Breaking the Rules

by Cat Lavoie

Izzie pours herself a glass of water and sits down in front of me. The look on her face means business. My little sister’s business, probably.

  “I tracked down Julia.” Izzie smiles and leans back in her chair. “Julia, Steffi’s friend from San Francisco,” she adds after a few seconds.

  “I know who she is,” I say.

  Julia is our only link to what happened before Steffi came to New York. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t a little bit curious, but I don’t want to give Izzie the satisfaction of knowing that. “And, what did she tell you?” I ask, trying to sound casual.

  Izzie can barely hide her excitement. She inches her chair closer to the table and clears her throat. “So I called Julia, and it turns out that Steffi had been dating this guy called Matt Davidson. Madly in love with him. Julia said he was perfect for Steffi. But she broke it off with him a little after New Year’s saying he was too good for her. A few weeks later she discovered she was pregnant.”

  “Did she tell Matt?” I ask, engrossed in the story. My sister’s life is like a soap opera. She didn’t just hook up with some random guy. He has a name. And she loved him. Maybe she still loves him now.

  “Not from what Julia tells me,” Izzie says. She takes a long sip of water and drags it out, knowing that I’m hanging on to her every word. “She just took off and left when she was six months pregnant. Julia figured she’d changed her mind about Matt and went to find him. But then she stopped answering her cell phone. Guess what else Julia told me?”

  I roll my eyes. “I don’t know, Izz. Stop stalling and just get on with it.”

  “Okay,” she says, annoyed. “She told me that Matt was so heartbroken after Steffi dumped him that he moved back in with his parents. And get this.” She leans in closer and almost knocks over her glass. “His parents live in New York. He took a job as an IT tech and he works a few blocks away from your office. Don’t you get it? It all makes sense now. She came back here for him.”

  I try to take it all in but my head is spinning. “Then why hasn’t she reached out to him yet? Why is she still acting as though it’s a big secret?”

  Izzie shakes her head. “I’m guessing she’s scared.” She starts fiddling with a button on her blouse. “If only there was something we could do...” Izzie’s voice trails off but I know she already has everything planned out.

  “What?” I ask.

  Izzie’s eyes perk up. “We need to bring him in.”

  I sigh. “He’s not a star witness for the prosecution, Izzie. We can’t just go barging into his life.”

  Izzie’s eyes are pleading. “Please. We’ll go see him at his office tomorrow at lunch. It’s a ten-minute walk. You’ll be back at work in time to put Greta down for her nap.” She pauses and looks at her hands. “There’s something else too.”

  “What is it?” I ask, afraid of the answer.

  “Julia says that the last few weeks before Steffi left San Francisco, she became very distant and wouldn’t talk to anybody. She hasn’t contacted any of her old friends and hasn’t returned any of their calls or emails. They’re all worried about her. This is our chance to help our sister.”

  I feel a pang of sadness. My sister had a life in California. A life filled with friends who cared about her. Why did she run away from all that?

  “Fine,” I say. “I’ll do it. For Steffi.”

  I don’t know what good can come of ambushing my sister’s ex-boyfriend, but Izzie seems to think that it’s the solution to all of Steffi’s problems. And what kind of sister would I be if I didn’t do whatever it takes to make her happy?

  “I have to go,” I tell Greta, grabbing my purse. I’m already late for my meeting with Izzie and I’m trying to get out the door.

  Greta drops some files on my desk. “This is the Thomas account. It needs to be done now. You can go to lunch later or eat at your desk. Please tell me what could be more important than our clients?”

  I highly doubt that the twists and turns of my sister’s love life would be of any interest to Greta. “Family emergency,” I say, shrugging my shoulders and sliding past her. “I’ll be back in half an hour. Promise.”

  “Get back here ASAP!” I hear Greta shout after me as I step inside the elevator. Family emergencies don’t mean much to Greta. She hasn’t spoken to her mother in over ten years and refuses to take calls from her brother. This company is her family and right now I’m the wayward child.

  Izzie is waiting for me in front of the building. She gives her watch a quick glance and I know she’s probably been looking at it for the last ten minutes. “We have to make this quick,” I tell her.

