you and Phil—you know, getting into a relationship routine of sorts—you’ll feel differently.”
“Yeah, probably,” I said, my eyes drifting across the street to the residential area. “What made you decide to do therapy?”
“I needed a quick career. I just ended up being decent at it, which I guess is a good thing.”
“What did you want to do before that?”
He smiled. “Frank and I wanted to run an exclusive night club, but we couldn’t pool enough money between the two of us. He went on to building up his painting business, and that held zero fucking interest for me, so I opted for this. What about you?”
“Music journalism.”
“Yeah, I can totally see you doing that with all the concerts and shows you go to all the time. It would’ve been a hell of a lot cheaper than med tech. Why’d you do this instead?”
Feeling my heart sink, I just let it out. “I honestly don’t know anymore. I thought…my mom, that maybe I owed it to her somehow. I couldn’t help her, so I thought I’d try to help as many people as I could.”
“What did she want you to do?”
She wanted me to wait for Phil to come and claim me. And then it hit me hard. She had wanted me to wait for Phil. Because he could’ve handed me everything my heart yearned for—not just him, but what I wanted for myself!
“I’m not sure,” I said softly, picking at my roast beef and provolone. “I mean, she knew I was going to be a therapist at the very least, and she seemed to support me. But she always supported me. Now that I look back, I’m thinking I’ve done all of this for the wrong reasons.”
“Such as?”
I gave him a forced smile. “What does it matter? Done is done, and there’s no going back.”
He nodded.
“Promise me you won’t tell Rita?” I begged.
“I’d never do that, Kenna.”
“I know. I just wanted to make sure.”
“She has you under contract, too?”
I looked at him in surprise. “You signed a contract?”
“Yeah. If I quit, I’m not allowed to open another practice or work with this kind of therapy within New Orleans. She offered such an awesome salary that I couldn’t say no. What about you?”
“If I quit, I have to pay back the tuition she paid for in addition to finding my replacement.”
Gavin let loose a low whistle. “Fuck. She paid your tuition?”
“Yeah. It took a huge load off my family. I was so determined back then to do this that I never stopped to consider something like this would happen.”
“Well, sister, you and I are in this together. She might have screwed us in some ways, but she handed us something awesome, too.”
“I know. I feel as though thinking like this is a betrayal of some kind. She’s taken a chance with us, and I don’t want to let her down.”
“Don’t worry, Kenna. Everything will play out as it’s meant to. Even this will end one day.”
“I know.”
“Don’t stress it. Just do what you gotta do until you know what it is you’re supposed to.”
I gave him a genuine smile, hearing Gavin echo almost word for word what Phil had told me. “You’re right.”
“Of course I am.”
Getting it off my chest helped. With both Phil and Gavin making me feel understood, I moved through the rest of the day lighter within my soul. Plus, there was an excitement building up at the prospect of seeing Phil when I got home.
After the clinic closed, I went home to shower before walking my tired ass to the Plantation House. Before heading over there, I called him.
“Hey, you up for company?” I asked after his usual greeting.
“You’re home?” He sounded so happy.
Laughing, I replied, “Yeah. I just showered and changed. You want me to come over?”
“Get your ass over here, woman!” he barked. Then, he spoiled it by laughing.
Making my way through the backyard, I saw him coming out from the patio door on his side. His face broke out into the Lady Killer, and my world exploded into Technicolor. A few steps, and I busted out into a run. He held his arms open, so I could launch myself into his embrace. As we collided, he gave off a hissing grunt, and I heard the crinkle of plastic wrap beneath his shirt.
“You got a chest piece?” I asked, surprised.
“Yeah.” He swooped down to kidnap my lips with his. “That was pure torture,” he murmured.
“Well, I didn’t know you had your chest tattooed!”