related is in bright, do-not-miss-this yellow. For the upcoming meeting with Carrie, I chose a pretty pink which means it’s needed but not urgent and can be rescheduled if need be.
My blog calendar is also open in front of me with every upcoming review, release, and sale that we plan to heavily promote in bold letters. Lastly, emails that need to be sent are in green for “go ahead and send this.”
Everything is in order, my to-do lists are updated, and my blue notebook to jot down anything we need to tackle further is ready for this meeting. Carrie and I have spent years building and promoting this website to be the premier place to go for all your information related to anything stories—books, plays, movies, television. So why am I struggling to care?
I know why. Hunter.
The man showed up when I least expected him and wormed his way into my life. And if I’m being honest, my heart. Or should I say, slunk like a feline. Now, even two weeks after his rapid departure, it doesn’t feel the same in this shoebox apartment without him. It feels empty.
I begin to sigh deeply when my video messenger rings, startling me and taking the relaxing breath I needed with it.
Putting on the best happy face I can muster, I click to open the screen. “Well hello there, newlywed! How was the honeymoon?”
Clearly Carrie is not putting on a front. I don’t think her smile could get any wider. Married life seems to suit her well. Or maybe it’s the extended trip they took. Either way, she’s practically glowing.
“If you ever get a chance to go to Australia, you must,” she insists, her eyes sparkling. “It was so much better than I imagined.”
“Really?”
“Oh my gosh, yes. We spent most of our time on the coast, working our way from the Gold Coast in the north down a little past Melbourne.”
I have no idea where any of that would be located on a map, but I don’t ask. I can google it later if I want. I’d rather not interrupt her train of thought. Hearing her adventures sounds like a great distraction from everything else on my mind.
“Before you tell me how lucky you are to have snorkeled in what I’ve heard is the most beautiful place in the world, I need to know what you thought of the wildlife.”
I had no idea Carrie could get more excited, but talking animals does the trick.
“The animals there are so amazing! You know how ugly possums are in the States?”
I grimace because yes, we all know those creatures are good for the earth and bad for our blood pressure when they hiss. “Yeah.”
“In Australia, they look like cats!”
“Wait, what?”
“Fluffy and cute and everything. It was so weird. I saw one and thought it was like a wild cat of some sort getting ready to attack the poor penguins as they left the ocean and waddled to their burrows at night. But nope. It was a possum.”
I put that in the “you learn something new every day” category in my brain. “That’s… strange. Did you get to pet a kangaroo? Please say you did.”
She nods vigorously and smiles. “Sure did. They were so fun.” She claps her hands together and squeals excitedly. “There’s this one zoo where you can go into the kangaroo enclosure and hang out with them. I even took a selfie with one. Look.”
She holds up her phone and sure enough, she and a kangaroo are just hanging out like besties. It’s kind of cool, to be honest.
“You need to make that your blog profile picture.”
“I know, right?” She looks down at her phone, scrolling through her memories. “Did you know kangaroos are considered pests by Aussies? Most people just hate them.”
“And yet, you think they’re amazing. Color me surprised.”
“What does that mean?”
I appreciate my friend and her love of animals. A love I don’t share. They’re… fine. But too much maintenance for me.
Giggling, I remind her. “Most people in the States think squirrels are pests and yet you have one living in your house.”
As if he’s been summoned, her varmint jumps on her shoulder, scaring the crap out of me.
“Dammit!” I exclaim, hand to my chest. “Why does he always do that?”
Carrie begins to coo at him and hands him a nut. I find it really weird that she has random squirrel snacks just sitting on her desk, but her house, her rules.
“Uh, Carrie?”
“Uh huh?” She’s not really listening to me.
“Can you