“Oh, crap! Oh . . . I’m so sorry. I had no idea anyone was in here.” I backed out into the hallway, trying to avert my eyes. Not knowing if I should leave or if I should wait until she came out, I was trying to figure out what the etiquette was in a situation like this.
The bathroom door opened and Katie appeared. “You sure know how to make an entrance, don’t you?” She had a toothbrush in her hand and her hair was brushed neatly to rest just above her shoulders.
“Hey, um, hi.” As if this wasn’t awkward as hell. “Hey, I’m sorry.”
“This is getting to be a habit with us. Me surprising you. You apologizing to me.” She laughed.
I guess it was kind of funny.
“Look, it’s okay,” she said. “Really. No harm done. I was caught off guard last night. By what you said, I mean.”
“Yeah, about that . . .”
“No, it’s okay. Really. Well, the stuff about me still being in high school wasn’t cool at all, but that other stuff, about your brother, you didn’t tell me anything I didn’t already know.”
“Wait. You mean—”
“I’m not an idiot, Karina. I’ve heard a lot about your brother. But like you, I don’t listen to everything I hear.” The look on her face was a knowing one. Her blue eyes homed in on me. She certainly didn’t seem like a high school girl now.
“And that means?” I was hazy from the hangover and the embarrassment of walking in on her like that, but what the fuck? Her candor shocked me. Had I underestimated her? “Are you referring to my brother, or Kael?”
“Maybe another time, okay? It was a late night.” She paused to make an exaggerated stretch, causing the oversized T-shirt she was wearing to ride up high enough to show me that Nurse Katie was overdue for a bikini wax. “I’m tired and I really want to get back to bed. Besides,” she added, “it’s chilly in here.”
And with that, she turned on her heels and went back to join my brother.
CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE
Elodie wasn’t there when I got home. I couldn’t remember if she had to work or not—I barely remembered that I had to work—and I didn’t pay attention to whether or not her car was in the driveway.
I took a quick shower, but I still felt like death when I got out. Brien used to keep a hangover kit in his apartment. Extra Strength Tylenol for a headache. Benadryl for puffiness. Pedialyte to replace essential minerals. And Alka-Seltzer to soothe the stomach. He was like a depraved Boy Scout, always prepared. What I wouldn’t give for a couple of Tylenol now. Forget the ex-boyfriend, take the meds. That sounded like a good plan. I searched the entire house but came up empty-handed. I even fumbled through the drawer with the packets of soy sauce and chopsticks, just in case I’d find one of those little individual packets of Tylenol or Advil in there. I wouldn’t even have cared if it was expired. Even though the drawer was full, there were no pills of any kind, but I did find an old fortune cookie, which I cracked open.
You don’t need strength to let go.
All you need is understanding.
Actually, fortune cookie company, I really needed some aspirin.
I made a cup of coffee and sat at my kitchen table, staring into space. My mom, my dad, Austin, Kael—every stressor in my life seemed to be weighing on me, hard. Tapping me on the shoulder, pulling the muscles in my back. I wanted to bang my head against the wall, to cry or scream and shout, but I had to leave for work. As everyone kept reminding me, I was the responsible one. Just do the next thing, I told myself. Put one foot in front of the other and do what needs doing. That’s how you’ll get through the day.
With that little pep talk in mind, I made my way out of the house and through the alley to the salon. The doors were unlocked when I got there, the OPEN sign bright in the window. Mali was behind the desk, checking in a middle-aged man and woman for a couple’s massage. I was glad I came in as they were being escorted to the room so that I didn’t have to take them. The woman looked really excited about it. He looked annoyed, as if his wife had dragged him there to work on their relationship or something. You could always tell. That’s why couple’s massages were my least favorite thing. I’d rather rub a client’s thick, callused heels, and I really hated doing that.
“Good morning, sweetie,” Mali said when she returned. “Or maybe not?” she asked, her eyes searching my face. She could always see right through me.
“Hangover,” I offered. I thought it was best to admit at least half of my problem.
She took in my wet hair, puffy face, and bleary eyes. “Hmm,” was all she managed.
It would be a long day if Mali, of all people, started getting on my nerves.
“Is Elodie here?” I asked. I couldn’t see the calendar from where we were standing.
“Yes, and on time,” Mali told me, nodding in approval, and maybe making a little dig at me.
“Elodie’s not late that often.”
“Your client is here,” Mali said abruptly, looking toward the door.
“I don’t have any clients scheduled—”
“Not true,” she said. “Here. Look at the schedule.” She pointed to the name scribbled on the little blue line that said “10:00”
“Did someone move their appointment? I can’t read this,” I said to Mali.
The bell dinged behind me, and Mali turned to address the customer in her sweetest voice.
“Mikael? For an hour deep-tissue at ten? That you?”
I nearly choked on the air when I turned around and saw Kael.
Sure enough, there he was, wearing a gray T-shirt and joggers. They were black, tight on his legs, with a big Nike swoosh on the thigh. He looked exhausted, or hungover. Like I was.
“Kael,” I said, as if I had to tell myself that he was actually standing there.
“Hey,” he replied.
Hey?
Was he here to talk to me? Or to get a massage? Both?
It was all too much.
He waited patiently while I collected myself and checked his name off the schedule. I stared at Mali until she walked away reluctantly and with a smirk imprinted on her face. I looked at Kael and felt the tape of the last twenty-four hours unwind.
I didn’t like him, I told myself. That addiction stuff was nonsense. It was just that it had been a while since I’d been in close contact with the male species, so of course he was getting inside my head. I was lonely, that was all. Everybody got lonely. It was only natural.
“Right this way.” My voice was cool, professional. He wasn’t the only one who could be aloof. I pulled the curtain back to enter my room, and as I did, Elodie popped up around the corner, a little French jack-in-the-box.
“Hello!” she said, her voice high and cheery. She scared the hell out of me, and I jumped away from Kael.
“I left before you woke up. I had—” She stopped talking when she saw who was with me.
“Kael? Hello!” She double-kissed his cheeks and I moved out of their way. In fact, I leaned my back against the wall. An appropriate metaphor, I thought.
“Elodie. Hi.”
They talked for a moment, good-natured casual conversation. But when he put his hands on her elbows—a friendly and completely appropriate gesture—I felt a wave of anger swell. That’s when I knew I had completely lost my mind.