Epiphany (3 page)

Mira sits on the couch, waiting to be served, fiddling with her phone, presumably
texting Kylee. I wish she’d just breathe for a minute, but she’s so excited, I can’t
blame her. I won’t let her know, but as soon as I’m out of this house, I’m calling
Danny to tell him. Being my closest friend since forever, I’m hoping he’ll agree
to be my Best Man. I don’t know anyone else fit for the job or who would take the
responsibility seriously.

CHAPTER THREE

Mira

After Skylar and I finished breakfast, Kylee still hasn’t called back or returned
any of my text messages. Sky has some work to do at the shop and suggested I go to
the apartment and find out exactly why she’s avoiding me. So, here I am, knocking
on the door.

Bang. Bang. Bang.
Well, I’m not exactly knocking. With my superb banging skills, I would have made
an excellent cop. I have this part down pat.

“Ky! Open the damn door!” I scream, hoping to not disturb any of the neighbors.
Nothing is more dangerous than interrupting old lady Swaffer in the middle of her
General Hospital—the woman named her cats Luke and Laura for God’s sake. I’ll need
a doctor if she walks out of her apartment across the hall—walkers have the ability
to help one walk and also take a young person out.
Double whammy.

This bitch, she’s insane. I tried Jacoby earlier in the afternoon and he’s not heard
from her, either. If she fucks this thing with him up, I’m liable to beat her within
an inch of her life. Those two are almost as perfect for each other as me and Skylar.

Since Kylee’s gone MIA, it would appear I’m the last person to see her. If detectives
show up at my door asking questions, I’ll look like prime suspect number one. At
this point, it just might be me that kills her. If I can
fucking find her, that is.

“Dammit, Kylee.
Answer,” I mutter, glancing at the set of keys in my hand. I still have access
to the apartment, but what if I walk in and find her in a compromising position with
one or more members of the Wolverine’s lacrosse team?

Shuddering, I send another text—now totaling fourteen—begging for a call as soon as
she sees the message. It really shouldn’t be this difficult to tell your best friend
about your engagement. Then again, if it was easy, it wouldn’t be Kylee. The girl
makes everything more difficult than it has to be.

Walking back to the car, I can’t help but remember all the good times I’ve had here—we’ve
all
had here. Our little group grew up in this apartment, turned into adults and built
lives.

As excited as I am about moving forward and starting a new chapter of my life, I’m
a little scared. Everyone’s growing apart and going in different directions. Nothing’s
ever going to be the way it used to be. It makes me happy that we’re all doing so
well, but at the same time, these are my people. I’ve relied on them for so much
in the last five years, the thought of not having them in my corner breaks my heart.

Take Kylee for instance. In the sixteen years we’ve been friends—best friends—we’ve
never gone a day without talking, except for when I was in the hospital. Now, it’s
been two days and I’ve not seen her or even heard her voice. I know that growing
up means just that, but losing a person who knows me inside and out is terrifying.

Something’s going on with her. They say twins have some kind of special intuition.
Kylee and I have that, too. Not as extreme, but you get the picture. When I find
her and wring her neck, we’re gonna have a
long
talk about her disappearing act and why it’s not okay to worry her friends.

Once I’m on the road, I dial Skylar to give him the details of my failed mission.

“Hey,” he answers.
Short and snappy?
Is everyone out of it today?

“No answer at the apartment either,” I cut to the chase. Maybe he’ll have some words
of wisdom or an idea ... or something.

“So, she just went off the grid?” So much for something awe inspiring.

“It’s lookin that way. Her car’s in the lot, but I didn’t want to use my key.
There’s a lot of things I know about Kylee, but seeing how limber she can be, that’s
just not something I need a mental image of for the rest of my life.”

“She’s got a guy up there?” Okay, I know he’s just trying to help, but didn’t I just
say that I didn’t use my key? How the fuck would I know what she’s doing up there?

“I don’t know.
Didn’t. Use. My. Key.”

“What are you snapping at me for? I didn’t do anything. I’m just trying to talk
this out with you. Shit,” he sighs, obviously on the defense.

