Page 3 of To Love or to Lose
Through the kitchen, I see the living room across the hall and the connected dining room, both littered with family portraits—including Logan and his sister’s school pictures.The large sectional in the living room is covered in throw pillows with small blankets folded over the arms.
Kai, Logan’s dad, is standing and chopping vegetables at the kitchen island. When he notices we have entered, he stops what he’s doing and makes his way around the countertop.
“Jameson, how are you?” He asks as he sticks his hand out to me. “I’m Kai Callaghan.”
“Hi.” I take his hand, shaking it firmly. “I’m well, and you?”
“Good, I’m good. Go ahead, have a seat.” Kai gestures toward the bar stools lining the island on the opposite side of where he’s preparing dinner.
“Thank you.” I smile, taking a seat across from him. Wren moves to the dining room behind us and sits at the table there.
Kai picks up his knife again, beginning to chop the onions and peppers. “How was your trip? Not too rough, was it?”
“No, not at all. I slept through most of it,” I reply before pulling out my phone to check the time.
It’s almost seven in the evening later than I normally eat dinner back in London, but I suppose I’m going to have to get used to the Callaghan’s way of life eventually.
“Do you like fajitas?”
“I’m not too picky.” Kai and Wren both sigh in relief.
“Then, you should fit right in here,”Wren chimes. When I look back, she appears to be doing a crossword puzzle.
Before I can respond, I hear Logan come bounding down the stairs and into the kitchen. The house is so big it echoes.
“Hey Jameson, you want to go for a swim?” I look between Wren and Kai, not feeling like I need to ask for permission, but also not wanting to seem disrespectful. “The pool is heated,” Logan urges.
Wren waves me on. “Go.”
I smile as I follow Logan out of the kitchen and back toward the entryway, where the stairs are.
Logan begins his way up them. “I’ll show you your room,” he says. “I think you’ll like it here. I’ve got a great group of friendsyou’ll mesh with pretty well, so you don’t have to worry about being a loner.”
I chuckle a bit. “That’s good. Do they go to Fairwood Prep too?”
Logan nods. “Yeah, almost everyone in this town does.” He might as well have said“almost everyone in this town is filthy rich.”
When we make it to the top of the stairs, I feel the same overwhelming reverence I first experienced when we pulled into the driveway. At this point, I’ve all but designated this house the Palace of Fairwood.
“This is where you’ll be staying.” Logan opens the second door on the left of the hallway. “The bathroom is across the hall.” He points to the door across the hall from my bedroom.
He then shows me his bedroom, the extra storage closet, and the guest bedroom.
“What room is this?” I ask, placing my hand on the one door that has yet to be opened. Pink floral stickers cover the wood, making me assume it belongs to Logan’s younger sister.
“Oh, that’s Mae’s room. She’ll be home in a little while. I’ll let her show you around in there.” I nod.I’ve seen her photo around, and assume she’s probably fourteen or fifteen.
“Okay, now that the tour’s done, I’m going to get my swim trunks on.” Logan points toward his bedroom door.
“Yeah, I will too. Thanks, Logan”
He nods in return. “Meet me downstairs when you’re ready.”
I head into my bedroom, noticing my luggage neatly stacked on the floor next to the open closet.
I make a mental note, reminding myself to unpack later tonight. I’ll be up late anyway, since I slept almost the entire flight here.
Before I get my suit on, I take in the room. It looks pretty basic at first glance, with plain white walls, blue bed sheets, anda built-in bookshelf on the wall furthest from the door. I didn’t bring any of my books from home, for my luggage’s sake, but I’m sure that by the time I leave the shelves will be close to full.
