Serendipity (16 page)

We all sit down to eat, and I fill Keith and Dean in on the condo. Excitement fills my voice but the guys look at me with grim expressions. Oh well, at least Emily shares my joy.

I nearly choke on my food when Phoebe talks about the condo. I knew she’d be leaving but I was hoping my parents would manage to talk her into staying. We just started being civil to each other and whereas I couldn’t wait for Barbie to leave, I’m starting to like
Phoebe
.

“So when do you move?” I ask.

“Well, I have to wait for the approval from the condo association which I’m sure won’t be a big deal. The owner said that he will touch base with me by the end of the week,” she pauses and takes a bite of her sandwich. “As part of my transfer package, my company is paying the down payment so I don’t have to worry about that. I’ll be staying here a little longer than planned but only by a week or so.”

The smile never leaves her face. Damn, I’m going to miss that smile.

This past week, I think they’ve been the happiest I’ve ever seen them. Dad has a little girl and Mom has a new friend to go shopping with. I don’t care what anyone says, this accident was the best thing to happen to my family in a long while.

“Hey, we’re going out for Devon’s birthday tonight. Come with us and celebrate your good news if you’d like?” I ask Phoebe. Her eyes light up and I know I’ve made the right call in inviting her along.

“Sure! Who’s going to be there?” She asks. Having met everyone except for Addison, I know she’ll have a good time.

“Me, Dev, Austin, Jake, and Jake’s fiancé Addison,” I count on my fingers to make sure I didn’t miss anyone.

“So you’re all going to be on dates?” She raises an eyebrow.

I chuckle to myself. “Yeah, kind of. I mean, Austin is going stag, so I guess you two can hang,” I offer. I hate the thought of her and Austin together. His motto is ‘Dip ‘n Ditch’ because he fucks ‘em and leaves ‘em. But I won’t let him do that to her. Phoebe deserves a lot better than that. Luckily, I’ll be there to keep an eye on them.

“Sure, that sounds like fun,” she says and we continue on with the most pleasant meal we’ve had since she arrived—and possibly ever. The four of us just sit around—talking, laughing and generally enjoying each other’s company. I’m going to miss this.

After lunch, I quickly get back to work. I lose track of time, I’m walking towards the barn when I hear my mom calling me in for dinner. I stop working for the day and we sit down together, the mood seems lighter, there’s no talk about the condo but Phoebe fills us in more on what she does for work and her life back in Chicago.

After dinner I head upstairs to take a shower when I hear Phoebe talking on the phone. She’s telling whoever it is about her new place.

“It’s going to be so great, I can’t wait for you to come visit!”

I lean against the door and listen to the conversation.

“I know, I’m sorry… okay, I’ll talk to you later… love you too.” I hurry and run to the bathroom when she ends the call; afraid she might open the door and catch me eavesdropping. I shut the bathroom door just as hers opens and breathe a sigh of relief.

After dinner I call my mom and tell her my great news about the condo.

“Mom, you’re going to love it. It’s about double the size of our apartment in Chicago, and
half
the price. There’s a second room that I’m going painted blue just for you.” I bounce on the bed because I am that excited.

“That’s great, Pheebs. I’m so happy for you. We can’t wait to come and visit you.”

And that’s when my excitement ends. I’d have a feeling that the days of me and my mom doing things together—just the two of us—were over. Even so, I stay silent after she mentions
his
name.

“Phoebe, I knew you wouldn’t take this well and that’s why I kept it from you for so long. You’re an adult and so am I. I was lonely—you can’t expect me to stay single forever. It’s been years since your dad died.”

I sigh and look out the window, watching as Emily and Keith hold hands on the swing below. They are so in love, and I guess I can’t be mad at my mom for wanting that. Hell, maybe one day I’ll even want that… maybe.

“You’re right, Mom. You deserve to be happy just as much as the next person.”

“It’s not that I wasn’t happy, Phoebe. In fact I was very happy with it just being us. But there comes a point in life when you meet someone special, a person who makes you feel things you’ve never felt before…”

I cut her off before she can continue. I know what love is—I’m just not interested in looking for it right now. “I know, Mom, I’m just not looking for that yet.”

“I know you’re not but it happens when you least expect it.” She covers up the mouth piece but I can still hear the kiss on the other end. I scrunch up my nose in disgust.

“New subject. Anyways, it’s going to be so great, I can’t wait for you to come to visit!” I miss my mom terribly. I’ll have to make sure I can take some vacation time when she comes to visit.

“I’m so proud of the woman you’ve become Phoebe.” She pauses for a second. “Listen, about this morning—”

“I know, I’m sorry.” And I am. My mom and I normally get along so well, but I had acted like a child and hang up on her. Guilt fills me and I want nothing more than to give my mom a big hug right now.

“You’re forgiven.” She teases. “There are a lot of changes going on for the both of us and I know it’s not easy. Listen, sweetie, I have to get going. Have a good day and I’ll talk to you soon.”

“Okay, I’ll talk to you later.” I sigh and glance at my phone. We’ve only been talking for ten minutes and it doesn’t seem like nearly enough time.

