Page 71 of The Write Off

Lawyer kids.

It’s nice to see Rilla so at ease with her brother. They worked through their issues with a long overdue heart-to-heart and appear to be back to what Callum has described as their “usual state of obnoxiousness.”

Once again, I find myself wondering what life would have been like if Eric and I had been closer. I can’t even imagine having the same easy back-and-forth that Rilla and Josh share. With four years between us, we never attended the same schools. Every time I achieved something, my father would remind me that Eric had not only done it first, but also better. Maybe without my father constantly pitting us against each other, we could have been allies. Brothers.

My mother left three voice messages since last week’s beautiful disaster. My father even called once; I wasn’t aware he had my phone number. I’ve ignored them all. Not out of spite, not even to make a point. I’ve just stopped caring about their opinions of me and how I should live my life.

For the first time in my life, I am more than content, and I am deliriously happy. Rilla has inspired more love and given me more in return than I’ve ever experienced. I’m not giving that up, not for them or anyone else. Choosing her is choosing myself, and it feels fucking great.

“Okay,” Maggie says when everyone’s glasses have been topped up. “Rilla and Betty are up. Show the rest of us how it’s done.” She curls up on the couch with Callum’s arm around her.

“Alright,” Rilla says, grabbing a card from the pile. “You ready, St. Claire?”

“Born ready,” Betty replies with the intensity of a person who’s been tasked to defuse a ticking bomb.

“Prepare to be astounded,” Josh says to me as he flips the timer. “Go.”

Staring intently at Betty, Rilla makes the universal hand signal for movie and then holds up four fingers. She breaks into some sort of choreographed dance sequence, and within seconds, Betty is on her feet.

“Save The Last Dance!” They squeal as they throw their arms around each other and proceed to jump up and down while the rest of us are still catching up.

“Every damn time.” Josh shakes his head, grinning.

***

“I want pancakes.”

This woman and her pancakes.

I hoist the maple syrup sorceress up on my back more as we start up the final hill to my condo. I drank more than I’d anticipated at Maggie and Callum’s and we’d decided to walk home instead of calling an Uber. I’ve been giving her a piggyback for the last five blocks which has gotten us a few odd looks from passers-by.

“I’ve got all the ingredients at home. I was planning on making them for you for breakfast, but I can whip up a batch before bed.”

“Mmmm, no. I’ll wait for the morning.” She hugs my neck tighter, almost cutting off my airway. I grunt and she loosens her grip. “Are you getting tired? Want me to take a turn carrying you?”

“I’ll manage.”

She’s adorable after a few glasses of wine. I love the way she talks with her hands, like the game of charades never ended. She kept messing up my hair and laughing giddily, so obviously at ease and happy with her friends.

Is joy contagious? Because I can’t remember the last time I’d enjoyed myself that much in a social situation. They’re such a close-knit group of friends with years of history and shared experience but instead of feeling like an outsider looking in, I felt included. Welcomed with open arms.

It felt good.

“I think I’m going to give my notice at Dive,” Rilla says as we arrive at my building. I crouch down, making it easier for her to slide off my back.

“Really?” She had mentioned that Phil asked her how many shifts she was looking for this summer. College students will be looking for work after their school year comes to an end and he’ll want to make sure he’s adequately staffed for the tourist season.

“Yeah. Or at least cut back my hours to only one shift a week. I’d like to commit more time to editing the remaining books. And I’ve been playing around with an outline for a new story. It’s early in the developmental stage, but I’m having fun with it and I want to see where it goes.”

We’ve spent a lot of time talking about her existing books, but this is the first time she’s talked about working on something new.

“Is it connected to the Primordial Series?” Her current saga spans decades and has several intricate storylines weaved together. There is no doubt in my mind that Rilla could take any number of existing plots and create a spin-off based on something she’s already created.

“No. I thought about writing a prequel, and maybe I will someday. But I’m ready for something completely new.” I can see the excitement in her eyes as they sparkle in the glow of the streetlights. “I’ve also been thinking it might be fun to plan a trip. I haven’t traveled much, aside from family vacations.”

“Oh?” We’ve never talked about traveling before, but considering how little of the world I’ve been to, I’m immediately on board. “Can I come with you?”

“Really? I don’t even know where I’m going.”

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