“Do you have bags?” she asked.
I laughed at her understatement and took her hand as we walked towards the baggage claim. The suitcases were already spiraling around the belt, mostly being grabbed up quickly by people dispersing in a hurry. “Is that yours?” Whitney pointed to the red leather bag coming around the loop.
“Yup, that’s one of ‘em.” I wasn’t sure how to break it to her that I brought three, not one.
Whitney grabbed the first red bag while I grabbed the second one, just slightly smaller. She started to wheel the large suitcase away from the conveyor when I told her I had one more.
“Wow, are you staying for good?”
“I wasn’t sure how long I’d be here, and the weather’s changing quickly.” That was my way out of dealing with that question, at least for the moment.
The third bag showed up, the last one on the conveyor of course. I grabbed it, attached it to the larger one and started towards the doors.
“Where’s Calvin?”
“At practice right now, but he’ll be home shortly after we arrive.” She sounded so proud when she talked about her fiancé. And I was thrilled to see the love shining in her eyes. The two of them had gone through hell and back with each other. No two people I knew deserved a happy ever after more than them.
“So, he’s doing okay?”
“Yes. He’s doing amazing. I’m so proud of him.” Her face lit up, and her eyes actually sparkled. Yes, sparkled.
“Holy shit. It’s cold.” I buried my face into my coat as the automatic doors opened.
Whitney laughed. “Yeah, New York is a little colder than Indiana.”
A black Lincoln Town Car was parked directly in front of the doors. I recognized the driver from my last trip. “Good to see you again, Harry.”
The older gentlemen smiled, then took my bags. I usually didn’t like him doing all the work, but this time — just this time — I was willing to allow it. It was too cold.
The back door was already open, so I quickly climbed in to get out of the wind.
Whitney pushed in beside me. “It was much nicer yesterday.”
“Oh, so I brought this bad weather?” I teased.
“No, of course not. The temps are supposed to climb back up this week,” she assured me.
The driver finished loading my bags and scooted into the front seat. He looked over his shoulder, asked if there was anything I needed, then started out of the airport once I declined.
Whitney was rambling about Calvin, how well he had recovered from his injury, how their house was coming along like a dream, and of course, how she couldn’t wait for their wedding day. I was excited too, especially to be the maid of honor.
“Do you plan on seeing Ace while you’re here?” Whitney knew me well enough to know the answer to that question.
I bobbed my eyebrows up and down at her, a damn right I am smirk lifting one corner of my mouth.
She fake gagged. “Oh, Holly, you really should let me introduce you to someone new.”
“Why don’t you like Ace?” I asked although I already knew the answer. I just didn’t know if anything had changed since I was last here.
“Because I love you, and I want you to be as blissfully happy as me.” Her tone changed to a more motherly one. “And we both know Ace Stick-A-Dick-In-Anything-That-Walks only uses women.”
“I know he’s a player. But you have to believe me when I say we’re both getting what we want from this relationship.” I laughed as she rolled her eyes.
“Eww. Don’t call it a relationship,” she growled. “And check his pubes to make sure he didn’t pick up any sand crabs in Hawaii.”
It was my turn to, “Eww.”
She didn’t back down. “Seriously, Hol, I worry about shit like that. Calvin and I both got tested to make sure we didn’t pick up anything crazy during our… mutual mental breakdowns.”
I laughed. “Is that what you’re calling it?”
She wrinkled her nose. “Well, it’s what happened. We both fell apart and went crazy for a few months. Luckily, we were able to put the pieces back together and come out better for it. I, for one, appreciate him a million times more now than I ever did before we went insane.”
I grabbed her hand and gave it a good squeeze. “I really do want what you and Calvin have some day, but until I’m settled and have a better grasp on how I can accomplish my dreams, a real relationship will only be a distraction and complicate things. So, for now, I’d rather have fun with someone I don’t have to worry about getting serious with. We use condoms every time, so it’s all good.”
She rested her head on my shoulder. “Just be careful, okay? You’re such a good person, I don’t want you to go from living with a disaster of a father to a disaster of a boyfriend. You deserve better than that.”
The hair raised on my arms, knowing from psych classes how hard it was for women to break out of that cycle of neglect and abuse. How hard it had been for my mother.
“Is it okay to just have fun for a while and not think about boyfriends or relationships?” I asked her.
“Yes. It’s absolutely alright.” She grinned over at me. “So go get laid so you can focus on helping me with my wedding.”
I held out a fist, and she bumped it. “Yes, ma’am. Sex then wedding. I can do that.”
Whitney and Calvin’s house was like a dream. The old Parker place that she had dreamed about for years looked as if it were delivered to New York, only with a few major renovations.
The car pulled into the circular drive, stopping at the bottom of the wide staircase leading to the wrap-around porch. “The place looks great.” I stepped out of the car as Harry opened my door.
“Thank you, Harry.”
“You’re welcome, Miss Holly.”
Whitney stepped out behind me, wrapping her arm around my waist.
“You’ve been busy,” I noted, motioning to the expanded garage.
“Yes, it’s really coming together just like I wanted,” she said excitedly. Her hand pressed into my back as she guided me up the steps and to the front door. “Wait until you see what else we’ve done.”
Inside, the home was perfectly decorated, mostly in deep reds and smoky grays to match the team colors. “Whitney, this is beautiful.”
“There’s more.” She nodded to Harry, who was bringing in my bags, and motioned for me to follow her into the kitchen.
Everything looked brand new. She and Calvin had been busy, that was apparent. She stood at the back doors, her hand resting on the string that controlled the blinds as her smile grew larger. I wasn’t sure what to expect as she gave the string a tug and the blinds moved out of the way.
“You expanded the pool!” I couldn’t believe my eyes.
Whitney had always wanted a pool, a real one, not the inflatable kind her mother bought each summer. While the house had what I considered a nice pool before, this was more of an outdoor oasis, waterfall and all. Fancy patio furniture was placed around it, and even though the cover was still on for the winter, I could imagine how much fun we’d have once summer finally arrived.