“What?” I ask as I make my way to my house. The last five days have been excruciating and long, so fucking long, it felt like two weeks and I’m happy to be fucking home.
“The eagle is a very well-respected bird—” she starts to say, half laughing. “I can’t even say it with a straight face. Welcome home, Mr. President.”
“I’m going to be home in fifteen minutes. Want to have a late lunch with me?”
“I guess since I’m working from home I can come over. Just don’t tell my boss,” she whispers. “I’ll get food.” She disconnects and I have the urge to call Lexi and tell her to join us, but I’m not going to pressure her. I also haven’t spoken to her since she called me Saturday night. I thought she would text me the next day, but the only thing I saw was Kylie’s social media post with a picture of the two of them at some exercise class and then having coffee at an outdoor café. Her smile was so big on her face, her eyes so light and free, the picture was everything.
I pull into the gated driveway and press the button for the garage, driving in and then shutting the door. Grabbing my luggage from the trunk, I make my way into the house. “Honey, I’m home!” I shout to the almost empty house.
Walking to the staircase, I take the steps two at a time until I’m in my bedroom. The shades are half open, so I dump my bag before pressing the button and having the shades open wide. The minute there is more light in the room, I hear Jefferson’s little bell coming closer and closer. “Well, hello there.” I look over my shoulder and see her sitting at the entry to the bedroom. She sits as her eyes get used to the bright sunlight that is now coming into my bedroom. She blinks a couple of times, her look staring at me like I deserted her. “I’m sorry, I had to go work.” I sit on the bed, kicking off my dress shoes and then the jacket. “Trust me, I didn’t want to go either.”
She comes in gingerly, taking two steps before stopping and stretching out her two front paws and joining me on the bed. Her soft meow I’m sure calling me an asshole. I pet her head and expect her to come and sit beside me, or at least that is what I would like, but instead she turns around, gives me her back, and then goes to lie at the edge of the bed in the sun. Like she’s a Grecian goddess. “I’m happy I’m home too.” I get up and walk into my closet with my suitcase, emptying it before I slip into a pair of jogging pants and a T-shirt.
I’m walking down the steps when the front door opens and closes. “Hello, eagle!” Kylie shouts and I join her in the kitchen. “I’ve also just landed.” She looks at me and snorts, pulling out one of the stools and sitting down.
“I got us some salad with grilled chicken,” she says, while I pull out my own stool and sit down. “This is yours since it is the full size.” She hands me the container before taking out hers, which is half the size.
“Let’s trade,” I suggest to her. “I ate on the plane.”
She shakes her head. “I have dinner plans.” I side-look at her. “I don’t want to be too full.”
“Dinner?” I ask her as I open my container. “With who?”
“Don’t get all excited, it’s the HOA meeting.” She takes a bite of a piece of chicken. “Listen, I have to talk to you about something.” She avoids looking at me. “And, well, you might be pissed.”
“Might be or am going to be?”
“That’s in the eye of the beholder,” she tries to joke but doesn’t look up at me, and I can tell it’s serious if she’s avoiding looking at me. “What happened?” I ask her right away. “Are you okay?”
“Oh yeah,” she replies, “it’s really not that big of a deal, but it might be for you.”
“Would you just tell me?”
“Well, I was at Lexi’s place for girls’ night, right?” I nod, listening to her. “And, well, it came out that you are sort of rich.”
“Explain, please.”
“Well, she was going on and on about how you were her boss and then my boss.” She looks at me. “You are not my boss.”
“I’m not anyone’s boss.”
“That’s what I told her also, but anyway, I don’t know why but it came out that you are Richie Rich rich.”
“We are Richie Rich rich,” I correct her. “You really have to stop putting it all on me. And you are richer than I am.”
“Anyway, I just thought you should know. Now it’s off my back and I don’t have to avoid talking to you.”
“You were avoiding me?” I ask her.
“You called me twice and I didn’t answer,” she gasps. “What did you think was going on?”
“I don’t know,” I answer, flabbergasted, “that you were busy?”
“Wow.” She pushes away from the island. “It’s like you don’t even care.”
I can’t help but laugh at her. “I have to go. My lunch break is finished and my boss is back in town, and he’s an asshole.”
I shake my head, snorting. “I heard otherwise.”