“I’m sorry. I’m just frustrated. You won’t get it. It’s a girl thing.”

“What don’t I get? That you want it to be real and it’s not gonna be until you talk
to her? Oh, Sweets, I get it.” And just like that, I fall a little more in love
with him.

“I love you, babe. You do get it. You always understand. I’m sorry, again. Oh,
did you talk to Danny about New Year’s?”

“I did. Looks like him and Mel already have plans. Might just be us, unless Kylee
and Jacoby want to do something.”

“Alright, I’ll be home in a little bit. Just gotta run by the office and grab a few
files.”

“Okay, be safe.”

“Always,” I respond, the same thing he tells me when he leaves.

Chuckling the sexiest laugh I’ve ever heard, he hangs up, leaving me with my own thoughts
yet again. Turning up the radio, jamming out to some hair band music from the eighties,
I’m able to lose my train of thought and enjoy the twenty minute ride.

My trip to the office is pretty quick. Tiffany tells me that Jacoby already left
for the day. I’m not scheduled to come back and start working out of the office again
for a few weeks, but I’m probably going to return sooner than that.

The garage has been slower than usual and I’m constantly under Skylar’s feet. I’m
not positive, but I don’t think that’s healthy for any relationship, especially one
that’s as challenging as ours.

Carrying the few files I grabbed from my office, I take them upstairs. Sitting at
my makeshift desk—also known as the dining room table—I get to work on getting all
of my assignments that need my attention out of the way first. I think I’ll miss
working at home when I finally go back, but it’s going to be the casual environment
that affords me the option of yoga pants and tank tops that I’ll miss most.

Between worrying about Kylee’s whereabouts, the beautiful rock sitting on my finger,
not understanding Danny’s sudden hang up and work issues, I’m a bi-polar mess and
need time just to figure some of this out. Yeah, maybe I’ll do the sorting when my
sounding board gets home.

ME – ETA?
I’m gonna start dinner.

SKYLAR – I’ll be late just throw me something in the microwave

ME – Y?
Club or work?

SKYLAR – Work now club later.

ME – ok …. Love you

SKYLAR – love you 2

Awesome.
Perfect. It seems like recently Skylar is doing more at the clubhouse. I love
that he’s got something to do and a good set of friends to rely on, but I’m always
home alone when he does it. It really wouldn’t hurt to invite me every once in a
while. I used to go with him a lot, but now we’re down to maybe once every few weeks.

I’ve read biker books. I know what happens when the “old lady” isn’t around. Granted,
Skylar and the Hooliganz don’t bear a strong resemblance to those fictional characters
or their clubs, but I’d be a fool not to worry.

Deciding not to deal with the club issue right now, I switch gears, praying that I
don’t get my feelings hurt—or hurt anyone else’s, I send another text.

ME – U busy?

Ten minutes goes by and when I resign my thoughts of chatting with Danny, my phone
chimes.

DANNY – Not nemore.
What’s up?

This is not a conversation to be had via text messages. Things always get misinterpreted
or taken out of context. Something about not being able to hear the inflection in
the other person’s voice takes away from the actual message. And even though I’m
guilty of using broken English and text shorthand, it drives me insane.

Clicking the call icon, I brace myself.
Praying for the best, preparing for the worst.
I know Skylar talked to him earlier, I just feel that Danny and I have a few things
of our own to deal with, and hopefully move forward.

“And there she is,” he answers on the first ring.

“That was fast,” I joke.

“I knew you’d call. You’re very predictable.”

“Yeah.
Well. That’s me. But all joking aside, are you upset with me?” Not one for subtlety,
I close my eyes and wait for his response.

“No. Should I be?” he responds, sounding confused.

“Well. You didn’t seem too excited for me when I told you about,” I try to think
of a way to say it, but nothing comes out or sounds right in my head. This is a really
awkward conversation to have with your
ex
fiancé about your
new
fiancé. “
You know
.”
The ever poetic Mira strikes again with her magnificent wordsmith skills.