  “Let’s do it,” she says, and starts walking with a determined step. It doesn’t take long for me to become winded as I try to keep up with her.

  “What are we going to do once we get there?” I ask, out of breath.

  “We’ll ask for him.”

  So simple. “But what if it doesn’t work? What if they ask what our business with him is? Do we tell them he knocked up our little sister?”

  Izzie runs through the intersection before the yellow light changes to red. When she turns around and sees that I’m still on the other side of the sidewalk, she gives me an annoyed look. I shrug my shoulders and wait until the green light appears and jog to her.

  “Trust me,” she says. “If he’s there, we’ll get to talk to him.”

  It never occurred to me that he might not even be in the building. Maybe he moved back to San Francisco and we don’t even know. Maybe he has a new girlfriend and just doesn’t care. Maybe he’s a complete loser and Steffi just doesn’t want him involved in the baby’s life. I feel a knot forming in the pit of my stomach and I stop walking.

  “Izz, I don’t know about this.”

  “We’re here,” she says, pushing her way through the revolving doors.

  I follow her and we end up in the middle of a lobby that could be the lobby of the Kilborn building. Lots of mirrors. Lots of people walking around in business suits and carrying briefcases, looking important. I shove my hands in my pocket and follow Izzie as she heads toward the reception desk.

  “Can I help you?” the receptionist asks, looking at Izzie and giving me a quick glance.

  Izzie clears her throat and thrusts her chin forward and I begin to understand her strategy. She’s going to play the lawyer card. “Yes, thank you. I am Isadora Rule from the firm of Davis, Freeman and Crook. I am here to see one Matthew F. Davidson. I believe he is employed as an Information Technology specialist for one of the companies in this building. I’d like to give you more information as to the nature of my business with him, but I’ve already divulged too much as this is a very sensitive matter. Would it please be possible to call him to the lobby so I can speak with him?”

  The receptionist’s eyes are wide with panic and confusion as she reaches for the telephone. “I’ll see what I can do.”

  Izzie nods and smiles. “Thank you very much. We will be sitting right there.” Izzie points to the waiting area and heads off in that direction. I follow after her, almost tripping over my own feet.

  “That should do it,” Izzie says, taking a newspaper and laying it on her lap.

  “How did you know that Matt Davidson’s middle initial is F?” I ask.

  “I didn’t. I made it up.”

  I grab a magazine and flip through it pretending to read but, really, I’m waiting for the security guards to come get us.

  “Relax,” Izzie says and I realize that I’ve been tapping the floor with my foot. “It’s going to be fine.”

  I sneak glances at the receptionist’s desk. She’s still talking on the phone and looking at us now and again. I can only imagine what she’s telling the people on the other end of the line.

  After a few minutes, I look up and see the receptionist point in our general direction. She’s talking to a tall, lanky man with glasses.

  I hit Izzie on the shoulder. “Is that him?” I hiss.

  “Nah, can’t be,” she says, just as the
mystery man starts walking towards us.

  “Matthew Davidson,” he says, extending his hand at Izzie. “I hear you’ve been looking for me.”

  I try to take him all in. He does not look like the kind of guy Steffi would be madly in love with. I highly doubt he’s ever had a tan in his whole life and I’m sure that if I rolled up the sleeves of his black shirt, I would not find any tattoos. I bet he doesn’t even own a surfboard. No, he looks more like a friendly nerd who’ll fix your computer than someone Steffi would have a passionate affair with. I’m thinking we might have the wrong guy.

  “I’m Roxy,” I say before Izzie can start her interrogation. “And this is my sister Izzie.”

  His face clouds over and it’s obvious he’s heard our names before. He rubs his forehead and takes a step back.

  “We’re here about Steffi,” Izzie says, and it’s clear from the look on Matt’s face that he would have rather met the pushy lawyer.

  He shakes his head. “I don’t understand.”

  “She’s here in New York and she needs you.” Izzie’s voice is soft and unrecognizable.

