“Wanna get out of here?” she asks finally.
I nod, and she takes my hand and leads me out of the bar. We walk a few blocks to her apartment and practically rip each other’s clothes off the second we’re inside. We end up having sex right on her living room couch.
Afterward, Chloe pads into the kitchen and gets us both a beer.
“Thanks, I say when she hands me one although I don’t really want it. I suddenly feel hollow and I know I’ve already had too much to drink. I pull a blanket off the back of the couch and drape it over my naked body.
“So, do you go to Tina’s a lot?” Chloe asks.
“No,” I reply a little more curtly than I intend. I feel badly. It’s not Chloe’s fault. She seems like a nice person. I’m just not really up for small talk.
Chloe flips on the TV. I stare at it for a while, not really seeing what’s on the screen. “I should go,” I blurt out eventually.
“But the night is young,” Chloe protests.
“I know, I’m sorry, but I need to leave.”
I stand and begin to gather my clothes that were tossed hastily onto the floor.
Chloe pulls on a shirt and walks me to the door. “I had a nice time. Hope I see you around Tina’s again soon.”
“Um, yeah, me too.” I give her a weak smile before I open the door and step outside. “Bye, Chloe.”
* * *
I walk home slowly and chastise myself for going home with Chloe. If anything, I now feel even more depressed. I’ve had maybe two one-night stands in my whole life. I’m not really even sure why I went to Tina’s.
I round the corner onto Q Street and see flashing red lights down the block. As I get closer to my apartment, I realize an ambulance is parked outside my building. I pick up my pace and step into the lobby of my building just as the paramedics are getting off the elevator with Stella.
“Oh my gosh. What happened?” I ask no one in particular.
“She had a fall. Could be a broken hip,” one of the paramedics replies as they maneuver Stella through the front door.
I watch as they wheel her down the walk to the waiting ambulance, and I feel utterly alone. I bow my head and begin to trudge up the stairs to my apartment. My legs feel like bricks, and I’m winded when I reach my landing.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
I go to visit Stella a few times while she’s in the hospital. The first time I visit she is pretty drugged up, but when I go back a few days later, she’s much more alert and back to her chatty self. It sounds like she’ll be transferred to an assisted-living facility soon.
“I’m not staying there long!” she assures me. “I’m going home as soon as I can.”
“I like your attitude,” I reply.
She goes on to tell me that her older daughter is on her way in from LA and she seems very excited to see her. Stella and I are supposed to go to the Kennedy Center together the following evening, and she insists I take her tickets and go on my own.
“I’d hate for them to go to waste,” she says. “I pay good money for them. Take a friend if you like.”
“Thanks, Stella,” I reply. “I’m just sorry you can’t join me.”
She gives me a smile, and I can tell she’s tired. I excuse myself and promise to visit her again soon.
* * *
The next evening, I attend the concert solo. I find the music incredibly calming, and when the concert lets out, I feel more myself than I have in weeks. It’s a nice evening, so I decide to walk the mile or so back to my apartment.
I turn up the front walk of my apartment building and immediately notice the silhouette of a person sitting on the front stoop. I’m a bit startled and stop walking.
“Mattie?” a familiar voice asks.
“Alex, is that you?” I say softly.
The silhouette stands and starts to walk toward me. As it gets closer, I’m able to make out Alex’s face in the faint light.
“What are you doing here?” I ask.
Alex doesn’t say anything. She just wraps her arms around me and rests her head on my shoulder. Tentatively, I place my arms around her waist. Her body feels so good against mine.
After a few moments, Alex lifts her head and looks at me. “I was so worried that you were gone. I tried to call you and it went straight to voice mail, so I decided to walk over here and see if you were home. I rang your bell a few times, and when I got no response, I started to wonder if maybe you’d decided to stay in New York for good.”
“I was at the Kennedy Center and I had my phone turned off. I forgot to turn it back on after the concert…”
“Do you mind if we go inside and talk?” Alex interrupts me.
