picking me up until I was out on my own. Besides, I’d much rather keep everything about my dating life completely quiet until I was certain there was something to tell.
Me: Maybe next time. I’d prefer to meet somewhere instead.
Luc: Do you like Italian food?
Me: Yes!
I answered immediately, even though I had a whole serving of leftovers in the refrigerator, I could eat Italian every single night if I had the opportunity.
Luc: Great. Let me do some research. Would you mind if I sent you the name of the place the day of?
Me: Sure.
Luc: Great. It was nice talking to you again, Kylie. Goodnight.
Me: Goodnight.
I wondered if I should have made Luc work a little harder before agreeing to a date. He seemed genuine, though but I honestly had no time in my life for games.