Kate ordered maple bacon pancakes, and Eva asked for blueberry and an espresso, needing a healthy dose of caffeine to ward off her hangover. The first sip had her sighing in contentment, and she relaxed in her chair.
“How far away do you live from here?”
“About an hour and a half.”
“So two hours for a normal person?”
“I don’t speed that much.”
“Tell that to my blood pressure, which rises significantly when you’re behind the wheel.”
“Funny, I feel the same whenever I’m in your car.”
“Rude.”
Eva set down her empty cup. “You don’t want a ride to the airport, then?”
“I won’t turn one down,” Kate said, her grin cheeky, and Eva rolled her eyes as their food was placed in front of them. The pancakes were delicious, the sharpness of the blueberries sweetened by the syrup she’d poured over them.
Once they’d eaten, they returned to the hotel parking lot. “Last chance to hail a cab,” Eva said, as she opened the trunk of her Mercedes for Kate’s suitcase.
“That’d be just as bad for my blood pressure.”
“You are ridiculous.”
“So is your taste in radio stations.” Kate fiddled with the dials, and Eva allowed it, even though the one she settled on was terrible.
The drive to O’Hare was only around twenty minutes, but it was long enough for Kate to doze off, her cheek pressed to the passenger side window when Eva pulled up to departures.
“Wake up.” Eva prodded Kate in the side. “You are awful company.”
“Please, I am delightful.”
Eva got out of the car to hug Kate good-bye. “Thank you for this weekend, it’s been fun.”
“Yeah, it has. Don’t be a stranger, okay?”
“I won’t,” Eva promised. “I hope you and Dan manage to work things out.”
“Thanks. I’ll see you soon.” Kate squeezed Eva one last time before grabbing the handle of her bag. Eva watched until she melted into the crowd and then got back into her car for the long drive home.
* * *
The TV was playing when Eva arrived, her mother sitting with her beloved Netflix, a pair of knitting needles in her hands. Franklin bounded over to greet Eva like he hadn’t seen her in weeks.
“Hi, sweetheart. Did you have a good night?”
“I did. Were you okay without me?” Eva knew her mother had probably loved it. Eva tried not to be too overbearing, knowing how much her mother valued her independence, but sometimes it was hard.
“Franklin and I were fine.”
“I’m going to hop in the shower.”
“Good. You smell like a brewery.”
Eva chuckled, not doubting it. She’d had a lot to drink, but she’d had fun.
Not as much fun as Kate had at her expense, Eva remembered, stepping out of the shower to find a notification waiting for her. Sighing, Eva opened the app, fully intending to delete the damn thing, but curiosity had her opening the message thread, instead.
