Chapter 14
Vanessa
Saturday
"Mmmm..."
I rolled over in the covers of my bed and sat up blearily the next day. The morning rays of sun came streaming through my window as I threw my legs over the side of the bed. The minute they hit the hardwood floor, I gasped out loud from the cold. Leaving the warmth of my bed was not the least bit pleasant.
I walked out into a completely silent kitchen. The lights were on, but there was no sign or sound of Adam anywhere.
He must have gone into the office, I thought to myself sleepily.
I wandered around the kitchen in a daze to find myself some breakfast and brew a decent cup of coffee. After rounding up some eggs and toast, I sat down at the kitchen table and started mapping out my day. I still needed to finish setting up my room and unpacking all my things. Adam had finished putting together my dresser and nightstand for me, but the clothes were still in boxes scattered about my room. Dad had been encouraging me to get some business cards printed, and I had a lunch date with Max.
He’d texted me late last night to set up meeting him at a small café. I was looking forward to it. I hadn’t been able to spend much time with him lately, so it would be good to catch up.
I finished eating what was left of my breakfast and went to work on some of the chaos in my room before changing into some actual clothes for the day. I opted for an oversized fuchsia sweater that had a ruffle around the edge, and some stripped leggings to match. It was both comfortable and warm and allowed maneuverability while I was sorting through my things.
I was neck deep in my closet when the alarm went off on my cell phone, letting me know that I needed to start heading over. With a tired sigh, I finished hanging up the clothes that were in my hands and grabbed my keys off the kitchen counter.
It was still thrilling to have my own key as I locked the door behind myself and headed over to my car. Feeling the weight of it in my hand was like freedom. I climbed into the car and started backing out of the parking lot so I could meet Max for our lunch. Traffic was awful, and I was fifteen minutes late by the time I got there.
Max stood up from his table when he saw me enter. I waved to him excitedly and skipped over to embrace him with a hug. "Hey, sis. How's it going?"
"Pretty good," I replied in a sing-song manner, pulling out my seat to sit beside him. "I actually got a job."
"That's great!" Max complimented instantly. "Where?"
"Frank Howell photography. Adam helped me land an interview the other day, and they hired me on the spot."
"Adam, really? Huh, I wonder why he didn't mention that."
I swallowed the lump that was rising in my throat and smiled, hoping he took the bait. "I couldn't say."
Max just shrugged noncommittally and took a sip from his water. At this point, the waitress came walking by our table and asked if we were ready.
"Yeah, I'll have the Ruben," my brother told her as he gave me a little wink.
I rolled my eyes at him and said, "I'll have the French onion soup, please."
The waitress scribbled down our order on a notepad and smiled, looking up at both of us. "Anything else?"
"No, thank you."
"Alright, I'll have that out for you in a minute."
As she walked away, Max laced his fingers together against his chest and sat back deeper in his seat. "You know, Frank is a member of Men's Club..."
I nodded in agreement and mirrored his body language. "That's what Adam told me."
"You seem really excited about that."
"I am! It seems like a great opportunity."
"Was he the one who interviewed you?"
"Yes."
"What did you think of him?"
I shrugged. "I dunno, he seemed nice. He was really impressed with my work, so we hit it off right away."
Max nodded, looking down at the plate in front of him and refusing to meet my gaze. "You know, I've known Frank for a couple years now. He's not a great as he seems."
"What do you mean?"
"I mean there's more to him than meets the eye. I want you to be careful, okay?"
My brow puckered in confusion and I stared at him in shock. "Max, is there something you need to tell me?"
He shook his head. "Nah, don't worry about it. Just don't get too deep within that company."
"O-okay..."
We talked a little more about how I was settling in at work, and he seemed relieved to know that I was happy. He even knew that Adam and I had moved in together. I expected him to be upset, but he seemed completely alright with it.
At the end of our lunch, Max kissed me on the cheek and walked me to the car. It had been such a long time since he and I spent time with one another, and it was exactly what I needed.
I waved goodbye to him as I was climbing into the car and started the ignition. Adam was still at work, so I let myself inside and set my purse and keys down on the counter. There were still a still a few hours before Meghan and I were meeting for drinks, so I had plenty of time to get ready.
