“As long as you try, that is all I ask of you. I think he may surprise you. I’ve seen the way he looks at you. I really think he is in love with you and I think you need to let him in. Let yourself be open to him. He seems like a good guy from what you have told me. The way he has taken care of you. The way he respects you enough to know you aren’t ready for a kiss but has to touch you anyway and kisses your forehead. Kat, the guy is crazy in love with you.”
“I will try. That is all I can give you right now. But now I have to try and find a job where someone will hire an eighteen-year-old pregnant girl.”
“You will find something. Even if I have to make my dad hire you,” she says with a laugh.
I grab the laptop up again and start hunting for a job. This isn’t going to be easy. I have never worked before, and I have no experience doing anything. I come across this ad for a store in the Old Port—it is an art gallery type store that also sells handmade jewelry. I write the information down and decide I want to apply in person. So, for the rest of the night, I have Bren help me prepare an outfit for tomorrow and figure out how to make myself look less like a zombie. Once we have taken care of that, we order in some Chinese food and lounge on the couch for the rest of the night. I have a feeling that tomorrow is going to be a good day and the start of my life.
Bren and I arrive ten minutes early for the apartment appointment but so does the landlord. He lets us into the building and we walk up to the third floor. Not far from the stairwell, he stops at a door and opens it.
“Come on in,” he says.
We walk past him, and I get excited. It is a cute little place that has a raised section on one side big enough for a bed and then a little kitchenette on the other with space in the middle. There is a door near the kitchenette that I assume is the bathroom. Opening the door, I find that I was right and there is a really nice bathroom with a walk-in closet off to one side. Bren follows me, and the look on her face I think is about as surprised as mine. The space is a lot nicer than I expected for the price.
“What do you think?” we hear from behind us.
Bren replies, “Well, it is nice and all, but I have a question. Do you have maybe another apartment with a bedroom? I think that I want to move with you, Kat. This place is nice, and if there is another one like it available with maybe a bedroom attached or two that would be even better.”
“Well, we have a one-bedroom loft available. Same side of the building; just down this hall, actually.”
“Can we take a look? How much for that one?”
“It is $750 a month. “
I pull Bren to the side and ask her what she is doing. Her parents will never let her move out of her house to live with me.
“Let’s look at this place, and then I will call my mom. I am sure she will be okay with it.”
“Okay. I guess we can look. It would be great to be with you, but if they say no, I will take the other place.”
“Fine. Let’s go.”
We follow the landlord down the hall to the next apartment and it is just as nice as the first place but with a room added. It still has the raised area for a bed. We could put a curtain up to block it off from the rest of the apartment. This could work, it could really work, and I wouldn’t be alone.
“If you would excuse me for a few minutes, I need to make a call,” Bren says as she walks out the door to the hall.
I overhear her calling her mom and asking about the apartment. She seems to be okay with it. Bren enters back into the apartment a few minutes later with a smile on her face.
“Let’s do this, Kat.” She jumps up and down as she walks in to the apartment.
“Your mom said yes?”
“Well, sort of. She wants to see the place before we sign anything.” Directing her words to the landlord, she says, “Can my mom see the place before we sign? She can be here in thirty minutes.”
“That will work for me, I can go to the office and get the leasing paperwork and meet you ladies back here in thirty,” he says
“Okay, that sounds good to me,” I reply
We walk out of the apartment and out the front door to the building. This is the moment I realize just how close it is to James and his shop. We will be four doors down and the alley I was caught in by Trent is one building over. Once we hit the street, Bren turns and looks at me. “Coffee?”
I knew it was coming, but I didn’t think it would come this soon.
“I suppose now is as good as any other time”
She links her arm with mine, and we walk down the street to the coffee shop and in through the door. I luck out, I think, when I see Jayce behind the counter and no James in sight.
“Hey, ladies, your usual?” he asks with a smile on his face.
“Sounds good,” I answer.
“Perfect,” replies Bren
“What are you ladies up to today?”
“Looking at an apartment. Four doors up the street. Kat and I are getting a place since I will be staying local for college, and Kat is staying around here too.”
“That sounds great, are you going to take it?”
“Just waiting for my mother’s approval, and then we will sign the lease. Hey, is James around? I have something I need to ask him,” my sly friend asks
“He is actually out of town for at least a week. He left me in charge until he gets back.”
“Really? Where did he go off to?” I ask.
“I really don’t know he just said he had some things to deal with and that he would be back.”
My heart sinks. As much as I feared talking to him, I miss him just as much. Bren looks over at me with a sad look and then her phone dings with a text message. Over her shoulder, I watch the conversation play out on the screen.
Mom: be there in 10
Bren: okay we are at The Java
Mom: See you there
“Let’s go grab a seat and wait,” Bren suggests.
We head over to the window and grab a seat and wait. She looks at me again with a sad look.
“I’m sorry he isn’t here. You can talk to him when he gets back.”
“I know, I just realized that I actually miss him as much as I am scared to talk to him. I just don’t know, Bren. What do I do? Who wants to be with a girl like me? Knocked up at eighteen and a stalker to boot.”
