by Ava May
“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 laughing 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.
“I’d love to but I just had lunch with my sisters and I have to go back to work…crazy project I am working on,” she said. “Is it okay if we just walk in your office?” she asked and he nodded.
“Sure.” He slipped an arm around her waist and led her into his office.
She was breathing hard and heavy as she walked into his office. He led her to a couch on one end of the office. She sat down and he sat down next to her looking at her inquisitively.
“I was actually going to call you tonight so this is kind of great that you showed up here,” he said and she forced out a smile. “Everything okay?” he asked and she shrugged.
“I’m not very sure,” she said as she looked into his eyes. “I just want to know what’s going on with us.”
“What do you mean?” he asked and she pulled her bag close and hugged it tight.
“I don’t want to sound like I am jumping the gun or anything but I have to ask, is there something between us? Or am I just reading into something that doesn’t even exist?” she asked and he smiled. “What?” she asked.
“You like me,” he said grinning widely.
“No…I never said that but…” she started and he laughed.
“Yes you do,” he said in a soft voice. “And that is okay because…” he held her face in his hands. “Because I like you too.”
“What?” she asked and he smiled.
“I like you,” he said. “That’s why I asked you out.”
She shook her head.
“Why?” she asked.
“Why what?” he asked and she shrugged.
“Why me?” she asked as she looked at him. “I just don’t get it.”
He pulled his hands away from her face and looked into her eyes.
“What exactly don’t you get, Kylie?” he asked and she waved a hand between them.
“This. Why a guy like you…a stud in every sense of the word would want me? The girl who never got picked at gym class? What bet did you lose? What are you trying to prove?” she shook her head and a single tear rolled down her cheek.
“Whoa, Kylie,” he started as he gently brushed the tear off with his thumb. “What is going on? You are worrying me.”
“I’m sorry…I’m so…I’m sorry,” she said in a soft voice as another tear rolled down her other cheek. “This is not the way I wanted to do this but there is no perfect way to do this really…and…” she shook her head and sighed. “This was a mistake. I shouldn’t have come here.”
She stood up and began walking towards the door and a confused Sean ran after and held her wrist just before she opened the door.
“No, no, no,” he said as he pulled her back to himself. She turned around and looked at him. “Tell me what is going on because I’m not very sure I understand anything right now.”
She had another tear rolling down her cheek.
“Please tell me what’s going on because it is too painful for me to see you like this and that’s saying a lot because when I was a teenager I got my ball sac caught in the zipper of my pants,” he said and she laughed. “There she is,” he said as he brushed off the tears from her cheeks.
“You’re an idiot,” she said and he frowned.
“I think that was something you should have said with your inside voice,” he said. “Or was it more of a thought.”
“I thought it was in my head,” she said and he gently caressed her cheek with the back of his hand.
“Talk to me, beautiful,” he said again.
Kylie took a long deep breath and sighed.
“Remember when I told you that I used to be the junior vice president for a finance company?” she asked and he nodded. “It was Lyon Fisk and Churchill.”
“Wait, you used to work in New York?” he asked, surprised. “W
hat are the odds?”
“Well, since you were in New York then you know about the hostile takeover that took place, right?” she asked and he nodded before he laughed.
“Heck, the whole country knew about it.” He began walking towards the couch. “That. Was. Brutal.”
Kylie nodded and exhaled loudly.
“Yeah and I was the one that made it happen,” she said.
“What?” he asked raising an eyebrow over the other.
“I had just started dating this guy, Frankie. Cute as ever…perfection in every sense of the word but he was always interested in something else. He used me to get his foot into Lyon Fisk and Churchill and once he did, I was trash to him.”
“What?” he asked.
“Turns out that he was Lyon Fisk’s illegitimate son or something of the sort and he had a fiancé,” she went on explaining. “Melissa. Tall, skinny and blond. Everything I wasn’t.”
“I’m so sorry,” he said as he looked at her and she shrugged.
“Well, long story short, I have been single since then,” she said. “And it sucks that I feel like I am reliving history.”
Sean looked at her and shook his head.
“Reliving history?” he echoed. “How exactly?”
“Danielle,” she said and he shrugged.
“What about her?” he asked.
“Come on, you are telling me that you did not get the vibe she was throwing? The way she was holding you and taking every chance to touch you…she even suggested that the two of you should get together.”
“Oh please, me and Danielle?” he asked. “That ship sailed a long time ago. It sailed hit an iceberg and sunk taking everyone down with it.”
“I think you just described The Titanic except for the ‘everyone dying’ part,” she said and he walked up to where she was.
“Well, to me that was what happened,” he said. He slipped an arm around her waist and pulled her close to him. “I think whatever this Frankie guy did to you was so bad that you no longer value yourself as you are supposed to.” He gently slipped a hand behind her neck and looked into her slightly puffy eyes. “Give me a chance and let me prove that to you. That is all I ask.”
“What?” she asked in a soft voice.