by Audrey Storm
He nodded.
“Then why did you make me explain it?” she asked.
“Because I like the sound of your voice,” he said. “And you have a small dimple on your left cheek that shows when you smile.”
Kylie rubbed the back of her neck as the waitress came back.
“Oh…I didn’t…” she started before she sighed. “I’ll just have a breakfast burrito and a coffee.”
“Which coffee?” the waitress asked and she looked up at him.
“What?” she asked.
“We are at Café Mundial, coffee from around the world. They have it all…Columbian, Ethiopian, Mexican...you name it,” Sean said.
“I guess I’ll try Columbian, then,” Kylie said.
“And I’ll have scrambled eggs, spicy. Blueberry scone and a cup of Ethiopian,” he said before the waitress took the menus from them.
“Ethiopian? Adventurous much?” Kylie asked smiling.
“I like it. It’s the equivalent of having a double espresso,” Sean said. “Just what I need to kick start the day.”
“So, Kylie Moran,” he started. “Apart from what is on your medical file, what else do I need to know about you?”
She shrugged and exhaled deeply.
“There isn’t much to tell, really,” she started as she looked at him. “I used to be the junior vice president for a finance company and then shit happened so I moved on to public relations. Turns out that was the only community that could give me a fresh start without raising too many eyebrows.”
“Curiosity is begging me to ask what went wrong there but I really want to save up some stories for next time,” he said and Kylie smiled.
“Next time?”
He nodded.
“Yes, next time. Or are you having such a bad time right now while I get busy planning for the future?” she smiled and shook her head.
“Well I don’t want to jump the gun or anything. It’s still early,” she said. “I mean, your world class coffee isn’t even here yet.”
He smiled and then laughed.
“You are not one to mince your words, are you?” he asked and she shook her head.
“No, I like to say what I mean and mean what I say,” she said. “It has got me into a little trouble in the past but hey, that’s all life.”
“Yeah it is,” he said. “So, in my files I saw something that I thought was too cool to be a coincidence. There is Kylie Moran, that’s you obviously and then there is Kenzie Moran and Kristie Moran.”
She nodded.
“Is that all coincidence or do you know these women?” he asked and she shrugged.
“My sisters,” she said in a soft voice.
“Okay, I have to ask, are you related to Kris Jenner by any chance?” he asked and she frowned.
“Why?” she asked.
“Well, three sisters with names all starting with K?”
“I don’t know what my parents were thinking but according to my dad after Kenzie was born it was either that or Tabitha after his great grandmother and my mother was not having it. Apparently she and my dad’s side of the family had never really been on good terms.” She took a minute when the waitress came back with their order. “So, she went ahead and decided on Kenzie and then I came along and she had always wanted a ‘Kylie’ so it was settled.”
He took a bite of his eggs and smiled at her.
“What?” she asked as she raised the burrito to her mouth.
“You look beautiful…you are beautiful,” he said and she felt herself blush.
“I guess I am not the only one who doesn’t mince her words,” she said.
“Well, I also say what I mean and mean what I say.”
She took a bite of her burrito and then out it down.
“What about you?” she asked. “I have literally told you almost everything there is to know about me.”
“There isn’t really much to say about me,” he said. “I’m your good old Dr. Simms.” Kylie rolled her eyes.
“Come on, dish a little more than the obvious.”
Sean laughed and took another bite of his eggs.
“Okay, let’s see,” he started when he swallowed. “I became an OBGYN because it is obvious, I love women.”
“I’m not very sure you should have led with that but okay.”
“Like I said, say what I mean, mean what I say. Anyway, I worked in New York for seven years, did my residency there and everything but when it came time for my dad to retire, I moved to California to make sure his dream doesn’t just go down the drain.” He took another bite. “It’s a lot calmer than I was used to but hey, I get to have a social life again so, who’s complaining?”
She smiled and shrugged.
“What about your family? All I know about the Simms family is that there is a Sean Simms senior and Sean Simms the second.”
“Well, I am kind of an only child,” he said and she frowned.
“You cannot be kind of an only child. That’s like being kind of a virgin or kind of pregnant.” He laughed and took a sip of his coffee.
“Well, I used to have a sister but she died when I was thirteen,” he said.
“Oh shit,” she thought. “I am an idiot.”
“I’m so sorry…I shouldn’t have…” she started before he shook his head.
“No, don’t be. I am the one supposed to keep her memory alive,” he said. “Don’t be sorry.”
“So, in a desperate attempt to change the subject, how come your dad retired? I always thought he was in great shape,” she said and he shrugged.
“He just wanted to chill out and relax and it was about time anyway,” he said.
“And you were there to see it through,” she said and he nodded.
“I was.”
“So, I have to ask,” she started as she looked at him. “Why is a tall glass of perfection doing with me?”
He shook his head.
“I don’t understand,” he said.
“Well, how come you are not here with your girlfriend or fiancé or something like that?” she asked and he shook his head.
“Tried going down that road but it didn’t work out too well for me,” he said. “It’s a long story really. A long unpleasant one.”
