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There are no streetlights that obscure the view. My property is tucked along the cliffs, so it’s not far from town, but it’s just far enough that you don’t have any of that traffic or the lights. Millions of stars pepper the sky above and the moon hangs heavily in the darkness of the night. It’s a full moon tonight and you can see the craters in the surface of it with the naked eye.
It truly is peaceful here, but sometimes it’s too quiet. A scratching sound at the door draws my attention from the ocean and I turn back to look at the door. Both of my cats are sitting there, staring at me through the glass. I was quick when I walked through the house, they didn’t have a chance to find me until now. A smile pulls on my lips and I walk back inside to see them.
“Well, hello there, Penny,” I say as I crouch down and scratch behind the calico’s ears. The other one pushes his sister out of the way and rubs against my leg. “Yes, you need attention too, don’t you, Max.”
When I first moved in, I realized how empty the house seemed. I thought about getting a dog, but with how much I have to travel for competitions, it didn’t seem fair to get a dog. Charlie was the one who suggested cats. At first I didn’t love the idea, but when she showed me these two one-eyed kittens that needed to be adopted, I couldn’t resist.
My sister and I went and picked them up and they have been more like dogs than any cat I’ve ever met before. Charlie was taking care of them for me until she moved to Orchid City. Now, I have Coach Davis’s teenage daughter stop by to take care of them.
Standing back upright, I walk over to the laundry room where their food is and fill their dishes before heading back into the kitchen. I look around for a moment, unsure of what to do with myself. Today is no different than most days, yet I feel like there are a ton of bricks weighing on my chest.
After rifling through my fridge and cabinets, I find enough ingredients to season the fresh fish in my fridge and make a pasta dish to go with it. Cooking isn’t necessarily my favorite thing to do, but I know how to do it if I need to.
I quickly head upstairs into my bedroom and change into a pair of sweats and no shirt before heading back down. Just as I walk into the kitchen, I see my phone screen is lit up and it’s vibrating away on the counter. My heart begins to race and I lengthen my stride as I move over to it. A frown pulls on my lips when I see the wrong Reed name on my screen.
“Hello?” I say solemnly as I answer the call. The disappointment is heavy in my tone. I don’t know why I was hoping his sister would have been the one calling when she’s out with Griffin right now. She has absolutely no reason to call me—yet I was hoping it was her instead of anyone else.
Austin sucks his teeth. “Hello, Leo.”
“What’s up?” I ask him as I balance my phone between my ear and shoulder as I begin to get my stuff ready to prepare dinner.
“Are you in a prickly mood today?” Austin asks instead of answering me. It’s loud wherever he is and sounds like he’s half shouting over the sounds in the background.
Taking the fish out of the paper packaging, I set it on a plate and begin to season it. “No. I’m just making dinner.”
“What are you making?”
“Fish and pasta that has mixed vegetables with it.” My eyebrows pull together. “Did you just call me because you’re bored?”
“I’m actually on a date right now.”
I pause for a beat, truly confused by this whole interaction. “So, why are you calling me?”
“I need an exit strategy,” he explains as the sounds get a little quieter. “I met her through a mutual friend and asked her to dinner, not realizing she’s potentially the most conceited person I’ve ever met. This woman is in love with herself, I swear. She should have taken herself out.”
Laughter rumbles in my chest as I wash my hands. “Where is she now?”
“She’s in the bathroom. I tried to part ways after dinner, but she dragged me to this damn club in New York.” He lets out an exasperated sigh. “I was hoping if I called you, we could make it seem like there’s some kind of emergency so I can bail on this nightmare of a date.”
“Sure, whatever you need.”
I’m a damn sucker for both Reeds, apparently.
“Okay, hold on, I see her coming back,” he says as the sounds in the background get louder again. “Wait, no. What do you mean it is leaking everywhere?”
Pulling my phone away from my ear, I put it on speaker phone and set it down on the counter. Austin doesn’t need me to speak. This is his show now and he’s the main character. He starts rambling on, truly playing the part like there’s an emergency he needs to deal with. I listen to him as I move about the kitchen and start cooking.
“Macy, I’m so sorry to cut this short,” he says to her before his voice comes back through the speaker. “Yeah, hold on, give me a second and I’ll be on my way.” He turns his attention back to his date. All of his sentences are broken up, most likely from him pausing while she responds. “There’s been an emergency at one of the rinks, so I need to get it sorted out. Yeah, I’ll call you. No, we can reschedule. Of course. I really am sorry. I didn’t anticipate this happening. Yes, you’re right. Okay, have a good night.”
I’m laughing to myself, sautéing vegetables with water boiling in another pot and the fish in the oven, when Austin finally comes back onto the phone.
“Good Lord, she did not want me to go.” Austin lets out a sigh and it sounds like he has left the club as his background sounds much quieter now. “Thanks for doing that.”
“That’s what I’m here for,” I tell him. Austin and I have been friends for long enough for him to know that if he ever needs anything, I will do whatever I can to help him.
“What are you doing tonight?” he asks me as I hear the beeping sound of his car. “Are you making dinner for yourself or do you have someone there? I probably should have asked that earlier.”
I chuckle. “Just me and my cats. I’m not cooking dinner for them, though.”
