Me:
No, I’ll go home, unpack, and then come and get them at six thirty.
Josephine:
Fine.
I look at the clock and see it’s just after five, so I make my way to the house. Grabbing my luggage and walking into the quiet house, I head straight upstairs with my bag. I toss my backpack on the bed before heading to the closet and unpacking my bag so I can make a pile for the dry cleaner before putting my bag of toiletries in the bathroom. I then go back into the closet and change out of the suit I traveled in and put on a pair of joggers and a sweater.
My phone beeps from the inside pocket of the jacket. Pulling it out, I see there are two texts.
The first one is from Josephine.
Josephine:
We just finished. If you want, I can bring them to you.
Me:
No, I’m leaving now.
The second one is from Jaxon.
Jaxon:
Did you think about it?
I look up at the ceiling and I don’t know why I agree to it. Is it because the silence in my house is deafening or is it because I want to prove to myself I can?
Me:
Sure, set it up.
The minute I send the text, I want to take it back. “It’s one date,” I tell myself at the same time I hear Kylie’s laughter in my ears, taunting me. “She doesn’t even want you,” I try to convince myself. “She said it herself.” I put my phone away, turn off the light in the closet, and go pick up my kids.
twenty
Kylie
I pull into the parking garage and head toward my parking spot, swinging in. Grabbing my phone from the middle cupholder, I take my purse from the passenger seat before getting out.
The sound of my heels clicking on the cement floor echoes in the almost desolate parking garage. I walk to the elevator, pressing the button and holding my purse with both hands as I wait for the elevator. Stepping in and pressing the button to my floor, I walk to the corner and wait for it to go to the lobby, where it fills with four people. I have to squeeze out when the doors finally open to my floor.
Walking into my apartment, I take off my heels at the door and put my purse down on the small table I have added fresh flowers to. I bend to smell the white roses before heading to the kitchen. Stopping by the living room and grabbing the remote to turn on the television before anything. It’s something I started doing when I moved in here. The silence is almost too much for me to bear, but the television playing in the background makes it feel a lot less lonely. I head to the fridge, looking inside and thinking that a nice bath sounds like a perfect thing to do on a Friday. I think of grabbing something to eat before taking a bath when my phone rings.
Rushing back over to the front door where I left my bag, I pull open my purse and take my phone out when I see it’s Ariella calling me. “Hey,” I say, answering it before it goes to voicemail.
“Kylie,” she says my name and I swear I can hear her smile while she does it, “I’m so happy I caught you.”
I make my way back over to the fridge, opening it and grabbing the bottle of wine. “Just in time,” I tell her. “I was about to pour myself a glass of wine and then, dare I say,” I walk to get a wine glass, “take a long bubble bath.”
She groans, “That sounds magnificent.” I laugh when she says that. “But I’m actually calling you for a favor.”
I stop with the wine bottle in midair. “Listen, Ari, I love Jagger, I do. He’s like the cutest little drool monster I’ve ever met, but I just…” I start to say. “I’m not really the babysitting type of person. I’m a ‘Hey, do you need me to hold him for a minute?’ Sure. I’m the “Hey, do you need to go to the bathroom? I’ll watch him.’ I’m the “Oh, you are fifteen and want to sit on my couch and scroll on your phone and not talk to me? Amazing.’ I just don’t know if I can actually be responsible for him.”
She bursts out laughing. “I’m not calling you to babysit.”
I sigh, “Oh, good. The last time he saw me, he threw up on me. In. My. Newly. Washed. Hair.”
