Page 101 of Betting on the Brainiac

I should text her, but it’s past 10:00 on a Friday, so she’ll be deep into her shift at Gatsby’s. She wouldn’t even see it before 2 AM.

Tomorrow. I’ll go over midmorning, see if she wants to get breakfast. Ask her to her face so she can’t ignore a text. I can read her pretty well now. I can figure it out if we talk for a bit.

Even though I’m exhausted after a fourteen-hour workday and a half hour of kitten play, I don’t sleep well when I go to bed. Itoss and turn, and my internal clock tells me it’s closer to dawn than midnight when I finally start to drop off.

I wake up to strong morning light and stare at the ceiling for a full minute, willing myself to get out of bed. This schedule is punishing, but we have to finish this software on time. Have to. It’s more important than ever.

It’s taking a toll though. I feel it when I sit at the edge of the bed, talking myself into getting up and getting going instead of crawling back under the covers for two more hours of sleep.

“Pull it together, Oliver,” I say.

The bed almost wins until the doorbell rings. With a groan, I pull on a T-shirt and head down the stairs, pausing when I spot a shiny fringed mound on my sofa. It’s Madison, and it looks like she’s been there all night.

I open the door to find a pretty blonde woman on the doorstep. I haven’t seen her before, but I recognize the blue of her eyes. “Kaitlyn?”

“Oliver?”

“Shh.” I put my finger to my lips before jerking my head to welcome her in.

Her eyes widen when she spots Madison.Sorry,she mouths.

I shake my head to let her know it’s no big deal and head for the coffee maker. If anything, it’s a bonus that she stopped by and that Madi happened to fall asleep on the sofa. It reinforces her story about our living arrangement.

Kaitlyn beelines to the cats. Tabitha streaks out of the cat cave and leaps onto Madison’s back right as I accidently clink the coffee pot against the counter. Madison groans and stirs, shielding her eyes as she sits up. Tabitha simply moves to her lap.

“Good morning,” I say. “Sorry, didn’t mean to wake you.”

“That’s okay. You didn’t know—”

“Kaitlyn’s here,” I interrupt before Madison can say something about not meaning to sleep over.

Madison turns until she spots her sister. “Hey.”

“Hey.” Kaitlyn has two kittens already settled in her lap. “Sorry. Should have remembered you worked last night and might still be asleep.”

“’Sokay.” Madison blinks and pulls the soft new throw around her shoulders. She’s not fully with us yet.

“I’m making coffee,” I tell her. “You want some, Kaitlyn? Nice to meet you, by the way.”

“You too. Coffee would be great,” she says. “Thank you.”

“No problem.”

“Also, people call me Katie. If you want.” Her tone is almost self-conscious.

“They do?” Madison looks genuinely surprised. “Since when?”

Kaitlyn shrugs. “College. At least, my friends do. Mom and Dad still call me Kaitlyn.”

A silence falls. Madison stares at Kaitlyn like she’s an interesting bug. Kaitlyn stares at Smudge and Tuxie.

I clear my throat. “How was work?”

Madi looks over. “Fine. Full tables. Good tips.”

“Must have been tired to fall asleep in your uniform,” I say.

She glances down at her fringed top, then snuggles even deeper into the blanket, a hand snaking out to scratch beneath Tabitha’s chin. “I stopped to say goodnight to Tabitha, but she wanted to talk for a bit. Sorry I fell asleep, sweetie. I promise I care.”

---