After stepping back into the bedroom, I put on some music and started looking through my clothes. I wanted something light and fun to help me celebrate the new job, new apartment, and complete rebranding of my life.
I pulled a floral top off one of the hangers and a flattering pair of jeans that made my butt look good. It had been over a month since I had any real “girl time.” No matter how hard Mom tried to make me feel included with her group of friends, it would never be the same. I needed someone closer to my age.
As I was putting on my makeup, a song by Taylor Swift came on the radio, and I started singing along with it and dancing in the mirror. Tonight was going to be epic. I used green eyeshadow on my eyelids and used some liquid liner to form them in a perfect cat-eye. After that, I picked out a coral lipstick that had some shimmer to it and smeared that on, as well. I was pleased with the reflection in the mirror and blew myself a kiss before heading out the door.
The bar we chose was the opposite direction than the one I usually took, and it was crammed with people by the time I made it to the parking lot.
When I got to the bar, Meghan was waiting for me outside. Her wavy hair had been curled away from her face, and she was wearing a pair of large hoop earrings that twinkled lightly when she moved. Her face lit up when she saw me get out of the car and squealed with delight. "Vanessa!"
I smiled while walking up to her, my boots tapping against the sidewalk. "Hey, girl? You ready to get your drink on?"
"Hell yeah, let's do this."
I wrapped my arm around her shoulder, and she opened the door as we made our way toward a booth. "You look great by the way. What have you been doing all this time?"
"You mean since we left high school?" she asked as we slid into the leather seat.
I nodded, slipping out of the leather jacket and tucking some hair behind my ear.
She sighed, picking up the menu off the table. "Let's see, I went to community college for a while, got an associate in computer programming, and then decided it wasn't for me. I dropped out, had a couple different jobs before ending up at Frank Howell, and I've been there ever since."
"Wow. So do you have a boyfriend?"
She made a face and shrugged. "Paul and I have been off and on a bit, nothing serious. How about you?"
"Boyfriend, or the other stuff?"
"Let's start with the boyfriend," she instigated. "Is there anyone special?"
I blushed, looking down at the menu in front of me. "I wouldn't say 'boyfriend,' but there is someone I'm kind of interested in."
"Oh really? Who?"
"Well... I kinda had sex with him over New Year’s. We were both drunk and agreed it was a big mistake, but I dunno, there just something about him."
She nodded, "Is this the guy you live with?"
I nodded. "Yep."
"Wow. Is he cute?"
I laughed at her and said, "Oh my god, yes. Actually, you know him. We went to high school together."
"Okay, now you have to tell me," she insisted.
"Adam Hillis."
Her face went blank as she processed that. "Adam...Hillis? The kid you were in love with sophomore year?"
"That would be the one."
"Oh, honey..."
"It's not like that," I assure her. "He's different now. He's really nice to me, and I enjoy hanging out with him."
"Huh, sounds like he finally got over himself and decided to be a decent human being. Stay right there; I'm gonna go get us some drinks."
I smiled, watching her climb out of the seat and walk over to the bar. A few minutes later, she returned with some beers and came to join me.
"So, Adam Hollis, huh? Weird."
I nodded, picking up the drink and taking a swig of the amber liquid.
"You're right, though, he is cute."
"Haha! See, I told you."
We both laughed, and she threw back part of her drink as well. "So how do you like working for Frank?"
Meghan's smile faded slightly. "Oh, it seems like a nice company. It's kinda weird, though. I get these weird feelings that something's going on that I don't know about."
"That's so weird. Max was just telling me that I should be careful."
She nodded urgently. "I can see that. Franks part of this men's organization—"
"Right, Men's Club," I said encouragingly. "Max and Adam are part of the same group."
She made a face, stirring her drink with her finger. "They're a real secretive group of guys. I don't feel comfortable talking about it."
"Okay, we don't have to. We can just talk about boys and how much we hate our parents."
She smiled, and I reached over to squeeze her hand encouragingly. Soon we were laughing and comparing horror stories of our college roommates. I had no idea why made her so nervous about the Men's Club; it seemed like a respectable organization and a decent group of guys.
After all, Max is a member of it. He wouldn't be involved if there was something to be worried about, right?