Page 28 of Fast Forward

“So, how’s business? I hear you’re meeting the Mr Turrow this afternoon,” Kasey enquired.

Mr Turrow… that was the guy’s name! I still didn’t know who he was or what the meeting was for but at least I wouldn’t call him Mr Tugboat now. “Yes, that’s right. Um, it’s going well I guess.” For all I knew, business could be on a downward spiral and Mr Turrow could be some kind of debt collector.

Hang on… business… assuming she meant my business, then I must actually own KC Interiors!

“Who would have thought all those years ago that it would turn out so successful, huh?” Kasey added. “Must be the fantastic name we came up with.” She winked.

We came up with it? But it obviously stood for Kelli Crawford, my maiden name.

“I’m glad you eventually surrendered the ‘Kelli’s Designs’ idea and went with mine. I mean, KC Interiors – it’s just so brilliant how we combined our names. Poor old Will, not getting any naming rights, but he does own more of the company than I do and keeps the boat floating so to speak. We couldn’t have done it without him.” Kasey leaned forward. “Although, he couldn’t have done it without us. Your talent, my money and his business skills… perfect!”

So much information circled around my head trying to be processed, new revelations continually added to the proverbial merry-go-round in my mind. So, my sister was part owner of my business… and William and I were not only husband and wife, but business partners. Whatever happened to not mixing business with pleasure? And the name, KC… aha! Kay-Cee… Ka-sey… Kasey Interiors! We used our initials which just so happened to sound like Kasey’s name. It was brilliant.

Despite momentary pride at my success and the relief that I wasn’t just a housewife after all, I still didn’t understand why I hadn’t become a successful model. Mum would have loved it… would have been so proud. I remembered what the psychic said about her being sorry and I felt all weird inside, so I made the effort to push the memory from my mind.

When the waiter arrived with our meals I was anxious to check out the turken and broccolato. I immediately sliced off a tender chunk and pierced my fork into the flesh, along with a fragment of the crispy rosti.

“Holy crap!” I exclaimed after a deep moan. “This is freakin’ delicious.”

Kasey’s loaded fork paused near her open mouth and her eyes widened. A serious looking woman with lips like a taut rubber band glared my way from the table near us.

“What?” As I asked the question I realised I had spoken like a twenty-five-year-old as opposed to a mature woman of a certain age. Oh, and freakin’ probably wasn’t the word of the moment in the future… although had I heard Ryan saying it earlier? I couldn’t remember. Nothing new there.

From then on I used more appropriate words like divine, mouth-watering and heavenly, while Kasey simply said her meal was great as usual. When we’d finished our lunch and a dessert of – get this – oyster ice cream on honeycomb wafers, I downed a mouthful of the rich, warm liqueur-free affogato I’d decided to indulge in, despite having had more than enough caffeine and adrenalin for one day. Not to mention dairy. Whether it was the melted cheese on the turken or the oyster ice cream or the affogato I didn’t know, but my stomach was bloating like a balloon. Well, considering the fact that I woke up with a balloon-like stomach anyway, it was filling up like a large helium-filled balloon. With any luck it would continue inflating and float my cumbersome body back to the past. Hopefully it wouldn’t suddenly deflate with a high-pitched squeal.

“Did you forget to take your enzyme tablets?” Kasey asked, gesturing towards my stomach as I rubbed it a little. “You’ve probably overdone the lactose.”

“Damn.” I nodded. I didn’t know where to find any tablets as I wasn’t even carrying a handbag. No one seemed to carry handbags. Poor Prada must be out of business by now. Just me and my e-pad. Unless the e-pad also stored tablets, as well as glasses for my failing eyesight? It could be like a Mary Poppins e-pad.

“I’m sure it’ll pass,” Kasey said, indulging in an affogato too and for the first time since I sat down opposite her at the table I noticed the diamond glinting on her left hand. On the finger… as in the engagement-wedding-marriage finger. A single stone cradled by a spiral of gold melded perfectly alongside a plain gold band.

My sister was married! I couldn’t believe it. Kasey… a wife? I never thought I’d see the day. Well I’d guessed it was always possible, but I never saw her as the marrying type. Once, when she was about seventeen, I even thought she might be gay because she seemed to brighten up whenever my friend Rachel came over. But it turned out she just wanted to be one of us, although she never was. She was and always would be in my eyes, Kasey the bug-obsessed tomboy… which, as it seemed, had worked out well for her.

“How’s hubby?” I couldn’t resist asking. I wanted the goss.

“He’s great. Busy with his new anti-skin cancer campaign. I’m so proud of all the awareness he’s raised.”

Twenty-five years later and skin cancer remained a problem by the sounds of it. Probably due to that global warming stuff. Kasey’s husband was probably a medical type too, some kind of doctor or researcher perhaps? I bet he and Kasey were like twins. Two little (well, not that little) scientific types discussing bugs and… holo-ink over the breakfast table.

“Sounds like he’s been a busy boy,” I added, hoping for more details.

“Yes, but not too busy to come to your party tonight, of course. We’re both looking forward to it.”

Oh yay, I’d get to meet her husband. How cute! I smiled at my little sister, feeling suddenly protective and big-sisterly and guilty for the many times I’d made fun of her as a child.

“Why are you looking at me like that?” Kasey asked with one eyebrow cocked.

“It’s just, well, do you remember the night before my twenty-fifth birthday (last night to be exact, but what could I say?), when you got upset at the bar and stormed off during my speech?”

Kasey’s eyebrows drew together and she tapped at her chin. “Oh yes, you were talking about your fantastic life, while I was thinking how crappy mine was.”

“Well, I can’t remember if I ever apologised for whatever it was that upset you and for any times I made you feel left out. So, I’m apologising now. I’m sorry.”

Kasey flicked her hand towards me. “Oh, don’t be silly, it’s all in the past. And besides, I was really only upset that night because of Dad.”

“Dad?”

“Yeah. You would have been a mess too if you’d just found out the father you thought was flesh and blood wasn’t your biological father after all.”

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