AllFreeNovel
Share Us
But Addie carries on the whole way with me trailing behind her. The soft click of her heels on wet concrete matches the patter of rain drops, the rush of traffic. I don’t know what she’s thinking, but it’s definitely not the possibility of pneumonia.
My frustration mounts but is redirected by the sound of soft music coming from Addie’s pocket. The rain has all but stopped when she fishes her phone out and puts it to her ear.
“Hey Mom, how’s Greece? I just left. I don’t think it’s going to work. Yeah, at least I still have my position with Dr. Goldblum. No, he’s still a sweet man. I hate looking for a new job when he’s been so kind, but ever since Jenn left and Dr. Goldblum hired his wife to run the front, she’s firing people left, right, and center. No, I don’t think I should be worried, but I don’t want to think she’s going to keep me when she let Verona go. Verona! I know. She’s been with Dr. Goldblum since he opened the clinic twenty years ago. She said Verona wasn’t filing things correctly. Never mind that Verona set that whole system up and it was practically art. Now, we can’t find anything. I know. Me too. But enough about me. How’s Greece?”
She’s silent for an entire block with the exception of the occasional hum or giggle.
I listen and follow, wishing I could slip my fingers through hers and walk with her shoulder bumping mine gently as we go home together.
“In three days. Just the one week. No, you are not flying home early from your anniversary vacation to Europe that you’ve been planning for a million years to sit with me in a cabin.I don’t care that Oz won’t mind. Mom, no. Stop it. I’ll be seeing you in two weeks for the party and to get my gifts. What do you mean what gifts? You’re traipsing all across Europe and not even bringing me anything? That’s rude.”
I smile at the laughter I can hear from both women.
“I promise I’ll be back before the party the following week unless I meet a sexy Yeti with a nine inch—”
I can practically hear Paloma’s horrified shrieking from across the ocean. It’s barely masked by Addie’s hysterical laughter.
“Yetis need love, too, Mom, and you’re the one who taught me to spread ... what? I was going to say the love. You’re such a pervert.”
Even I’m face palming and trying not to laugh.
“Fine! I won’t join a mythical gang bang in the forest. God, you used to be fun. Yeah, but you still raised me.”
We continue in silence as Paloma chatters on the other end.
“I texted and emailed you all the information, including the address. I even forwarded a copy to Oz. Rhys?”
I jump at the sound of my name. I’d been staring at my feet, too focused on the conversation.
My head snaps up, heart racing thinking I’ve been caught. But she’s still walking.
“No, I didn’t. I don’t think he cares...”
She’s so wrong and I know she knows it.
“I haven’t talked to him. We don’t have anything to talk about. I know he’s my ... yes, we should keep in touch.” She exhales heavily. “Yeah, I’ll text him. Tonight? Mom, it’s late...” I can almost hear her eye roll. “Fine. I’ll text him tonight. Look, I’m home. I need to shower and eat. I will. I will. I promise. As soon as we hang up, I’ll text him. Okay, love you. Tell Oz I said hi and love you. Oh my God, will you stop? I said I will. Yes, I will text you before I leave.”
They hang up and Addie stuffs the phone into her pocket.
She pulls it out. Turns the screen on. Off. Puts it back in her pocket.
“Fuck sakes,” she grumbles, pulling it back out.
She unlocks the screen, and I see her thumb scrolling through her contacts.
I don’t have my work phone on me. It’s the only number she has — that she knows about. The only one I carry with me when I’m with her is my spare. But now, as I watch her type something, I’m curious to see what she sent me.
At her apartment, Addie digs out her keys and lets herself in. The eight-story walk-up built with layers of bright, red bricks sits nestled between other apartment buildings on a fairly busy street. It’s not exactly fancy like her dad and stepmom’s penthouse across town, but it fits Addie’s immediate needs. It’s walking distance from most amenities and affordable enough for her to make rent every month on her part-time job at the walk-in clinic downstairs. The thing I like best is the fire escape leading up to her third-floor apartment at the back of the building where no one ever pays attention to the hooded figure climbing up.
My apartment, a squat three story block painted a depressing gray is almost twenty minutes away. A safe distance from Addie, but still close. I can’t just accidentally bump into her getting groceries. She has no idea I packed my things and relocated two months after Halloween. Neither does anyone else we know because they might tell her and she’ll ask questions. Three hours to work and three hours home is a small price to pay for my deception if it means I get Addie to myself.
I reach her window with the neat boxes of flowers hanging off the lip and the assortment of pots and baskets cluttering the landing. It’s definitely a fire hazard given that it’s nearly impossible to find a place to sit, but that’s something I can’t exactly tell her right now.
I hover off to the side and peek into the modest, open concept of her single room space. It’s barely large enough to open the futon, but it’s kept meticulous and organized. There’s no clutter or Knick knacks. Despite being an avid reader, her collection is a small pile of paperbacks stacked neatly on her nightstand. Aside from the main space, there’s a cramped little bathroom through a doorway wedged next to the fridge.
The apartment door is directly across from me, and I watch as she gets home. Her stiff fingers work the chunky buttons on her coat, popping them through the holes as she kicks her heels off next to the door. Her coat is tossed over the back of the single chair tucked beneath the table nestled in the corner of the minute kitchen. Clad in her black dress, she pads barefoot into the bathroom and shuts the door.
I make myself at home on the steps. The rain isn’t a demanding force, but a light drizzle that pings off the metal railing and fills Addie’s already overflowing pots. I drain them while I wait; it would crush her if they died, and while I’m not an expert, too much rain can’t be good for them.
