Chapter One
Kat
It wasn’t Becca’s fault I was in a bad mood when she picked me up from the airport, and I tried to keep that in mind as she wrapped me up in a hug and hurried me into the car.
It was early morning, and I wasn’t expecting Boston to bethischilly mid-October, so I cranked the heat up and rubbed my hands together as Becca slipped inside the driver’s seat and smiled at me.
“How was your flight?”
I resisted the urge to roll my eyes and bring my bad mood with me into my best friend’s sedan. Best to just leave it outside to get swept away with the brisk wind.
“It was fine,” I said. “Although, the guy sitting next to me was a talker, which is bad for a normal flight, but it’s the worst on an international one. Plus, he made that joke I hate when I told him my name.”
She smirked, then the parking attendant wearing a bright yellow vest started to head our way. Becca spotted her, put the car in drive, and pulled out into the busy airport traffic.
“Was he older? I feel like the only people who make that joke are older. No one our age knows who Cat Stevens is.”
“The real kicker is that Cat Stevens doesn’t even go by that name anymore! I’m pretty sure he changed it again.”
“Hmm. You could be right. I’ll ask my dad next time I see him. He’ll know.”
I looked out the window and sighed. “Don’t worry about it. I don’t care about Cat Stevens or whatever he calls himself these days.”
Becca waited until we were on the freeway and heading towards Downtown proper to ask me what was wrong.
“Was the flight really that bad? Or are you nervous about going to work tomorrow?”
I was zoning out a little, watching the familiar sights of my hometown pass me by, and trying to remember what building used to be where there was now just a massive pit.
“Huh?” I said, then my brain registered what had been spoken and I shook my head. “No, I’m not nervous about going into work. And the flight wasn’t all that bad. In fact, before we landed, I was actually feeling pretty excited. But then I got out into the airport and—I don’t really know what happened.”
“I do.”
I raised an eyebrow at her. “Well then, do share.”
Becca sucked air through her teeth, as if what she was about to say was going to hurt her more than it would hurt me. “It’s your mom.”
“What?”
How could it be my mom? My mom’s dead.
“You’re moving back to your hometown, after being away for adecade, and you’re going to be surrounded by all sorts of people, places, and things that will remind you of her. It’s gotta be a little scary.”
“I don’t think it’s that,” I said. “I’ve been back to Boston plenty of times over the last decade, and that stuff has never gotten to me before.”
“I think ‘plenty’ is a bit generous,” Becca said. “I think it’s been a year since I saw you last. Not to mention moving back here is totally different than just stopping in for a quick weekend visit and then going back to your extravagant European life.”
I laughed. “Extravagant? Is that what you call going to school and working as an unpaid intern?”
“Going to school and working as an unpaid intern inLondon.” She smiled and took the exit off the freeway that would take us to her apartment. “I still can’t believe you were there for ten years, and I never got the chance to visit you. Now I’ll never go to Europe.”
“Paul might take you,” I suggested, and that made her cackle laugh, like a witch. “What? Paul could surprise you!”
“Paul hates traveling,” she said. “No, actually, heloathesit. He told me just last week that if he could find a way to never have to leave his house for the rest of his life, that would be ideal. I think he means it too. He has all his groceries delivered and he’s always the one to host dinner parties so that he doesn’t have to go to anyone else’s place.”
“He’s a homebody, so what? It’s sort of sweet if you ask me.”
At the red light, she shot me a look that screamed ‘oh please.’