Page 16 of My Infatuation with Isabella

I hang up, then toss my phone on my bed, and head downstairs to the kitchen. Keith is busy at the stove, singing along with...I don’t even recognize the song, but it’s old.

“What is this?” I ask, announcing my presence.

“Peaches and Herb, one of my all-time favorites.” He flips a pancake and carries on singing.

“You’re making pancakes?” My eagerness carries in my voice because Keith makes thebestpancakes. “Are you making a few for me, too?”

“Of course,” he replies between lyrics. “I’m making a double batch because Scott will be here soon.”

Keith and Scott play basketball together every alternate Saturday. Even though Cat has been gone for almost two years now, I still see that dipshit very often. Keith hands me a full plate, and I take it to the dining room. Scott walks in like he owns the place, just as I’m about to sit down.

“Yo, Isa!” he greets.

I roll my eyes. “Good morning, Scott.”

“I made pancakes,” Keith yells from the kitchen.

“I’m there!” He disappears and returns a minute later with a plate of his own. He’s already devouring it before he even sits down. “These are so good.”

“Right?” We sit in silence for a few minutes, both of us more focused on the food, but eventually, I broach the topic with him. “My sister says you’re still not answering your phone.”

He just shrugs and says nothing.

“You can’t leave her hanging like that, Scott.”

“I said everything I needed to say to her on our last call and I made it clear that it would be mylastcall. If your sister wants to speak to me, she can get on a plane and come the fuck home like she promised she would two months ago...four months ago, eight months ago.”

“You know she’s in the middle of a big contract. She can’t come home right now.”

He sneers, gritting his teeth. “She won’t. There’s a difference. The last time I saw her was when your mom got married to Keith. That was six months ago, and she came home for the wedding, not for me. She told me it was just going to be a year. She was going to complete her internship, and then she’d come home. It’s going on two years now and there’s always another project, another contract. She’s doing amazing things, and I’m happy for her. I was willing to do the long-distance thing, but this isn’t what we agreed to. I didn’t give up everything to be with her just to end up...notbeing with her.”

I watch him toy with his pancakes with his fork, and he is utterly lost in his sullen thoughts. “Scott, she loves you.”

“I know. And I love her, too, which is why I ended it. She’s living her life. She’s pursuing her dreams, and those dreams are bigger than me. I can’t hold her back...so I have to let her go.”

I used to despise Scott, but over the years, I’ve learned to love him like a brother, and seeing him so despondent is eating me. “She’ll come home,” I say, trying to reassure him. “Her contract will come to an end in two months and as soon as it’s over, she’ll come back.”

He laughs, but there’s no humor in it. “In two months, she would’ve secured another contract. If she comes home, it will be to visit. It won’t be a permanent thing. Your sister has outgrown...everything. You. Me. Pasadena. She’s gotten a taste of another life, and she loves it too much to give it up. It’s time we face the facts, Isa. She’s not coming back. I need to accept that and move on. She might be calling me every day but trust me when I say that Cat has moved on already. She’s flourishing and we need to give her the space to do that.”

In my heart, I know he’s right. I’ve watched my sister blossom and grow and come out of her shell more and more. It’s bittersweet to acknowledge that she has outgrown us. Her dreams and achievements are just too big for Pasadena.

“Ready to get your ass-whipped?” Keith asks, taking a seat at the head of the table.

“I let you win, old man,” Scott teases, but it is only teasing. Both Scott and Peter are no match for Keith on the basketball court.

Keith nods as if it’s the truth. “We’re all entitled to have dreams, no matter how distorted they may be. Where’s your dad today?”

“He’s got a few things to take care of at the office. He said he’ll meet us at the courts.”

“And Peter?”

“He’s...he’s out with Dylan. They’re going for a suit fitting today because...” Scott groans and shakes his head. “Dylan’s getting married next weekend.”

“What!” The word comes out so loud it seems to echo. I quickly cover my mouth as if that will somehow reverse my reaction.

He’s getting married? I’m still reeling from shock, caught in a downward tailspin. I feel sick, nauseated. I swallow a few times because I feel like something is about to burst out of me. Food, tears, a colorful array of swear words – I don’t know, but it’s all so overwhelming and I’m just trying to keep it together.

I blink back my astonishment and slowly lower my hand as I look over at Scott. “He’s getting married?”

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