Page 23 of Soup Sandwich
“Ladybug, you weren’t supposed to call him.” I hear my brother admonish her in the background since Katy has me on speakerphone. “I asked you to get my phone, soIcould call Uncle Cal.”
“But he likes talking to me more,” she defends.
I laugh as I pull up to a red light. “It’s true. I do like talking to Katy more.”
“That’s because she has you wrapped around her finger.”
“Also true. I won’t even deny that.”
My brother groans playfully and then his voice comes through louder. “Can I have the phone, please? Thank you. It’s time for your bath. Mommy is upstairs waiting. She has the blue bath bomb you wanted. Say good night to Uncle Cal.”
“Good night, Uncle Cal.”
“Good night, sweetie. Talk to you soon. Love you.”
“Love you.”
A crackling sound fills my car and then my brother Declan is back just as the light turns green and I continue on. “Hey, Cal. Sorry.”
I laugh. “Hey, Dec. It’s fine. That was actually the best part of my day so far. So what’s this about next week?”
My brother sighs into the phone. “One of Willow’s friends decided to elope in the middle of the week and wants Willow to be her maid of honor, but the wedding is on Cape Cod and of course, children aren’t allowed. Any chance you’re not working next Wednesday or Thursday?”
I tap the steering wheel. “Wednesday I am, but as luck would have it, I’m not working Thursday.”
“Any chance you want to watch Katy for a night or two?”
I take a left and head toward the Seaport district, inching along in Friday night Boston traffic. “Always. Her room is waiting for her.”
“Awesome. You’re a lifesaver. She’ll be very excited.”
“Me too actually.” I tap the steering wheel. “I could use a little Katy distraction right about now.”
“That sounds serious coming from you. What’s her name?”
I roll my eyes though he can’t see me do it. “Ha. You’re very funny.”
“But I’m right, aren’t I? There’s a woman.”
I pull up to another red light, absently staring out the window at people on the sidewalk. My brother is a doctor too, but we’ve lived very different lives. I got to play rock star after high school, doing college entirely online. He went straight into the Army, doing college that way, and then became a reserve when he went into medical school. My brother and I are very close, but I know he never understood what I was doing with Central Square.
He’s a lot like my father in that, though I’m not all that close with my parents and rarely see them since they live in Florida now. With that in mind, I absolutely cannot tell him about Layla. Not only is she my student, but she’s also a subordinate at the hospital.
“It’s nothing,” I tell him. “Just a long week of teaching classes and working.”
“You can tell—” I hear my sister-in-law call to him in the background, cutting off his words. “I’m coming,” he calls back to her before he returns to the phone. “I gotta go help with the bath. Katy is asking for me. If you change your mind and want to talk about it, I’m here.”
“Thanks. I’ll see you next week when you drop her off.”
“Sounds good and thanks again. Later.”
He disconnects the call and I continue on, finally reaching Zax’s penthouse.
His fiancée, Aurelia, opens the door with a smile. “Hey! You made it.” She gives me a hug and then shuts the door behind me.
“I did. Am I the last to arrive?” I ask, searching around only to hear voices coming from the direction of the dining room.
“You are, but that only makes you right on time. Everyone is hanging out having a pre-dinner drink.”