She nodded.
“We’ve all been there,” she said.
“What about you? Family and everything?” he asked.
“Well, you know about my sisters, so there’s that. My parents live in Seattle and we are kind of weird,” she said.
“Wait, what?” he asked. “You just called your own family weird.”
“Well, yeah. We have family dinners every week,” she said.
“You do a four hour round trip to have dinner every week?” he asked and she laughed as she shook her head.
“Actually, we get together at one of our houses – Kristie, Kenzie and I – and we make dinner then we video call my parents.” She took a sip of her coffee. “Dinner usually takes longer than usual but it’s worth it.”
Sean smiled at her.
“Wow, you guys sound like some mob family or something. They are usually the ones who have weekly family dinners,” he said and she frowned at him jokingly.
“Should I be offended because I’m part Italian?” she asked and he shrugged.
“Think about it, all the people who have weekly family dinners even on TV….either Irish, Italian or…mostly mafia but I’m just saying,” he said and she laughed. She circled her finger around the rim of her cup.
“Yeah I guess,” she said. “What about you? Your family ever does anything like that?”
He nodded.
“Not weekly though,” he said in a soft voice. “We try to make it as frequent as possible but with the retirement touring around the world thing, we have the whole thing reduced to three or four times a year.”
“Whoa,” she said and he nodded.
“I know but my aunts, uncles and cousins make sure that when it happens it is usually a week long affair,” he added la
ughing and she smiled.
“See, everyone has their own definition of weird,” she said and he nodded again.
“Yeah, I guess.”
As she sat there, talking to Sean about his life, his family and career, she could not help but give herself a pat on the back. She was actually happy that she had come out. It was perfect.
They had been at the café for almost two hours before they finally decided to leave. When they walked out into the parking lot, Sean looked at her for a long time and sighed.
“I feel like I should ask you out again but I don’t want to jinx anything just yet,” he said as he walked her to her Prius.
“Yeah, maybe I should give you some time to miss you,” she said, smiling.
“Honestly, I already do,” he said.
She smiled and shrugged.
“Well, this is me,” she said when they got to her car.
Sean opened his mouth to answer but before he could, a dark haired girl walked over to where they were.
“Oh my word, Sean Simms, as I live and breathe,” she said making him turn around to look at her.
“Danielle?” he said and she nodded.
“You’re here!” she said as she threw herself into his arms.
Kylie could not help but feel a little jealous as she looked at her legs that seemed to go on forever; the short sun dress she had on was not really helping.
“Why are you here? I mean what are you doing in California?” she asked and he shrugged.
“I moved out here…I took over my dad’s practice,” he said.
“Wow, what a coincidence. I moved out here a few months ago.” She punched his arm a little playfully but in Kylie’s eyes it was a little more seductive than playful. “We should hook up one of these days. See if we can still relive our…”
“Danielle, this is my friend Kylie. We were actually having breakfast here,” he said before she could finish whatever she wanted to say.
Kylie forced a smile as she shook Danielle’s hand.
“Nice to meet you,” she said.
“Same here,” Danielle said before she turned her attention back to Sean.
“So, call me sometime, okay?” she said before she walked away leaving Kylie feeling awkward and for the slightest minute, she wanted to cry. It all felt like déjà vu. The stud takes an interest in her and the skinny girl…bitch…swoops right in and takes him from her.
“Sorry about that,” Sean said turning back to look at Kylie. “This is the last place I would have expected my past to catch up with me.”
“I’m sorry…did you just say your past?” she asked and he nodded.
“Danielle and I dated for a while when I was still in New York,” he said.
Chapter 5
“Wait, what?” Kristie sounded more surprised than Kylie had expected.
“My words exactly,” Kenzie said. “I could have sworn that you said that you had a date with our gynecologist.”
“It was not a date. We just had breakfast together,” Kylie pointed out. “That’s all.”
“Sweetie, when two girls have breakfast together it’s called catching up but when a guy calls a girl and suggest they have breakfast together, it’s a freaking date,” Kristie said and Kylie rolled her eyes.
“I think you are both jumping the gun,” she said.
She noticed Kristie and Kenzie exchanging a knowing look.
“Who are you trying to fool, Kylie?” Kenzie asked and Kylie shook her head.
“Guys I seriously don’t…” she started before Kenzie pressed her finger into her lips. “Did you just shush me?” she asked, her voice muffled and Kenzie nodded.
“Yeah, someone needs to shut you up,” Kristie said.
Kylie pulled her sister’s finger away from her lips and exhaled loudly.
“Guys I really don’t want to talk about this,” she said. “I don’t think you understand what is going on here,” she added as her phone buzzed on the counter. She picked it up and sighed before she typed something on the screen.
Kristie and Kenzie looked at each other and then at their sister.
“Okay, help me understand what’s going on here,” Kenzie said.
“Yeah, because if you want us to get another OBGYN, we will,” Kristie said and Kenzie shot her a dirty look.
“Whoa there, not so fast now,” she said. “I’m not about to go open myself up to some other stranger.”