“Um, sure.”
I feel both anxious and cautiously optimistic as we make our way up to my apartment.
Alex sits down on the couch in my living room, and I perch myself on a nearby chair. My brain is prepared for the worst while my heart is full of hope.
“I’ve missed you so much,” Alex starts. “I know I said that coming to grips with your past was more than I could handle right now, but…I’ve come to realize that being without you is much worse. I want you in my life but first, I need to know if you, um, plan to keep at it?”
“Keep at what?”
“Stealing art.”
Oddly, my first reaction is to laugh. I think my emotions at this point are completely out of whack. Thankfully, I manage to suppress that urge and instead take a deep breath before answering her. “Not in a million years.”
“Are you sure?” Alex asks.
I nod and try to explain to her what it was like to lose two of my closest friends and how I now realize how stupid we were. “Sadly, it took the catastrophe at Schuyler House to bring me to my senses,” I say finally.
“Well, I’m certainly relieved that you don’t intend to continue that way of life. I needed to hear you say that. I’m just sorry that it took something so horrible to finally make you stop,” Alex responds.
I stand up from my chair and join her on the couch. We hold each other for a long time. Finally, I pull back and look up at her. “I can’t tell you how miserable I’ve been the last few weeks. I was a complete mess when you told me that you couldn’t see me anymore. I wanted to call you like a million times, but I knew I had to respect your decision.”
Alex gives me a soft kiss on the lips. I take it as a confirmation of what’s been said. A confirmation that we’re going to try and move beyond my past together.
“It’s late. I should go,” she says.
“Okay,” I say as we both stand.
“Up for a run tomorrow?” she asks as I walk her to the door.
“Definitely!”
“Usual spot, seven a.m.?”
“I’ll be there!”
That night I go to bed and feel happier than I have in my whole life.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
The next morning is beautiful, and Alex and I run our first mile mostly in silence. I feel like I am on cloud nine. Our pace is fast, and I have no problem keeping it up.
“How are things at Hemlock?” I ask finally.
“Good, but crazy busy,” Alex replies. “I’m loath to say we’ve almost got too much work.”
“I’m glad to hear things are going well.”
“Any chance you’d consider coming back to work?” she asks.
“Are you kidding? I’d love to! I love working at Hemlock. There is so much good energy in the office, and it makes me feel useful.”
“It would be really good to have you back,” Alex says. “You’ve been a godsend with the books and I miss having you around the office.”
“Would today be too soon to restart?” I ask.
Alex lets out a laugh. “No!”
“Great, I look forward to it.”
“Wanna grab a quick breakfast?” Alex asks as we approach the P Street Bridge at the end of our run.
“Sure.”
Over breakfast, Alex tells me that her younger sister Walke
r is flying in from Denver the next day. “She’s coming to DC for a friend’s wedding. The wedding is not until Saturday, but she’s flying in a few days early so that we can spend some time together.”
“Oh, yeah. I remember you mentioning that she was coming to town.”
“I’m really excited to see her,” Alex continues. “I mean, we talk on the phone all the time, but I haven’t seen her since Robert’s funeral. Usually I see her at Christmas, but she didn’t come home this year. She and her boyfriend are starting to get serious, and they spent the holidays with his family.”
“So, what are you guys going to do while she is here?” I ask.
“If I can manage it, I hope to take a little time off. We’ll probably hit a few tourist sites since she’s only been to DC a few times, but mostly I think we will hang out, talk, and stuff our faces with good food. Walker is a total foodie…Hey, speaking of which, do you want join us for dinner on Friday night?”
“Yeah, sure, I’d love to. It would be great to meet your sister, and you know I would never turn down a good meal.”
Alex laughs, and I sit back in my chair and try to absorb the fact that she’s back in my life. Things feel a little different between us—in a good way. Before, the secret of my past weighed so heavily on my shoulders. I think somehow Alex sensed I wasn’t giving her my whole self. Now that the air is clear, things feel easier between us and it feels wonderful.