“We will get everything figured out. Let’s get this place, move in, and start a new life together. We will have fun, we will stop the party-going and drinking and everything and just be us. I’ll go to class, you go to work and bake that baby, and we will be awesome together.”
“Do you know how much I love you? I couldn’t do any of this without you.” I wrap my arms around her in a tight hug then let go when I see her mom coming in the door. We both stand up to greet her.
“Hey, ladies, let’s go look at this place you found. Oh, and Bren, thanks for saving Dad and me a few bucks by not living in the dorms. Your rent is nothing compared to room and board each semester.” She winks at Bren.
We walk out the door and up the street and find Gary, the landlord, waiting for us at the entrance.
“Hi. You must be Mom. The place is on the third floor, but we have to walk up.”
He opens the door and lets us go in front of him. Bren leads the way, and I hang in the back taking my time. I have become a bit tired with all the running around we have done and I still have to go to the gallery after this. Sandy walks into the apartment and smiles. She seems to like the place. Then she asks the question I knew was coming.
“Where are you going to set the baby up?”
Bren replies, “I figured I would let Kat have the bedroom and then this elevated spot here I can put my bed and hang a curtain for privacy. If need be, we can share the closet or figure something out. This way, Kat has room for her and the baby in the bedroom.”
This girl has thought of everything; she truly is my best friend. Her mom continues to take a look around the apartment and turns back around with a smile on her face
.
“I like it. It is in a safe area, not to mention I know a certain guy down the street will be looking after you.” She looks right at me.
“I don’t know about that, but it would be nice. He is away for about a week.”
“Kat, darling, everything will work out. I just know it. You ladies seem to have everything worked out. Now, Bren, you said rent was going to be $750 a month with all utilities included. Your room and board was going to be $900 a month, so why don’t we just put the lease in our names and then Dad and I will pay rent each month?”
“Wait, what? It was my idea to get an apartment by myself and work for the rent. I can’t live here and pay nothing. I need to pay for something.”
Sandy looks at me like I am crazy but concedes to letting me pay for cable and internet. She would rather I save my money when they were going to pay for Bren to live on campus anyway. She insists I need to save my money for the baby, especially since we don’t know what will happen with my mom. Sandy has taken me under her wing like I was her own daughter. Now I am certain I am starting to feel loved and wanted.
Gary gets the paperwork together and lays it on the counter for Sandy to sign. I feel weird letting them do this, but apparently, I have no choice in the matter at this point. Bren’s mom writes a check and gives it to Gary and he hands the keys to her.
“Welcome home, ladies!” she says as she jumps up and down with her daughter. I now know where Bren gets it from.
We walk out and lock up the door and make our way to the street. We part ways with plans to meet up at the house later and decide what Bren needs to take with her to the apartment. Tomorrow, we will start to move in.
Bren walks me down to the gallery checking to make sure I still look good and sends me in the door. This place is beautiful. The artwork on the walls is so full of color and the jewelry in the cases is amazing. I go to the counter and find a very slim looking lady with bright-green eyes and blonde hair. When I approach the counter, she greets me.
“Hello there, can I help you with anything?”
“Hi, yes, my name is Katarina. I saw that you had an ad for an assistant here in the gallery with no experience. I wanted to come in personally rather than apply online.”
She takes my hand and shakes it. “Ah, yes, my name is Gloria. Tell me about yourself.”
What do I say? How much do I tell her? I’ll never get this job.
“I just graduated from high school, and I am about to move into an apartment a few doors down. I have decided to take some time to myself and not go to college in the fall. So I am looking for a job where I can learn and experience something I haven’t had the chance to before. These pieces on the walls are amazing, by the way.”
“Why, thank you. I like to look for new artists who need a chance to be seen. These are actually done by students from the college here in Portland. So, Katarina, you seem excited and full of energy. I like that. How about we try you out for a week? See if this is something that you want to do. Then we can talk about a more permanent position for you then.”
“That would be amazing, Gloria. When do you want me to start?”
“Let’s have you come in on Monday. You said you were moving, so get yourself settled this weekend, and I will see you Monday morning at nine.”
“Thank you so much.” I shake her hand again and head toward the door. I turn and wave bye to her and say, “See you on Monday.”
I get to where Bren is standing waiting for me and jump up and down when I get closer to her. She is starting to rub off on me. “I start Monday! But it is a trial. She said we will talk more the next Monday to see if we are a good fit together.”
“Yay, I am so excited for you. See, I told you this was going to be a good day for you. Now it is a good day for the both of us. Let’s head back to my house and start packing.”
We walk toward her car and head to her house. This has been a great day, but I still miss James. I sit in the passenger seat and wonder where he ran off to without even a text to me.
James
I land in New York, and as I get to baggage claim to grab my bag, I get a call. Looking at the caller ID, I see that it is my PI.
“Hey, what’s going on?
