I’ve taken so long to reply, Megan’s moved on to loading the dishwasher. Do I want to stay? Yes – this is as much a home to me as my own apartment – maybe more – and I’m safe here,loved. But I also need to put my big girl panties on and get over it. I’mbusy– I can’t afford to wallow.
Besides, I made this mess; it’s not fair to drag my trainwreck of a love life into Megan’s house, making her and her family suffer along with me.
‘I think I’ll go home,’ I say.
She looks up, a dirty bowl in her hand, and puts it in the rack. ‘Wanna come over for pancakes in the morning?’
‘Hell, yeah.’
We exchange the kind of smile that besties share – one that says a thousand things at once, but mostlyI’ve got youandI know.
I take out my phone to book a ride. ‘Four minutes,’ I say – barely enough time to peek in on the kids, so I rush down the hallway, stopping at Gabriel’s door first.
He’s such a sweet, sensitive boy. The second he saw me crying, he went to his room and came back with his favourite stuffy, Toby the dinosaur, and told me I could keep him. I gave them both a hug and assured Gabriel that Toby’s feel-better powers had already worked so I didn’t need to take him home with me. He’s on his side, a lock of his floppy dark hair curled on his forehead, like a tiny Clark Kent.
I blow him a kiss and cross the hall to his sister’s room.
After a restorative hug from Toby the dinosaur, Irina, who is both precocious and pragmatic, asked if I was crying over a boy. When I saidyes, she patted me on the back and told me that boys are dumb and not to worry, I could be a lesbian like my moms. Out of the mouths of babes.
Now she’s spread-eagled on the bed, covers kicked to the floor, and snoring loudly. I doubt she’ll ever have a problem taking up space or being heard – attributes I jokingly claim she gets from me.
But what kind of example am I to Irina if I’m pining over a guy I knew for a few days and will probably never see again?
‘Car’s here,’ Megan calls.
I don’t want a bad rating so I race to the front of the house where Megan and Gabe are waiting by the open door. Megan hands me my purse, Gabe smacks a kiss on my cheek, and I sprint out of the house, across the lawn, and open the car door.
‘Hi – sorry!’ I say, sliding onto the seat and slamming the door. ‘I was saying goodnight to my niece and nephew.’
‘Hey, that’s okay. How old are they?’ he asks.
‘They’re six – twins,’ I reply.
‘Ah, that’s a great age.’
He goes on to tell me about his kids, who are five and seven. I’m usually the Chatty Cathy on car rides, but he does most of the heavy lifting, which is fine by me and makes the ride go by fast. Before I know it, we pull up outside my apartment building in Toluca Lake.
‘Thanks!’ I say, climbing out of the car.
‘No problem. I’ll wait till you’re inside.’
‘Oh, you don’t nee— Thanks,’ I reply. I’ll be sure to add a generous tip.
Halfway up the path that bisects the lawn, I realise there’s a guy sitting on the front steps. I hesitate and he stands up, silhouetted against the security light. I’m a split second away from running back to the car when he speaks.
‘Delaney.’
Oh. My. God.
‘Nick?’
‘You okay, miss?’
I look over my shoulder, and the driver’s halfway out of his car.
‘All good,’ I call out, ‘it’s my brother – myotherbrother,’ I add hastily. ‘Not the one whose house you picked me up from.’
Now I’ve fabricatedtwoimaginary brothers, but there’s a real chance the driver will worry I’m in danger and challenge Nick to a duel. Or – more likely – call the cops.