Page 61 of Considering Us

He kissed my cheek. I could get used to this. “Don’t forget the Celtics are on tonight. We need to see if David can do it again. There’s another watch party in the student lounge again if you’re interested. Or we can go to The Horse. They’ll have it on there. Or, of course, there’s always The Barnacle. Marnie can mix you a drink. Hang out with Ward Connelly. That sort of thing,” he said with a laugh.

I yawned. “Or we can light a fire and watch it from the best apartment on campus.”

“The whiskey sours are really good there. That’s definitely where I want to be.”

28

David had a forty-five-point game in Denver, followed by a fifty-two-point night in Houston two days later. When his mom texted me to see if I could meet her for coffee when I came down to Boston once he was back, I knew something was up. She would have usually flown straight home to Atlanta.

“I think I might be getting fired today,” I told Kyle as I packed up David’s enchiladas, cookies, and smoothie ingredients.

“I doubt it,” he said, handing me the most beautiful peppermint mocha. His Nespresso machine had made its way from his apartment to mine, and it felt like the slow migration of many things like that. I wasn’t complaining; it was freezing out, and not having to make my own less-than-inspiring coffee or venture to the student-run coffee shop was lovely. Plus, Kyle’s handcrafted mochas almost evoked ice cream feelings in me, so I was happy. “She may just want you to be present more since it had such a positive effect on David. Which, of course, may be tricky for you to figure out. But I’m sure Andrea will be flexible. She loves you. Look what you’ve done to this place. Cookies,” he said, grabbing one out of the food storage container just before I was going to shut it.

“Someone else is paying for those cookies,” I said. “But yeah, I guess I need to hear what she has to say. There’s nothing else I can do right now.”

There was a knock at my door, and Kyle and I looked at each other. Being alone on the fourth floor, students and the other staff who lived in the rest of the building rarely came up to my apartment.

“Do you want me to go out the fire escape?” he asked.

“No, no, I’m sick of all that. Everyone needs to get used to us. It’ll be fine,” I said, walking over to the door and opening it.

It was Marnie. “Hi. I hope it’s okay that I’m here.” It was the first time she had ever visited my apartment. She was in her usual attire of stretchy black pants and a tunic, and she was still wearing her apron from the breakfast shift, which seemed strange, but it was Marnie. Not much surprised me about her anymore; I was used to all her quirks.

“Sure,” I said, opening the door and gesturing for her to come in. “You obviously know Kyle.”

Marnie stared at him and didn’t say anything. Kyle slung his backpack over his shoulder and took another cookie. And then he grabbed me by the waist and planted a dramatic smooch on my lips, likely to shock the hell out of Marnie. “See you later,” he said to me and then waved at her. “Bye, Marnie.”

I closed the door behind him and decided not to attempt any explanation of what just happened; it was easier that way. “Why don’t we sit on the couch?” I asked her. Once we were seated, I knew I would have to break the ice because she wasn’t likely to. “Is everything all right with you?”

She nodded. “I know there’s a lot going on right now, and I’m not sure what I’m allowed to talk about and what I can’t. First, I want to thank you for letting me continue to work right now. I know you could have kept me out of the kitchen. I like cooking, and things would be more stressful for me if I couldn’t.”

“Oh, well, that’s good, Marnie. I’m glad I could help. I just don’t understand why—”

“I’m giving Andrea my resignation this afternoon,” she blurted out.

“You’re what?” Of all the things I was preparing to hear that day, those words certainly were not it.

She looked down and shook her head. “This is tough to explain, but maybe you’ll understand. I know you’ve had some relationship struggles in your past.”

That was the understatement of the year. “Yes, I have. Are you okay?”

She nodded. “Oh, yes, I’m really good. I just know it sounds strange. I’m in love with Ward Connelly.”

I couldn’t help but smile. It was one of the oddest pairings, and he probably had around twenty-five years on her, but love was love. “That’s great, Marnie. Is he nice to you? Because that’s really the most important thing.”

“So nice. He’s teaching me to paint. He likes the food I cook for him. We have a good time together. Which is why I’m going to Arizona with him.”

“What’s in Arizona?” I had been once—with David for a matchup against the Suns—and loved it. I tried to imagine Marnie in the desert surrounded by cacti while Ward made some sort of sculpture out of red clay.

“He was asked to teach a one-year course in Sedona to a group of artists with different specialties. Some are visual, so they paint, sculpt, that sort of thing. Others are writers. A few are musicians. One is an actor. So, he’ll be one of the instructors, but there are others. And they need some kitchen help. I love southwestern food, so I figured this was a good chance to learn more. The pictures look beautiful, and I haven’t traveled much. The students explore the world around them as they create their art, and we send food along with them on their day trips.”

“Marnie, this sounds like a great opportunity for you.” I couldn’t help but think of Marnie getting to serve boxed lunchesand things like that to the students. It was a perfect match. I did feel a little wistful that Adrienne wouldn’t see much of Ward for a while, but it was all so new and sporadic, even with him living down the street. Hopefully, they would keep in touch. In the big picture, this seemed like a good thing. “I’m really happy for you.”

“Me too. Thanks for understanding. Sorry to leave you, but I’m sure you’ll find someone else. A few of the staff might be interested in the job. You’re a good person to work for.”

“I appreciate that,” I said. “I’ll deal with it after the break. We’ve got some time to figure it all out.” I glanced at my watch, realizing I needed to stop by the dining hall on my way to Boston to make sure everything was okay, especially if Marnie wasn’t likely to be working. “Just one more question while you’re here. WhyThe Underground Stallion? And getting wrapped up in things with Ryland. I don’t understand it.”

She squirmed a bit and crackled her knuckles, causing me to shudder at the sound. “I don’t know. He convinced me that there were power shifts happening on campus and that something was needed to keep people in check. He was worried about your arrival here and insisted that you were jockeying for Andrea’s job and that some pictures and articles would keep you in your place, as he always said. And you know he hates Kyle.”

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