“I just got some intel about his location. He appears to be having dinner at the Rocking Horse Bistro tonight at seven PM. I’m about to text you a picture of him so you know who to look for. It is hard to get into the restaurant, but there is a bar area so you can go and grab a drink while you look for him.”
“Thanks, man, I just landed in New York. Stay in touch.”
I grab my bag and head out the door and hail a cab. I have a room reserved at the Riverside Hotel and head that way. While I am in the cab, I look up the Rocking Horse Bistro to see where it is located. Lucky me, it is only two blocks away from the hotel. Once I am checked in, it is getting close to the time I need to leave. I take a quick shower and dress in my best suit and walk out the door. I don’t bother to hail a cab since it’s so close. When I get to the Rocking Horse Bistro, I go straight to the bar. I didn’t even bother to try and make a reservation. Once I get a seat at the bar, I take another look at the picture that my PI sent me. When I look up, I see him walking in the door. He looks too much like me, and I don’t like that one bit. I sit and watch him from my seat at the bar as I drink my scotch. He is sitting with a beautiful woman I don’t recognize. It looks like they are on a date.
I wait until she gets up to use the restroom and approach him.
I don’t say a word as I take the seat that was just vacated and he looks at me like he has seen a ghost. Yeah, I was right, we do look like we could be twins now that I see him up close.
“Who are you?”
“Apparently, I am your brother. We share the same asshole father.”
“What do you want? I know who my father is, and I want nothing to do with him.”
"You may want to get on his good graces if you want what I don’t want. Meet me tomorrow at the Riverside Hotel at eleven, and I will explain everything to you. I know you want me gone before she comes back, so just meet me, okay?”
“I have to admit, I’m curious so I’ll meet you. I will see you tomorrow at eleven. We can grab some brunch in the restaurant.”
“See you then.” I disappear as his date starts toward the table. I head back to the hotel and up to my room where I order room service, change my clothes, and relax for the night. I made contact, now I just need to convince him he needs to take over The Family instead of me.
I wake up the next morning, shower, and order room service for some coffee and a muffin and then make some calls.
“Hey, Jayce, how did it go this morning?”
“Everything went well, boss, we are open and running smoothly. I did what you said and left two hundred in the drawer and put the rest in the safe.”
“Thanks, Jayce, you are doing great. I will call you tonight and see how the day went.”
“Sounds good to me, talk to you later.”
Once I am done checking in with Jayce, I call my PI.
“Hey, it’s me. I made contact. The guy looked like he saw a ghost when he saw me. I guess no one told him I exist. We are meeting at eleven.”
“Good to hear, let me know if you need anything else.”
“I will. Thanks again for all the help.”
My calls are made, my coffee has been drunk, and now I have some time to myself. I don’t want to go into my head, but I do. Kat is sitting in the front of my mind all the time. If only she would text me, call me, something to let me know she is all right. With my phone in my hand I open my messages and debate texting her but decide I need to keep my space for the moment and get this situation taken care of. I need to keep her safe, so I close my messages and lock my phone. The time is getting close to my meeting so I decide to go downstairs a little early and try and get a table in the corner away from everyone else in the restaurant. Before I know it, it’s eleven and he is walking toward me.
He sits
down, and the first words out of his mouth are, “Talk, I don’t have a lot of time on my hands.”
“This won’t take long, I hope. Question, do you know who our dad is?”
“I thought I knew who my dad was, but now I’m not so sure. My father was a business man and my mom worked as a waitress up until she became pregnant with me. His name was Joe.”
“That is where you are wrong. Our dad is Al Milano, the leader of The Family in Boston. He is dying and wants me to take over. He said that there was no one else to do it. I didn’t believe him so I went looking. I found you. “
“You have got to be kidding me. Al Milano is our father? How do you know this?”
“You know that place your mom waitressed at, the strip club in Boston? Well, so did my mom and the owners of the club are The Milano family. Apparently, good ol’ dad wanted our mothers and he got them, but I am not sure if he knows about you. From what I found out, you are three years older than me. I don’t want this. I have a good clean life in Portland. I was wondering if leading The Family would be of interest to you. Bring your uncle Jacob with you. Did you know he is married to Al’s sister?”
“Are you serious? You want me to stroll into the office of Al Milano, introduce myself as his son, and take over when he dies in a few weeks?”
“That is exactly what I want you to do. I want nothing to do with this. Hell, I don’t even care if we ever talk again. I just want my life to go back the way it was before he found me.”
“I am going to have to talk to my uncle about all this. To be the lead and not a lackey would be a step up in life. I would have to get away from The Family here. From my understanding, there is no current bad blood between us. How long are you staying?”
“As long as it takes. I need you to go to Boston with me.”
This is actually going better than I had planned, but when you have a twenty-five-year-old lackey who is already involved with The Family atmosphere, I didn’t expect it to be a hard sell. This is a step up in the game of life.
We eat our food we ordered and make small talk getting a few minor details about each other then we go our separate ways with the last words from my brother being, “I’ll be in touch.”
The Night He Saved Me Page 10