* * *
I make my way over to Hemlock later that morning, and everyone greets me just as they would on a typical day. I have no idea how or even if Alex explained my absence to people at the office, so I just assume everyone thinks I was on vacation or something.
I make my way to my desk and everything seems pretty much the way I left it. I fire up my computer and start to sort through various files. From what I can tell, no one has been keeping much of an eye on the finances while I’ve been gone. I roll up my sleeves and get to work. I see Alex sporadically throughout the day, but she’s running around like a chicken with its head cut off so she can squeeze in some time off to spend with her sister.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
I work at Hemlock the rest of the week and do my best to get everything up to date. Alex and I manage to get together for lunch one day, but otherwise, she’s mostly out of the office at work sites. She gives me a call Friday afternoon.
“Hey Mattie. You holding down the fort at the office?”
“Yeah, everything is under control,” I assure her.
“You still up for dinner with me and Walker tonight?” she asks.
“Yeah, of course,” I respond enthusiastically.
“Okay, cool. I made reservations at a Vietnamese place in Adams Morgan, but why don’t you swing by my place for a quick drink before dinner? Say six o’clock-ish. Then the three of us can walk up to the restaurant together. Does that work?”
“Yeah, that sounds perfect. How’s Walker’s visit been so far?”
“Oh, God, we’ve done nothing but talk since she landed. It’s really awesome to have her here,” she says.
“Good, I’m glad you guys are having a good time. I’m really psyched to meet her.”
“She’s looking forward to meeting you too. I’ve told her all about you…Well, not everything…”
“I get it,” I say with a laugh. “See you tonight.”
We end the call, and I turn back to my computer to finish up one last report before the end of the day.
After work, I head over the Alex’s place. I’m nervous for some reason. The significance of the fact that Alex wants me to meet her sister has not escaped me. It’s an indication that Alex still considers me as an important part of her life. And, hopefully, as someone who will be part of her life for the foreseeable future.
A woman who looks strikingly like Alex, minus the incredible green eyes, answers the door when I knock.
“Hi, you must be Alex,” she says.
“Yep. And you must be Walker,” I say and reach out to shake her hand.
“Alex is just finishing getting ready. She should be out in a minute. Can I get you a glass of wine?” Walker asks.
“Yeah, sure. That would be great. Thanks.”
“So, Alex tells me you’ve been helping her out at Hemlock,” Walker says as she hands me a glass of wine.
“Yeah, I’ve been doing a little accounting work for the firm.”
“A little accounting work, huh? More like you’ve totally overhauled our financial system.” Alex beams as she enters the room.
I can’t help but blush.
Alex walks over and gives me a quick kiss. “I see you two have met?”
The three of us sit out on Alex’s balcony and enjoy a glass of wine before it’s time to walk up to Adams Morgan. I like Walker instantly. She shares Alex’s warmth and awesome sense of humor.
The restaurant is crazy busy given that it’s a Friday night, but we luck out and get seated at a table right by the window. It’s amazing to see the diversity of people streaming up Eighteenth Street to all the bars and restaurants in Adams Morgan. The three of us quickly bond over the fabulous people watching. Walker excuses herself to go to the bathroom after we place our orders. When she’s gone, I reach over and take Alex’s hand in mine. “Can I cook dinner for you tomorrow night?”
“Sure. Walker will be at the wedding for most of the evening so, yeah, that would be really nice,” she says as she gently caresses my hand.
“Great!” I say just as Walker returns to the table. I instinctively pull my hand away from Alex’s.
“Don’t worry, Mattie, Alex already told me that she’s crazy about you,” Walker says with a laugh as she sits back down at the table.
Alex gives me a sheepish look that causes butterflies to dance in my stomach. I can’t believe this amazing woman wants to be with me, I think to myself.
