Knowing he was probably behind the bar already, she texted him and asked that he call when he had the chance. He’d probably work until around ten or eleven, and that would give her enough time after leaving her parents’ to head back home, light a couple of candles, maybe even have a glass of wine. She knew it would end up being a late night, but he didn’t have class in the morning and she didn’t have to go to work, so why did it matter?
She set the phone on the passenger seat and headed toward her parents’ house. After turning into the neighborhood, she found herself wondering how many times in her life she’d made that exact turn. Tens of thousands, probably, she thought, which amazed her, as did the neighborhood itself. While people had moved in and moved out, the houses seemed largely unaffected by the passage of time, and every corner brought with it memories: lemonade stands or roller-skating, driveway fireworks on the Fourth of July. Trick-or-treating. Walking home with friends. Her phone began to ring, disrupting the flow of images. Glancing over, she saw Colin’s name and answered with a smile.
“Hey,” she said. “I didn’t think you were allowed to make calls while at work.”
“I’m not supposed to, but I saw your text. I asked the other bartender to cover for me for a few minutes. Are you okay?”
“Yeah, I’m fine,” she said. “I’m almost at Mom and Dad’s.”
“I thought you were supposed to be there already.”
“I had to buy my mom a gift first and that took forever,” she said. “But hey – you’ll never guess what happened today.”
“Did Margolis call again?”
“No. It’s about work,” she said, and as she approached her parents’ home, she told Colin what had transpired. “Which means I’m kinda rich right now.”
“Sounds like it.”
“I bought my mom some fabulous cookware.”
“I’ll bet she’s going to love it.”
“Once she gets over the guilt, she will. But the real reason I’m calling is that I’ve decided that I’d like you to come over tonight. To my place.”
“Didn’t we already agree that I’d come over? And that I’d call when I got off?”
“Yes, but when we decided that, I wasn’t in the mood to celebrate. Now I am, and I wanted to warn you in advance.”
“Warn me about what?”
“Well, now that I’m sorta rich, I might make a few demands on you this evening. Physical ones, I mean.”
He laughed, and she could tell he liked what she was suggesting. “Okay.”
Up ahead, she saw Serena’s car parked in front of her parents’ house; on either side of the street, the sidewalks were deserted. Up and down the block, houses were lit from the inside, lamps on and televisions flickering, families relaxing at the end of a long day. “Whatever you do, don’t let the anticipation ruin your concentration at work. I’d hate for you to get in trouble with your boss.”
“I’ll do my best.”
She pulled in behind Serena’s car and shut down the engine. “And one more thing. Remember what I told Margolis? When he asked why I was still with you?”
“Yes.”
She got out and rounded the car to the trunk. “I just want you to know that I meant every word,” she said.
He laughed again. “Okay.”
She opened the trunk. “Unfortunately, I’m going to have to cut this call a little short. I’m going to need both hands to carry everything.”
“I get it. I’ve got to get back to work anyway.”
“Oh, before you go —”