I let my eyes land on Audrey’s face, noticing that her jaw tenses momentarily.
She nods slowly. “We’re apparently dropping a high profile client soon, so that’s hot gossip for everyone who actually cares about the company.”
Connor and I both chuckle. Audrey has always been a math and technology whiz, she’s the only reason we didn’t fail out of calculus and computers in highschool. I was surprised when I learned she was working in data entry. Growing up, I always joked that she could be my accountant when I was in the big leagues, and I’d make all my teammates hire her too. But math was never her true passion. Not the way baseball is Connor’s and my passion.
Or the way she had been mine.
I stare at Audrey, wondering if she still crafts at all, she always found joy in that. She got a Cricut for herfourteenth birthday and for the last few weeks of summer she spent her time making stickers, mugs and T-shirt designs.
A few times, she even roped me and Connor into helping her make stuff.
She jokingly told me one time that she dreamed of opening a shop for her crochet and Cricut creations. But as she said it she shook her head as if it was a stupid idea, and said math was safer for her to stick with.
I turn my attention back to Audrey, who looks at her brother with admiration. “I’m so glad you had a stopover. I’m tired of weeks or months passing between visits.”
“Yeah, well maybe stop missing my phone calls so often,” Connor replies with raised eyebrows.
Audrey’s cheeks redden the smallest amount. “I’ll try to be better at answering.”
Paul looks up from the drink menu with a disinterested expression. “Maybe you should call her in the mornings, she’s often watching one of those lame Hallmark movies in the evening.”
It’s my turn to clench my jaw at his tone of voice. Connor ignores Paul's comment and instead looks at Audrey with a wide smile. “Told Skippy that I’d jump out of the plane if they didn’t let me have one night seeing you.” I roll my eyes at Connor’s nickname for our field manager.
Ignoring Connor’s theatrics, I ask, “Did you watchDear Johnbefore they took it off Netflix too?”
“You’re such a drama king.” Audrey looks at her brother before her eyes flick towards me for the first time since we sat down, and she readjusts her shoulders. “I did, but I also have it on DVD.”
“I know.” I try to fight back my smile knowing that after all these years she still has the movies. That she kept a piece of me.
For as long as I can remember, Audrey and her mom would have Friday movie nights, usually focusing on romance movies that were geared towards making you cry. One time, when I was fifteen, I was there for a sleepover and Connor fell off the trampoline; he busted his head and needed to go get stitches. Since Mr. Mendez was out of town for work, their mom asked me to stay back with Audrey in case the hospital wait was long.
Audrey put a movie on and I sat on the chair across the room, watching it with her. Before I knew it she started to well up, so I moved to sit beside her, handing her a tissue. I was grateful for the excuse, but I just wanted to be closer to her.
When the credits rolled, I asked, “This movie’s so sad, why would you want to watch it?”
Her response was quick, “Because look at that … he’s fulfilling her bucket list and making her feel beautiful and loved. That’s every girl's dream!”
I should’ve given that to her.
We ended up spending the rest of the night watching chick flicks while I fought the urge to hold her hand and kiss her.
I bought her every available Nicholas Sparks movie for her birthday before I left for college.
Connor digs his elbow into my side, pulling me out of my memories long enough to realize that Audrey's asking me a question, “And what brings you here? Isn’t Austin your home?”
The way she sayshomecauses me to look down at the table for a moment before I compose myself and answer her, “Your brother’s relentless begging for me to join his team finally worked.” I slap him on the back. “I’m officially a Kansas City Royal now.”
Audrey’s face flushes slightly before she says, “Wow, congrats, Noah. That’s so exciting. You better piss him off as much as possible, fill the void for me.”
I chuckle, nodding at her as Connor laughs from beside me. “Oh yeah, we’ll be bunk buddies every step of the way. I’m not against playing a prank or two.”
The waitress comes to take our orders and I try to ignore the fact that Paul openly checks her out, or the way Audrey’s eyes close, the slight quiver in her lip obvious.
What an asshole.
Instead, I ask Audrey about her friends, watching the light come back into her eyes little by little as I try to fill in the parts of her life I don’t know anymore.
Dinner passes in a walk down memory lane of all the times Connor and I played pranks on Audrey, and all the times she tried to get revenge—and failed. We try to engage Paul constantly but he meets all of us with curt or disinterested responses, as if this is the last place he wants to be.
