Chapter 2

Kelsey refilled her water glass and sat back down at Ella’s kitchen table. With someone waiting for them at home, both Cat and Jessie had left a half hour ago. Having arrived later than her two friends, though, she’d stayed. Besides, it wasn’t like she had anyone waiting for her at home. Nope. All she had was a big empty house full of memories.

“I missed you guys,” Ella said, her words half cut off by another yawn. “I’m glad you all came by tonight.”

They’d all missed Ella, too. Especially her and Cat. They’d been friends for most of their lives. “We’re glad you’re home. It’s not the same around here without you.”

“So what’s new? You haven’t said much tonight.”

Cat, Ella, and Jessie had dominated the conversation over dinner. Truthfully, she hadn’t minded. She’d enjoyed the noise. Her house was always so quiet. Only when she turned the television or music on did she hear any other voices there.

“Same old thing. Getting ready for the start of school. I’ve been working at Masterson’s five or six nights a week all summer, and I did some tutoring during the day.”

“Wow.” Ella popped open another fortune cookie, pulling out the paper slip inside. “Love is around the corner,” she said, reading the message. “Yeah, right.” She flicked the paper away and popped part of the cookie into her mouth.

Other than perhaps Ella, no one had been more shocked than Kelsey when Striker broke up with Ella. Even now, she suspected one of these days he’d come to his senses and knock on Ella’s door again. A prediction Kelsey wisely kept to herself. “You never know. Maybe a handsome new professor will be on campus this year.”

“Right now I’m focusing on the new semester and nothing else. I’m teaching a few extra courses this term. And I’m teaching two ballet classes and two hip-hop classes at Prism this year.”

Kelsey had never understood Ella’s love of dance. She’d rather be shooting hoops or tossing around a football. Ella, though, had danced all her life, taking her first ballet class before she could even tie her sneakers. Kelsey remembered it well because Mom had signed her up, too. She’d hated every minute of it, and thankfully Mom hadn’t forced her to do it again. Ella had been the opposite. She’d asked her mom to sign her up for more and more classes every year. Even after high school, Ella had continued to dance. After college, she’d switched from taking classes to teaching them at the local dance studio, Prism.

“Thankfully, classes at Prism don’t start up until after Labor Day. Like you, I need to get ready for the new semester.”

They both might need to get ready for classes but, unlike Ella, she wasn’t looking forward to it. While Ella had double majored in French and Spanish with the intention of teaching at the college level some day, Kelsey never planned on being a schoolteacher. She’d majored in biology and chemistry with the intention of obtaining a doctorate degree someday and going on to do research. Unfortunately, life had other plans for her and now she taught middle school science.

“What’s with all the extra hours at the restaurant? I get wanting something to do over the summer, but five or six days is a lot plus the tutoring,” Ella asked.

Kelsey didn’t want to go into her financial troubles tonight. While her closest friends knew money had been tight for her since both her parents passed away, she had not gone into just how bad. She’d rather not start tonight.

“Trying to build my savings back up before I go back to school.” Kelsey hated to lie, but she didn’t want to go into the specifics. “I’m hoping I can do that soon.” More than anything she did want to return to Brandeis and get the doctorate degree she’d planned on. Unfortunately, she didn’t see it happening in the near future. Heck, she didn’t even see it happening in the distant future.

“Have you thought about selling the garage?”

When her parents passed away they’d left the automotive garage they owned to her. Originally, her dad had planned to have her older brother take it over. After Ian’s death, her parents changed their will and the deed, removing Ian’s name and leaving only hers. For the most part the garage did well. The former employee who’d taken over day-to-day operations after her dad passed knew his way around cars and the office. Unfortunately, she had not only the home equity loan on the house to pay off that her parents had taken out and she’d also cosigned on when her brother got sick, but she also had the loan they’d gotten when they decided to expand the business six years ago. A loan they’d taken before Ian’s cancer diagnosis.

“If you did you’d probably build your savings a lot faster than killing yourself with two or three jobs.”

Both Cat and Ella had suggested either selling the business or the house since her parents’ death. On some level, it made sense to. She didn’t need the large house she lived in alone. But her grandmother had grown up in the house before leaving it to her dad, and she couldn’t bring herself to part with it. The same was true of the garage. Her dad had learned all about cars there before taking the business over from her grandfather. And although it’d been intended for Ian, it was one of the few links she had left with her parents. She wasn’t ready to lose it, too.

“Ella, I’m not killing myself. A lot of people work two jobs. You do.”

Ella unwrapped another fortune cookie. The Jade Orient had put ten of them in the take-out bag, and Ella always insisted they were the second-best part of Chinese takeout. In her opinion, the first was the spring rolls. “Teaching dance one or two nights a week isn’t exactly the same as what you’re doing.”

Kelsey shrugged. Ella had a point, but she’d had enough of this particular conversation. “Have you heard from Striker? I haven’t seen him in the restaurant all summer.” She’d noticed Cat hadn’t mentioned her brother tonight. However, she was curious as to whether or not Striker had contacted Ella.

“No. And he’d better not call me. I don’t want to talk to him.” She tossed the uneaten cookie down. “I’m dreading seeing the asshat at Jessie and Mack’s wedding. If it was anyone but Jessie, I wouldn’t go.” Instead of picking the cookie up again, Ella reached into the container with the spring rolls. Knowing what a favorite they were among the group, Cat had wisely gotten two large orders of them. “What about you? Is Drew still calling?” Ella asked, referring to Drew McKenzie, North Salem’s hometown sports hero and Ian’s best friend.

Well, she deserved that question after bringing up Striker. “Yeah, he called on Monday. He calls every stinking month. I didn’t answer it, though, and I haven’t called him back. And I don’t plan on doing it.” Kelsey rested her chin on her hand. “He means well, but I wish he’d stop.”

He’d started calling her every month after Ian’s death a little over three years ago. The calls were always short and more or less the same. He asked how she was doing and if she needed anything. In response, she told him she was all set. Numerous times she’d hinted he could stop calling. Either he didn’t pick up the hints or he didn’t care what she wanted. After each call, she hoped it’d be the last one. Then the next month came and another call. Fifteen years ago she would’ve longed for each and every call. At the age of ten she’d fallen hard for him. She still remembered the day she stopped seeing him as only Ian’s best friend. He and Ian had turned fifteen earlier in that month. Since their birthdays were so close together, their dads had taken them to Fenway Park rather than buy them a present. Ian and Drew came back that night and her ten-year-old heart decided someday she’d marry him.

Of course, Drew never noticed her as anything but Ian’s little sister. Over time her crush on him dimmed, and she realized how silly she’d been. She hadn’t seen him since her parents’ funeral. While she’d never say it, she kind of liked it that way.