Kylie laughed out loud. “You always were terrible at determining ages. There’s no way that girl is younger than nine.”
I shook my head even harder this time. “No. That’s not right. She’s definitely not nine. I’m positive of that.” Even I was surprised by how shaky my voice sounded.
Kylie stopped laughing and tilted her head at me. “Okay. I’m confused. What’s going on?”
I let out a long breath and sat down on the couch beside her. “My new neighbor.” I had to stop and blink my eyes a few times to stop the tears from falling. My sister was the one person I could never hide my emotions around. “It’s Kacey.”
“Kacey Caldwell is your new neighbor? Who’s the little girl?”
This time, a few tears fell. I wiped my eyes on the sleeve of my sweatshirt before looking back at Kylie. “It’s her daughter.”
Kylie’s eyes went wide and her smile fell completely. “That bitch.” She shook her head and stared up toward the ceiling. “You know, I never liked her.”
“That’s a lie. You used to tell me Kacey was the cool older sister you always wanted.”
“Yeah, well, I was wrong.” Kylie reached out and placed her hand on top of mine. “I hope you know that was a joke. I always thought you were a cool older sister. Granted, you were a little cooler before that bitch broke your heart, but I guess you’re still alright.” She flashed me a wide grin to show it was all in good fun, then a silence fell over us.
“So, have you talked to her?” Kylie asked.
I groaned. “Now you sound like Bo.”
Kylie smiled mischievously and wiggled her eyebrows. “That’s because we’re soul mates.”
“Ew. Stop. That will never be a thing, so you need to get that idea out of your head. We’ve talked sparingly. We’ve avoided the topic of the past for the most part, but she apologized for breaking up with me over a text message.”
“Did she also apologize for never talking to you again after sending that text? God, I feel like she owes me an apology too. I’m the one who had to talk you down every time she ignored another text or call from you. I’m the one who finally had to figure out how to block her number from your phone so you stopped trying to reach her.”
I rolled my eyes. If this was my sister’s way of trying to make me feel better, she was failing miserably. “I get it. I was awful to deal with after that breakup.”
She waved a hand at me. “Nah. I’m just giving you a hard time. It was understandable. You and Kacey had plans. You had your future all figured out. Then she suddenly changed the game with no explanation. That would mess anyone up. You’ve had some great girlfriends since her though and I feel like you haven’t really given them a chance because you’re still holding on to what you thought your life would be like. So, talk to her, please. That way you can finally move on.”
I wanted to argue that I had moved on, but we both knew that was a lie. Instead, I leaned further into the couch and closed my eyes. “I’ll talk to her. I promise. I just need time.”
***
As soon as I walked into Bo’s house and smelled an actual home cooked meal, I knew something was up. Even Duke seemed to stick his nose up in surprise at the smell he wasn’t used to inside this house.
“Okay. Who did you kill?” I asked as I entered Bo’s kitchen, where he was stirring pots of spaghetti and meat sauce.
“What do you mean?” Bo asked in a singsong voice.
“I mean you never cook so clearly you killed someone and are buttering me up so I’ll help you move the body.”
Bo leaned in and placed a kiss on my cheek. “Oh come on. I’d sure hope I wouldn’t have to butter you up to get you to move a body with me. That’s a rule in the best friend handbook. Why do you think I’m up to something? Can’t a guy just cook his friend a meal without having some ulterior motive?”
“Not when that guy is you,” I said with a laugh. “So, what did you do?”
Like clockwork, there was a knock at his door that very moment. But who would he possibly have invited…? If looks could kill, I’m pretty sure Bo would have been dead as my eyes shot toward his, silently begging that I was wrong about who was knocking. “Who’s at the door, Bo?”
Bo ducked his head, then slipped past me. “You know, someday you’ll find this all really funny.”
“Bo…”
He stuck both hands in the air as he headed toward the front door. “I swear this is for your own good.”
I stood frozen in place as he opened the door and motioned for Bailey and Kacey to come inside. As soon as Kacey saw me, I knew she was as much in the dark about all of this as I had been. Her eyes went wide and she opened and closed her mouth a few times as though she wasn’t sure what to say.
“The more the merrier, right?” Bo asked, giggling awkwardly into the silence.
To my surprise, Bailey ran over to me and wrapped me in a tight hug. “Definitely. I’m so excited you’re here, Miss Adelberg.”
I had to laugh at her innocence. Leave it to a child to totally miss the tension in a room. “Hey, kiddo. I’m excited you’re here too. But I thought we were friends. All of my friends call me Kari.”
“My mom says I should never call grown-ups by their first name.”
I bent down so I was on her level. “Can I tell you a secret?”
Bailey nodded her head, then looked around as if she was checking to make sure no one else could hear us.
I put my mouth close to her ear so I could whisper. “I don’t see any adults here.” I then looked toward Bo and spoke louder so he could hear. “Especially not Bo. I think you know more words than him.”
Bailey put her hand over her mouth, trying to hide her laughter, then looked toward Bo. “It’s okay, Mr. Bo. You’re very gregarious.”
Bo put his hands on his hips and his nose up in the air. “Did you hear that, Kari? I’m gregarious. I’m pretty sure that means I’m stunningly handsome.”
I grabbed Duke’s toy that he had left on the kitchen floor and threw it at Bo. “I’m pretty sure it doesn’t, which only further proves my point.”
Bo took the toy that had just bounced off of his shoulder and tossed it across the room at Duke, who just watched it fall to the ground as he lazily licked at his foot. “Whatever. Shall we eat, ladies? I made chicken parmigiana because a little birdy told me that is Bailey’s favorite.”
“It is!” Bailey answered excitedly.
As Bailey skipped to the table, Kacey placed a hand on Bo’s shoulder and gave it a squeeze. “Thanks for doing that. It was really sweet.”
I couldn’t take my eyes off of her hand that seemed to rest there just a little too long for my liking. I hated the pang of jealousy it sent through my whole body. There was no reason to be jealous of Kacey and Bo. I might not have any idea what type of person Kacey would go for nowadays, but I knew that Bo would never cross that line with my ex-girlfriend. So, why was I even jealous? Except, I knew exactly why I was jealous. It was because, whether or not I wanted to admit it, I had spent the past ten years missing that very touch that Bo was now experiencing.