“Bye, Pheebs, I love you.”

“Love you too,” I reluctantly hang up and stare at the picture of me and my mom that is the background on my phone screen.

I place my phone on the charger and rummage through my clothes, looking for something to wear tonight. The weather is a lot different here than it is in Chicago. I change into a pair of jean shorts and a red tank top before pulling on a pair of socks and putting my hair in two pig-tails. I touch up my makeup—carefully trying to cover up the discoloration around the stitches. I don’t know what’s worse, leaving it uncovered or having a big patch of gauze on my forehead.

I brush my bangs forward and hope that they cover it enough so that the stitches don’t stand out too much. There’s no way I’m going out tonight with a big patch of gauze on my head.

Once satisfied, I rush downstairs and tug on my new boots. Happy with my look, I walk outside to chat with Keith and Emily before we leave.

“You look beautiful, Phoebe.” Emily tugs on one of my pig-tails and smiles.

“Thank you,” I give her a hug. Her warm embrace calms my nerves. I don’t know why I’m nervous—I shouldn’t be, but I am.

I tell them about the phone call with my mom. Emily seems pleased that everything is better.

“Ready?” Dean calls as he walks out of the house.

I turn around and he stops in his tracks. A wordless exchange passes between us. He looks so damn hot. I see him in everyday in his tight jeans and boots, but the black t-shirt that clings to every part of him is a new addition—normally his shirts are worn and oversized. This one shows off every angle of his chest, and his muscles flex as he walks towards us.

I stand up walk towards the truck. “Yeah, I’m ready,” I call out. I open the door and, gripping the handle with my good hand, pull myself up.

When Dean climbs in, I try to ignore the fact that his scent excites me by reaching for my phone to distract myself. I scan through texts, emails—anything to keep my mind off of Dean. Before I know it, we pull into O’Malley’s.

O’Malley? O’Malley? Why does that name sound so familiar?

I pull down the visor to check my makeup once more before we head in. As I freshen up my lip gloss, I’m positive I can feel Dean’s gaze burning into me. When I confirm this by glancing at him out of the corner of my eye, a satisfied smile spreads across my face. Knowing that I’m affecting him—and that he’s watching me too—turns me on even more.

I toss my lip gloss back into my purse and open the door.

Knowing that Dean is watching, I swing my hips—in the way that we women do—as I walk ahead of him. Since that night in the hallway, nothing has happened between us. I haven’t mentioned to him about it, and if he doesn’t remember then that’s his loss.

I pull open the heavy wooden door and step into the small pub. It’s actually a lot cleaner than I would have thought. It almost reminds me of a pub back home.

Pausing when I walk in, I look around for Dean’s friends. A shiver runs up my spine when I feel the light pressure of Dean’s hand on the small of my back, urging me forward.

I look over my shoulder to see Dean smiling down at me, and his face so close that I can smell the mint on his breath.

“Are you cold?” He asks.

I swallow hard and shake my head no. Why does he have such an effect on me?

He winks at me, looks up and points to a large horseshoe-shaped booth in the back. I look to where he’s pointing and instantly find myself caught in the glare of familiar piercing-blue eyes. Austin.

Dean and I walk towards them. When Devon spots me, she jumps up from her seat and wraps me in a hug. She’s all done up and looks so different to the last time I saw her.

“Hi, Devon, it’s good to see you.”

“You too, Phoebe. You look
a lot
better than you did the last time I saw you,” she laughs.

“I’m feeling a lot better too!” I scoot into the booth and feel Austin’s arm wraps around my waist, pulling me closer to him. I sidle away from him, trying not to draw attention.

“Hi, I’m Addison,” the perky red head says with a smile. She’s really pretty too. Her long red hair is braided to one side and bright green eyes sparkle, similar to my moms.

“Hi, I’m Phoebe,” I say, offering my good hand across the table.

“I know,” she giggles like a little girl, and shakes my hand.

Oh my, that’s an interesting sound. I hope she doesn’t giggle like that
all
night.

As it turns out, it is an interesting night. I have a lot of fun, something I haven’t done in years. Work has occupied so much of my time recently that I forgot what it is like to hang out with friends.

We sing happy birthday to Devon, and the bartender who looks similar to the Police Officer that was at the hospital, keeps the drinks flowing.

Dean catches my eye, and he must know what I’m thinking because he jerks his head in the bartender’s direction and says, “That’s his brother, he owns the place.”

“Ahh, that makes sense. I
knew
the name of this place sounded familiar.” Everyone laughs at me as if this is something I should have already known.

I’m three sheets to the wind when I feel the heat of Austin’s mouth on my neck and I do nothing to stop him when his lips travel, meeting the skin below my ear. I glance around and nobody is paying us any attention—except Dean, who is glaring at me with a scowl on his face.

What’s his deal?

When last orders are called, we start calling cabs to pick us up. I give Devon and Addison a hug goodbye, promising to call them when I’m better so we can go shopping. I slide into the cab and begin to feel a little woozy.