Page 19 of Undeniably Perfect

Mothership: Great game, sweetie. I’m gonna drop Tabby at the apartment. See you this weekend?

Me: Yeah. Coming home tomorrow after my games.

Mothership: OK. I’ll make chili. Dad’s coming for the doubleheader.

Me: K

My mind keeps going back to Tabitha as I finish up and head home.

Chapter Ten

Tabitha

My mind is going a mile a minute. Kathy can talk. And boy oh boy did she talk. Between explaining the game and talking about her family, I am completely overwhelmed. I may have fallen asleep after the game and now I see it’s after ten in the morning.

The silence in Kent’s apartment is more than welcome. I grab the suitcases from the front entrance that Kathy helped me bring up last night and toss some of them on the floor of the kitchen, not wanting the smoky smell to sink into his plush carpeting in the den.

I unload one with my clothes and start doing laundry, attempting to wash the smell of smoke out of them.

My phone pings.

Brix: How is everything?

Me: OK

Brix: For real?

Me: Yes. When are you back?

Brix: About that…

I groan. My brother means well. He really does, but while he’s gallivanting around the world saving children, I’m here dealing with our aging grandparents and his studio apartment. I don’t even know why he keeps the damn apartment, he’s never there.

Brix: Hello??

Me: What?!

Brix: Geez. I was just going to see if you can check on the apartment this week? Pretty please with a cherry on top?

Me: Fine.

Brix: I love you!

Me: You’re my brother, you have to.

Brix: I really really love you.

Me: You owe me!! So big!

I get to work on cleaning my clothes and shoes. Then, I go online and using the first insurance check I received I find a computer and a camera store nearby. I take the spare key Kent left me and walk down to the stores. Two hours later, I have new camera equipment and a new laptop.

I grab an Uber over to an appointment with a client that I rescheduled after the fire. A fellow photographer is letting me use his space this week to finish up the charity headshots and a few client sessions.

For the first time since the fire, I feel like my life might be getting back on track.

Kent

I let the shower rain down on me as I scrub off the doubleheader. I’m only just shy of twenty-eight but I feel about a hundred and ten right now.

---