  Matt shakes his head even harder. “Steffi made it very clear that she never wanted to see me again.”

  “Things can change.” Izzie hands him a piece of paper. “This is where she’s staying. Please say that you’ll come over tonight. I think you guys might have some unfinished business.”

  I look at the floor and we wait in silence.

  “Okay,” Matt says after a while. “Okay, I’ll be there at seven.” He gives us a tight smile and walks away, stuffing the paper with my address into his pocket.

  “Why didn’t you tell him she’s pregnant?” I ask.

  “Because he shouldn’t find out that he’s going to be a father from a stranger,” Izzie says, heading for the door. “It should be special.”

  Izzie is already outside before I can ask her to repeat what she just said. Moments like these are rare. Izzie has a heart.

  I can’t believe what we just did. I give a small wave to the receptionist before leaving the building. It’s the least I can do after my sister nearly gave her a heart attack.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Melody is waiting for me when I get back to the office.

  “Where have you been?” she asks, her hands resting on her hips. She could be Greta’s clone. “I’ve left you of a pile of documents that I need to you to photocopy and alphabetize,” she says, giving me a dirty look and walking away in a huff. I was wrong before. My job is nothing if not glamorous and exciting.

  I try to ignore the feeling of dread firmly nestled in the pit of my stomach as the hours pass. For the first time since I’ve started working for Greta, I’m not looking forward to going home at the end of the day.

  Izzie calls me at five o’clock to make sure I don’t have to work late. Truth is, I’d love nothing more than to be stuck at the office with paperwork or have to run across town for one of Greta’s emergency errands but, just my luck, neither Greta nor Melody give me a reason to stay.

  My phone rings as I’m strolling towards the subway, strangers whizzing past me in a rush to get home. My heart races a bit when I see it’s Steffi. Maybe Matt arrived early and she’s calling to scream at me for not stopping Izzie. Because I had the chance. I could have stopped it but I didn’t.

  I get out of the way of the homebound pedestrians and answer. “Hello?” I hold my breath.

  “Hey, Rox! How’s my favorite sister? Don’t worry, Izzie’s in the other room.” She laughs and I can’t help but smile.

  “I’m okay. On my way home. How are you?”

  “I’m starving,” Steffi says. “I was hoping you could pick me up a few raspberry tarts if you’re still close to the office. And a chocolate croissant. Maybe some baguette bread too, if you don’t mind.”

  “No problem,” I say, walking towards the bakery. “I just stepped out of the office. I’ll be home soon.” I feel like giving her some kind of advance warning about what’s going to happen tonight. Something like: I’m going to make spaghetti and meatballs for dinner and we’re going to have French bread and tarts and then we’re going to reenact some classic moments from daytime TV and bring out the father of your unborn child as a surprise guest.

  But, once again, I let the moment pass and don’t say anything.

  Steffi waddles up to me when I get home. She grabs the Pocheville Bakery bag and heads for the kitchen, ripping a piece of baguette and popping it into her mouth. I look around and notice something wrong with my apartment: it’s spotless. The blankets and pillows that were piled on the couch have been neatly folded and stacked and every surface looks like it’s been dusted. Izzie walks into the living room holding a scented candle and places it on the coffee table next to a few coasters.

  “I thought I’d clean up a little,” she whispers. “You know, for tonight.”

  As if I could forget. “Izz, this is starting to feel like an intervention,” I hiss back. “I don’t think it’s safe to surprise a pregnant woman. Shouldn’t we just tell her he’s coming over? What if her water breaks?”

  Izzie glances towards the kitchen door. “Don’t be ridiculous. We can’t tell her. What if she runs?”

  I roll my eyes at the thought of Steffi waddling out of the apartment. Even if we gave her a twenty-minute head start, she’d barely make it out of the building. “What if this guy is a dangerous criminal or something? We don’t know him.”

  “Please, Roxy. He fixes computers and wears a pocket protector. I’m sure he only kills people when he’s playing online video games in the basement of his mom’s house.”

  She has a point. Matt Davidson does not seem like the kind of guy who lives a double-life of murder and crime. But still. Bringing a complete stranger into my home and giving him life-changing news makes me a little queasy.

