Chapter 21
"There was a delivery for you when you were out." Rebecca motions towards a large bouquet of flowers sitting on the kitchen counter.
I race over to pull the card from the fragrant arrangement.
Until then, Nathan is written in black ink across the card.
"From Fingers?" she asks casually over her shoulder.
. I nod as I settle down next to her. "What are you doing tonight?"
"Tonight?" She taps the side of her forehead with the spoon. "Masturbating, most likely."
I laugh at her willingness to overshare. "I'm sorry I asked." I hold up my hand.
"You're not working tonight?" She finishes the last bit of her dessert. "Where's Fingers?"
"Hanging out with a friend." I want to sound as though I'm casual about it but ever since Nathan told me he was going out for a beer with a buddy, my mind has been playing tricks on me. I don't want to get caught back in a hotel room rummaging through his things when he walks in with yet another member of his family.
"His sister?" The amount of sarcasm dripping from the comment is palpable.
"That was his sister." I try not to convey too much 'I told you so' in my tone.
"He says it was his sister, that's different."
"Actually, last weekend, we did a video chat when he was away and I met them all." I hadn't mentioned it to her because I knew that she still didn’t trust him and she'd have wanted to lurk in the background to make sure I wasn't having the proverbial wool pulled over my eyes yet again.
"All of them? How many are there?" She tilts her head to the side in mock surprise.
"Just four." I smile. "His sister, her husband and the two kids."
"The perfect family." She picks up the empty bowl and I swear for a minute it looks like she's going to lick it clean.
"No family is really perfect, are they?"
"No," she almost spits the word across the table at me. "They aren't."
"So, a movie?" I offer. "I got paid yesterday so it's my treat."
"I'll grab my coat."
***
"I ate way too much popcorn." I loop my arm through Rebecca's as we step out into the busy pedestrian traffic. Manhattan never seems to slow down and as much as I missed the quiet, breezy, still air back home, I was beginning to relish in the fast pace and vibrant nature of this city.
"I want a beer." Rebecca pulls me to the left so abruptly I almost fall off my heels into her.
I follow her lead while I check my phone and see a message from Nathan.
I miss you, Jessica.
Simple, sweet and to the point.
"Did Fingers text you?" Rebecca calls over her shoulder as she scans the storefronts across the street. "Where can a girl get a beer in this neighborhood?"
"There's a pub a few doors down from the restaurant. Everyone says the beer on tap there is great. We can go." I offer, even though I'm ready to climb into my bed and sleep the night away.
"Did he text you or not?" She points to my smartphone. I know she's just being protective. I don't have all the answers I want from him yet but I have enough for the moment.