“If it gets our sister laid, then you most definitely will,” Kristie said dismissively as Kylie’s phone vibrated against the counter again. She picked it up and again typed something before she set it back down. She looked up at her sisters and sighed.
“Guys, it was just breakfast and that was that.” She took a long deep breath. “There was nothing more, nothing less.”
“Why do I feel like there is more to this than meets the eye?” Kristie asked and Kylie sighed as she took a seat at her sister’s kitchen counter.
“Yeah,” Kenzie said as she rinsed her hands in the sink before she leaned on the other side of the counter looking right into Kylie’s brown eyes. “You are holding out on us, little sister.”
“I’m not!”
“Yes, you are!” This was Kristie’s all too bossy voice.
“Yeah, you are getting defensive. You always do that when you are lying,” Kenzie said and Kylie shrugged for the umpteenth time.
“Kenzie! Kristie! Please!” Kylie’s phone vibrated again and before she could take it Kenzie snatched it from under her hand.
“Who the hell keeps texting you?” she asked.
“I’m organizing…the company is in charge of Mila Villefort’s new line,” Kylie said.
“Wait….Mila Villefort….as in House of Villefort?” Kristie asked. “That Mila Villefort?”
Kylie nodded.
“Yes, Kris. That Mila Villefort.” She turned to Kenzie. “Now can I please have my phone back? I need to see how far the situation is with the branding, if you please. I only have three months for an international campaign,” she added, stressing the last part of her sentence.
“We are going to talk about why you didn’t mention this before a little later,” Kenzie said as she handed Kylie her phone back.
“Yeah, I’m on that band wagon. I mean have you seen her summer collection?” Kristie asked. “I would kill for that black and print sweetheart neckline combination dress. That bitch Angelina is getting married in a few weeks and seeing me in a Villefort couture will just make her die!”
Kylie frowned as she looked at her sister.
“A Villefort couture for Angelina’s wedding. Make it happen,” Kristie said.
“I just want the shoes from her new line,” Kenzie said smiling. “But that’s beside the point. Why are you trying to screw up this thing with the hot doctor?”
Kylie buried her face in her hands and sighed.
“Are you serious? We are back to this again?” she asked.
“Yes, we’re back to that again and we are going to hammer your head until you tell us what is going on with you,” Kristie said.
Kylie took another long deep breath. At this point she knew that it was either coming clean or just suffer under her sisters’ wrath. She looked up at them and sighed.
“Fine,” she said. “Breakfast was great…we talked about anything and everything and just when I thought everything was going on so well, his perfectly thin long legged ex-girlfriend shows up all flirty and throwing suggestive hints at him and…” she sighed. “This is just not going to happen.”
“Wait, you said ex-girlfriend, right?” Kenzie asked and Kylie nodded. “But it’s his freaking ex!”
“Yeah, why are you freaking out about this?” Kristie asked as she tucked a strand of her short hair behind her ear.
“I’m not freaking out…” Kylie started before Kristie forced out a laugh.
“Oh my God, color me green and call me the Hulk,” she said as she looked at Kylie.
“What? What am I missing?” Kenzie asked.
“Wait, this is about Frankie, isn’t it?” Kristie asked and Kylie rolled her eyes.
“That’s old news and you know it,” she said.
“No, this ex shows up and you feel like you are reliving history,” Kristie said.
Kylie exhaled loudly and she shrugged.
“Do you blame me?” she asked and Kenzie and Kristie exchanged a knowing look.
“Sean asked you out and I like to think I am an excellent judge of character so I have trust that Sean is a good man,” Kenzie said.
“Yeah, unlike that good for nothing Guido fuck!” Kristie pointed out.
“Hey! We’re Italian too,” Kenzie said and Kylie laughed.
“Why don’t you just go ahead and talk Sean?” Kristie asked. “Ask him to tell you what he has in mind as far as the both of you are concerned.”
“Guys, jumping the gun again,” Kylie said and Kenzie shrugged.
“Well, it’s a whole lot better than not knowing, right?”
Kylie sighed. She knew Kenzie was right. She had to know whatever this was between her and Sean. Maybe she was reading into something that was not even there. Her phone buzzed again and Kristie rolled her eyes as she got up from the counter.
“You better get me that couture dress,” she said and Kylie smiled.
*****
Kylie knew that if she had slept on the whole idea of going to talk to Sean, she would have probably not done it at all and if her boss knew where she was headed, he would most probably have lashed out at her for not having her priorities in order. But it didn’t really matter. Not for Kylie. Not at that time.
It was around two in the afternoon when she got to Sean’s office. She sat outside for a long time waiting for him to finish with his last patient before he walked out and saw her.
“Kylie…hi,” he said, looking and sounding confused.
“Hi,” she said in a soft voice as she stood up.
“Did we have an appointment that I forgot about or something of the sort?” he asked as he walked towards her and she shook her head.
“I just wanted to talk to you if that’s alright,” she said.
“Of course it’s alright,” he said. “And I don’t have any more patients anyway. Maybe we should go have a late lunch or something.” She shook her head.