Page 13 of On the Line
The thought of her parents made her heart sink, as it always did, and gazing at the clouds as they floated by wasn’t helping matters, so she returned her attention to her iPad. Before she could settle back into reviewing the contract she had pulled up on the screen, the faint ding of the plane’s intercom system sounded over the noise from her AirPods.
“If you all could return to your seats and fasten your seatbelts, we’re beginning our descent into LAX. We’ll have you on the ground and on your way in no time.”
LAX.
Los Angeles.
Lexie’s heart sank further.
LA was the absolute last place Lexie wanted to be right now, but the mechanical engineer she was recruiting for a medical equipment production company in Chicago lived here. After weeks of endless email correspondence, texts, and phone calls, she was certain he was about to jump on her hook at any moment. Traveling to LA was her way of sealing the deal, that final interaction, the face-to-face connection with Lexie that would finally get him to sign the contract and move to Illinois.
The second she deplaned and set foot on LA soil, she couldn’t stop herself from picturing Mitch. He was here, somewhere in this vast metropolis. The chances of running into him were pretty damn slim, but nothing about their relationship had ever made much sense. She wouldn’t put it past karma, the gods, or fate to intervene.
When she reached baggage claim, she found Kimber waiting for her looking tan and trim despite her natural curves, blonde hair flowing brightly in waves around her bare shoulders.
After a year and a half apart—since Kimber had moved back to California from Detroit—Lexie could barely contain her excitement. It was the only thing getting Lexie through the three days she had planned to spend in LA. Had Kimber not been here, Lexie wasn’t sure she would have made the trip, wasn’t sure shecouldhave. No matter how small, the possibility of seeing Mitch again had nearly given her a panic attack on more than one occasion the last few weeks.
“Lexie!” She yelled, rushing up to crush her in a hug. Lexie squeezed back, then pulled away to study her.
“Girl, you look amazing.”
Kimber spun in a circle, grinning wide. She had always been beautiful, but returning to her hometown had turned her into a smoke show. “Thank you. Being back in California has done wonders for me. Not that I don’t miss you guys, but have you seen my ass? You could bounce a quarter off of it. When I’m not at work, I’m always outside. Hiking, surfing, yoga on the beach. You name it. I haven’t been this happy, or this toned, in a long time.”
Lexie smiled; Kimber’s mood was contagious despite the storm cloud that had followed Lexie since Mitch left.
But she wasn’t going to think about that. She was here in LA and was going to enjoy this time with her dear friend, pretending that Mitch Frambough didn’t exist.
Once Lexie had checked into her hotel—much to Kimber’s annoyance; she had offered several times to let Lexie stay with her—they went to Kimber’s favorite Mexican restaurant for lunch, chowing down on fish tacos and catching up on their lives since Kimber had moved away from Detroit.
Which, truth be told, was a lot. Ithadbeen over a year.
“So are you seeing anyone?” Kimber asked.
“Nope,” Lexie told her. “I’ve been super busy with work. Traveling a lot. The usual.”
Kimber shook her head. “You never did know how to slow down.”
Lexie laughed. “I still don’t. And speaking of work, how is your dream job treating you?”
“It’s been amazing. Those kids,” Kimber paused, swallowing hard and clutching her chest, “inspire me every day. It’s been a big motivating factor behind this transformation. I want to live a long, healthy, happy life. So getting my shit together was the first step.”
“That’s amazing, Kimber, truly.” Lexie sipped her margarita. She couldn’t imagine what it must be like, going to work every day to take care of sick children, some of whom would never leave the hospital alive. “What’s the next step?”
“Vacation,” Kimber told her. “I’ve been working at least six days a week for a year and a half. I want to experience the world. So for my two year work anniversary, I’m taking a trip.”
“To where?”
“South America. I’m going to backpack around and do nothing but sight-see for a month.”
“An entire month?” Lexie asked, incredulous. “By yourself?”
Kimber nodded. “All alone. It’s going to be incredible.”
“Sounds terrifying to me,” Lexie said, which was ironic as hell coming from the girl who had basically raised herself. She had spent the bulk of her life alone, but never in a foreign country, with nothing but her wits to protect her.
Kimber was far more brave than Lexie would ever be.
“I’ll admit, I am a little afraid, but not so much that I don’t want to do it. I owe it to myself, and those children in the hospital, to go on this adventure.”
