Kat reaches into her purse and pulls out her phone, holding up a finger while mouthing a friend. I step back, inhaling the cool air and letting it chill my burning blood while she talks. “Uh huh? Oh no, I’m so sorry. I understand. I’ll be right there. No, it’s okay babe. Yeah I am, but he’ll understand. Besides, you’re my bestie, right? Okay, see you soon.”
She hangs up, and turns to me sighing. “You’re not gonna believe this.”
“There’s an emergency,” I say, making little air quotes with my fingers, “and you have to go? Is this a fake friend call to get you out of our date?”
We both laugh, and Kat shakes her head. “No, I swear. But my bestie, Elise . . . she’s having a man crisis.”
“You seem like you’ve done that before.”
Kat looks surprised, and snorts. “No, just been the girl on the other end of the line with Elise a few times. Somehow this time, I’m the rescuer, not the rescue-ee. This is a little different, which makes it important. It’s time to return the favor.”
“A woman with her head on straight, taking care of her friends when they need it. I like it,” I reply, resisting the urge to ask the obvious question of if Kat’s talked to Elise about me.
She laughs, and I find myself more enchanted with her even as my desire to take her back to bed doesn’t diminish at all. “Elise has a wild and crazy side, but most of the time she doesn’t need saving, just uses me to be polite on occasion if the situation calls for more finesse than bridge-burning. She’s fun, the yin to my yang, and would burn the world to ashes, no questions asked, to protect me. That’s more than even my sister would do.”
“What’s with your sister?” I ask, tucking every detail away for later. If Kat’s trusting me enough to let me know about her background and her family, it’s a start, even if we’re not getting our early dinner.
“Oh, that came out wrong. She’s awesome, just too perfect,” Kat admits with a laugh. “Jessie’s happily married to a great guy. He’s the rare one-in-a-million, but she thinks there’s carbon copies of him on every street corner just waiting to be picked up. She forgets sometimes about the reality the rest of us live in. Even my mom. She was married to my dad for years, but he stepped out on her all the time, we just didn’t know it for a long time. When she found out, she kicked him out, and Jessie and I supported her through the divorce, even when her friends told her she should’ve looked the other way and made do. I was still a teenager, but I did what I could. Jessie and Mom are really the powerhouses though, I’m just the little sister still figuring things out. Sometimes, I wish life could be like one of my programs . . . organized, predictable, and when an issue comes up, you troubleshoot and resolve it logically, no facades or ulterior motives. Just data.”
She looks up a bit, and I feel like of everything she just said, the last part was probably the most insightful thing about her true self. After a beat, she finishes, “Mom’s remarrying in a few months, he seems like a great guy, but we’ll see. Odds are not in her favor.”
Ouch, that’s harsh. Then again, with what she’s gone through, I guess Kat’s earned a few harshness points, and maybe even some cynicism. “I hope for the best. May the odds forever be in her favor.”
“Me too,” Kat admits, then shakes her head, smiling. “Come on, nice nerd moment there, now tell me your story while you walk me back to the car. You know, being a gentleman and all, maybe I can bum a ride to Elise’s place while you go grab us some caffeine since it’s too early for the wine I’m betting Elise will want?”
“Sure,” I reply. I’m quiet for a few while I try and figure out how I’m going to answer Kat’s question, then just decide to jump in. Fuck it, I can’t help I’ve had a pretty ideal childhood. “I know it’s a little boring, but my parents did well together. They loved each other fiercely until Mom died a few years back, and Dad has said he’ll never remarry because he’s already had the great love of his life.”
Kat smiles, shaking her head in disbelief. “Really? That’s old school romantic. What’s he doing now?”
“He’s doing okay now, still works hard and has friends to keep him busy,” I answer. “He sold the old house, totally understand that, but stayed in town, moving into a little starter home. I go see him a few times a month, more during football season so we can watch the games together. I wish I could go more because he’s getting older, but it’s a ways out to see him, and he’s staying busy and happy.”