  Maybe he won’t even show up. That thought keeps me going as I prepare dinner. Steffi hovers over me, trying to steal bits of food from the counter. Her giant belly gets in the way as she tries to reach for a piece of bread. It makes me happy to see her laughing and smiling even though she has trouble getting around and the dark circles under her eyes have gotten even darker. I keep glancing over at Izzie and silently pleading with her to reconsider our little blind date. But Izzie just smiles and gives me a thumbs up when Steffi has her back to us. We sit down to dinner and Steffi doesn’t suspect a thing even though Izzie is being way too nice, offering to clean up the dishes while Steffi rests on the couch.

  At seven o’clock sharp, as Steffi is watching TV and I’m reading an email from Greta, the buzzer rings and it seems to echo throughout the entire apartment. Izzie stops pacing around the living room, doing a bad job of looking like she has nothing to hide, and stares at me. It’s only when the buzzer rings a second time that Steffi looks up. “Is anybody going to get that?”

  Izzie casually strolls to the door and presses the button.

  “Why didn’t you ask who it was?” Steffi asks, fumbling with the remote. “Are you expecting anyone?”

  I don’t move a muscle and try to think of something. Izzie and I just stare at each other again.

  ‘What’s going on, guys?” Steffi asks, smiling at us. “Please don’t tell me you’re throwing me a surprise baby shower cause that would really suck. Look at me. I haven’t even showered today and my hair is gross.”

  “No,” I say, looking at my hands.

  Izzie paces in front of the door. “Just remember we’re doing this for your own good.”

  “Roxy, what is she talking about?” Steffi tries to pull herself up from the couch and, after struggling for a moment, she’s on her feet.

  But before I can think of an answer, there’s a knock on the door and Izzie rushes to open it.

  Matt Davidson looks younger and even more confused than he did this afternoon. He doesn’t say a word and just stands in the doorway, his hands firmly stuffed inside his pockets.

  “Welcome,” Izzie says, getting out of the way to let him in.


  Matt only needs to take two steps inside the apartment before Steffi sees him.

  “Mattie?” she says. I try to read the expression on her face. I don’t know what it is exactly. Maybe sadness and surprise? It definitely isn’t joy.

  “Jesus, Steff. Why didn’t you tell me?” Matt says, moving closer to her.

  “If you two need some time to talk, Roxy and I can leave,” Izzie says.

  “I need to sit down,” Steffi says, making her way to the couch.

  “Are you okay?” I ask, hovering over her. “You look a little flushed. Do you want some water?”

  Steffi shakes her head and looks over my shoulder at Matt. “I’m so sorry you got dragged into this by my evil sisters, Mattie.” She stares at Izzie. “I’m thinking this was your brilliant idea?” Before Izzie can say anything, she turns her stare to me. “And I’m thinking you went along with it because that’s what you’re good at. Being a follower.”

  I knew it. I knew this was going to be a disaster. Can I really blame her for being mad at us?

  Matt sits down next to Steffi and takes her hand. “Steff, what’s going on?”

  I watch as my sister starts to cry, unable to do anything else for her except hold her other hand and brush the hair out of her face. She looks at Matt. “I couldn’t stand telling you about what I’d done... so that’s why I broke up with you. And then this happened.” She looks down at her belly. “And I really love you, Mattie. I love you so much. But you should stay away from me. I’m bad news. I’m like the worse possible news ever.” She grabs a cushion and sobs into it.

  “What are you talking about?” Matt says, pulling the cushion away from Steffi’s face and grabbing her hand again. “Yeah, it’s unexpected. Very unexpected. And I really wish you’d told me sooner so I could have been there for you. But Steffi, I love you too. I never stopped loving you.” He touches her belly with hesitant fingers and looks up at her. “We’re going to have a baby.”

  I feel like I’m about to start crying at any minute. I look up at Izzie and can see that she’s proud of herself. I’m kind of proud of her too. Sure, she meddled where she wasn’t supposed to but, in the end, it brought two people back together again.