“Bye, Dad,” he says, walking into the house and turning to hold up his hand to me. I hold up my hand as he closes the door and then rub my hands over my face.
“This is life,” I tell myself as I get in my SUV and head home to my empty house.
six
I step out of the shower, grabbing the white towel and bending my head to wrap my hair up in it before I grab another towel and wrap it around me. The phone starts ringing from somewhere in the apartment. I tiptoe rush out of the bathroom toward the sound of ringing. Thinking I left my phone in the kitchen, but then I hear it coming from the front door and my workout bag.
I’m halfway to the phone when it stops ringing. Unzipping the bag, I reach in and fish around for the phone. My hands move my Pilates socks to the other side and then toss aside the granola bar I threw in there this morning on my way out for my workout class. My wallet is right next to my phone, which starts ringing again. The screen lights up the bag, letting me see exactly where it is. I pull it out and see it’s Lexi calling me. “Hello.” I put the phone to my ear, tossing the bag back down on the floor before walking back to the kitchen and grabbing a coffee cup.
“I’ve been calling you,” she sighs, “for the last twenty minutes.”
“Sorry,” I tell her, “I was in the shower.”
“I’ll be at your place in twenty minutes.” I look over at the time on top of the stove. “Will you be ready?”
“I can be dressed with my hair half-dried,” I tell her, “maybe some makeup.”
“What the hell have you been doing all morning long?”
“I did the eight o’clock Pilates class and then they had a spot open for the nine o’clock one and I was like, why not?” I tell her as I put a pod in the machine and push the button before walking over to the stainless-steel fridge and pulling it open, grabbing my milk. “I can tell you why not now,” I groan. “I’m surprised I was able to walk out of that fucking class. My legs felt like they were going to buckle at any minute.”
“And that’s what you get for trying to have a hot girl summer now, going into fall.”
I laugh as I pour the milk in the cup. “It’s your fault,” I point out, placing the milk back into the fridge, “and your family’s fault.”
“How?” she shrieks.
“We went on a two-week vacation where I drank like a fish every single day, and let’s not talk about all the food I consumed. I literally gained ten pounds in two weeks. It’s now been six weeks, and I’m still trying to feel human again.”
“I feel you,” she smiles, "but for what it's worth, you're looking hot as hell." I laugh, grabbing the cup and heading back to my bedroom, straight to the bathroom.
“Okay, I’ll get ready. Text me when you are downstairs so I can come down.”
“I will.” The excitement in her voice makes it rise even higher.
I put my cup of coffee down on the double sink counter. “See you soon,” I say, putting down the phone beside the coffee cup. I turn on my vibes music playlist before bending, pulling the towel out of my hair. I grab my leave-in conditioner and spray it in. I quickly blow-dry my hair halfway before walking into the walk-in closet. This apartment came with two walk-in closets. I decided to dedicate one to my clothes and the other one is a shoe and purse room. Since no man is ever going to have his shit in my closet, it is the perfect thing for me. If it were me, I would never have chosen this apartment, it’s honestly too big for me. Kirby, however, had other plans; he is the one who bought it and then handed me the keys and the title.
Heading over to the five drawers I have set up in the corner, I pull open the underwear drawer, grabbing a white lace pair and then the matching bra. I quickly move over to the jeans rack and pull off a pair of acid-washed blue jeans. I slide them up and then jump twice to get them on. My closet wasn’t always this abundant. I’m lying; it was. My mother’s favorite pastime was shopping and spending money. I was a professional online shopper when she was alive. Then she passed away and I started to think I was poor, which is far from true. I’m what Lexi likes to call Richie Rich rich, but it never even dawned on me. Losing both parents, no matter how strained our relationships were, left me spiraling. Then I don’t know how, but Kirby saw it and gave me his credit card and I used it occasionally. Okay fine, more than occasionally, but he offered.
I grab a white tank top, sliding it over my head and then grab one of the long blue linen button-down shirts. I leave it open before walking into the shoe closet and grabbing a pair of pink strappy heels. Sliding one foot in and then tying it around my ankle, I then do the same with the other before heading over to grab my pink Chanel purse that is almost the same shade as the shoes. I step over to the five little drawers that are in the corner of this room too, but these hold my jewelry. I grab a couple of silver bracelets, before putting on the thick Tiffany chain necklace, the heart pendant falling on the white shirt. I turn and head back to the bathroom, spraying my perfume that smells like clean linen. My phone rings from the counter, interrupting the music.
“Hello.” I put it on speakerphone, grabbing it and heading to the front door.
“I’m downstairs,” Lexi says.
“On my way,” I tell her, “I’m switching out purses.” I disconnect, switching my things form one purse to the other, before checking my workout bag and grabbing my wallet and my keys. I rush out the door, shutting it and locking it behind me, and run to the elevator.
I tuck my hair behind my ear when I put on my sunglasses and head down to Lexi. She’s at the curb in the white SUV she bought herself when she left her husband. I pull open the passenger door. “Hello,” I say, getting in and leaning toward her to kiss her on the cheek. “How are you doing?”
“Twenty minutes and you look like that?” she questions, sounding annoyed. “Get out of my car.”
I laugh as I reach for my seat belt before buckling myself in. “What can I say, I’m just a natural beauty.” I side-eye her. “I can do my makeup in a full five minutes. I have it down pat. Cream, foundation, mascara, a touch of blush, and this is what you get.” I put both hands together under my chin, batting my eyes at her, making her laugh.
“Okay, so first stop is coffee,” she says, pulling out of the driveway. “Then we are meeting Zoey and Ariella.” I gasp, clapping my hands. Ever since I moved to the city, it’s been slow finding friends. To be honest, I hadn’t really found any. Lexi changed that. She and her family have taken me into their family, and I have never in my life felt so protected by a group of women before. They are literally the definition of we ride at dawn, ask questions later.
“A true girls’ day.” I raise my hands in the air as she pulls into the drive-thru of the first coffee shop she sees.
“I’ll have a fresh orange juice,” I tell her, and she orders herself a latte and a fresh orange juice for me.