“Mi.
Am I happy that you’re happy? Yes, of course I am. That’s all I’ve ever wanted
for you. Is it weird that you’re engaged to my best friend? I think you’re smart
enough to draw your own conclusion without me having to answer that one.” His tone
is distant and doesn’t change through his entire statement, coming across
very … unattached, almost like his response is rehearsed.

“But, we’re good, right? I don’t want to hurt you, Danny. You’re very important
to me.”

“You’ve already hurt me once,
it’s kinda hard to do it again.” I can tell there’s a hint of sarcasm behind his
words, but it doesn’t make them hurt any less. I gasp at his brutal honesty, feeling
the dagger of guilt twist a little more in my heart.

“Shit. That’s not what I meant. I mean, yeah, you hurt me, but this was to be expected—you
and Sky moving your relationship to the next level. Like double jeopardy, I can’t
try you for the same crime twice. Fuck. I’m really bad at this.” I can picture
him pacing the room, running his fingers through his hair. I’m not the only predictable
one in the situation.

“No. It’s fine. I get it. I just didn’t expect you to be so … honest.”

“How about we shelve this conversation for later? We can grab lunch or dinner? Check
with Sky about a good day and time. After the first, my schedule’s wide open.”

“Okay, that sounds good. Probably better to have this conversation face to face.”
He
is
right. I was dumb for trying to hash this out over the phone. We all have too much
history between us to try to resolve something so important like this. Leave it to
my impatience and need for instant gratification to almost ruin this already fragile
friendship we have.

“Good. While I have you on the phone, ask Skylar if he got my text about the Pistons
game. I need to know soon. The boss is gonna give away the box seats if I don’t
get back to him.”

“Sure.
When he gets home, I’ll check and have him call or text you.”

“Oh. I thought he would be home. I just talked to him a little while ago and he
said something about closing down the garage for a week or two. Something about not
having that many jobs and not making sense to keep it open for business.”

That’s news to me. That was surely a conversation that Skylar and I
never
had. I knew business was slow, but not to the point of closing the doors for an
extended period of time. And if the shop’s closed, what is he working on? Are we
already to the point of lies and omissions?
God, I hope not.

“Oh, he had some stuff to do at the club. He should be home soon,” I lie, not wanting
to admit that Danny knows more about Skylar’s activities than I do. With my mind
racing through all the possibilities, I’m having a hard time keeping up with this
call. Hanging up sooner rather than later seems like the best idea.

“You okay, Pea?” The concern dripping off his words is comforting and nerve rattling
at the same time. Of all people, he shouldn’t be worried for me. He should be reveling
in the fact that I might
not
be okay. Like a non-verbal
I told you so
.
But, no, not Danny.
He’s far too sweet and kind to make me feel even worse than I already do.

“Yeah, I’m good. Just work stuff and I can’t find Kylee.” Look at me, Liar McLiarPants.

“She’s dating your boss right? Maybe they’re together or they had a fight. You know
Kylee. When she wants to be found, she’ll make herself visible. I wouldn’t be surprised
if she just took a vacation from life for a minute.”

“Wouldn’t that be nice,” I sigh, quickly recovering before he senses any distress
in my voice. “I’ll let you get back to your day. I have some more work to catch
up on before I call it a night. I’ll call you about lunch tomorrow.”

“Alright.
And Mira,” he says softly, catching my attention as I start to pull the phone away
from my ear to hang up, “I’m always here if you need anything, even if you just need
to talk.”

“I know. Thanks. Same thing applies to you, too. Don’t forget it,” I say honestly,
meaning every word. He really is a very important part of my life. I wouldn’t be
the person I am today without his influence.

“Got it.
I’ll talk to you later.”

“Bye,” we say in unison.

Disconnecting the call, I flop onto the couch and let my mind wander to those biker
books again.
Where the hero—if you can even call him that—constantly cheats on his girlfriend or
wife when she’s not around.
And here I am
, all alone while my fiancé is doing God knows what with God knows who.