Over the course of dinner, I learn some more about the Holland family. It sounds like all four of the Holland sisters played every sport under the sun and they were fiercely competitive with one another. Alex and her two middle sisters were all in high school at the same time and played on the school soccer team together.
“The coach would say, ‘Holland, get in the game!’ and we would look at him and ask, ‘Which one?’” Alex says with a laugh. “I honestly don’t think he knew the answer. He would just point to whomever was closest.”
“Skiing was the sport the family loved best though,” Walker explains. “It was the one thing we could all do together. In the winter, we skied almost every weekend when we were little.”
“I remember those ski weekends fondly,” Alex says. “Except we always seemed to get our boots and skies mixed, and I remember sometimes wearing boots that were way too small for me,” she says with a laugh.
Listening to Alex and Walker makes me a little wistful. It makes me wish my parents were still around or that at least I was on speaking terms with my sister.
By the end of the evening, Walker has convinced Alex and me to come out to Colorado the following winter to try backcountry skiing with her and her boyfriend, Zach. “Zach is director of the avalanche center, so he really knows his stuff and he doesn’t mess around,” she assures us as we join the throngs of people on the street. I hug them both good-bye before heading back to my apartment.
* * *
I wake up Saturday morning and immediately start to pore over a few cooking websites to figure out what to make Alex for dinner that evening. Since she was a little adventurous last time she made dinner for me, I want to try to do the same for her. Eventually, I pick a recipe for grilled Portobello mushrooms with goat cheese and saffron fettuccine with a bunch of different kinds of tomatoes.
I make a list of what I need and then, in an effort to beat the Saturday crowds, walk over to the “Social Safeway” right after I finish breakfast. When I’m done there, I stop in a little neighborhood wine shop on my way home, and the salesman helps me select a nice bottle of wine to go with what I am cooking.
; I get home, unpack the groceries and spend a good portion of the afternoon cooking. Before I know it, it is almost six o’clock and I barely have time to tidy up my apartment and take a quick shower before Alex is due to arrive at seven.
She arrives right on time, and I buzz her up to my place. Alex steps into my apartment and gives me a quick kiss hello. “Smells great, Mattie,” she says as I take her coat.
I pour us each a glass of wine, and Alex sits at my kitchen island while I finish making dinner. The only problem is that my attempt at adventurous cooking doesn’t go quite as well as I’d hoped. The fettuccine comes out okay, but I totally overcook the Portobello mushrooms and they disintegrate when I try to top them with the goat cheese. It’s nearly nine o’clock before we sit down to eat. Alex is gracious when she tries her first bite of the mushrooms. “This is good, Mattie.”
I dig in and try a bite. “I’d call it edible, but calling it good might be a serious stretch!” I say with a laugh.
We both manage to clear most of our plates, and Alex mentions that she’s supposed to dog sit for her friend Allison in Annapolis the following weekend. “I’d love it if you come and spend the weekend with me in Annapolis. Allison has this really cute house right on the water, and her dog is a big old sweetie.”
“Wow, yeah, that sounds fantastic. I’d love to come. Believe it or not, I’ve never been to Annapolis, plus it would be really nice to spend the weekend with you.” I give her a wink.
“Okay, then it’s a plan. Why don’t we try and leave for Annapolis right after work next Friday?”
“Works for me!” I say as I get up and start to clear the dishes.
Alex gets up to help me clean up the kitchen, but I hold up my hand to stop her. Not only was my meal barely edible, it also required the use of nearly every dish in the apartment and my kitchen is a total disaster. “I’ll deal with the dishes later.”
Alex tries to protest, but I won’t let her into the kitchen. Instead I pour the last of the wine into our glasses and lead her over to the couch in my small living room. Tony Bennett is singing in the background, and before we have a chance to sit down, Alex takes the wineglass out of my hand and sets both of our glasses down on the coffee table.
The Schuyler House Page 14