Page 31 of Just a Distraction

I think of Rose again, much like I have the past six months. The letter to her was written from the perspective of a friend. A nice gesture, I hope. Which is why a tumble of surprise falls through me when I get a notification that there’s a piece of mail in my mailbox in the office downstairs.

I don’t know if it’s from Rose. I probably shouldn’t get my hopes up. Still, it wouldn’t hurt to try to hurry down there to see if I can catch up with her.

No such luck, as she’s nowhere to be found. And the piece of mail in my box looks to be some sort of corporate automated mailer everybody else got . . . a postcard about health coverage.

As I reach in the box to grab the postcard, my thumb slides over a thicker, smaller envelope hidden beneath it. “Milo” is scrawled on the front. All lowercase letters except for the “L.”

I smile as I tear it open, whipping my head around in the vain hope that I’ll see her somehow.

Milo,

What a surprise. I had no idea you worked here.

Apologies that this note is not as cool looking as yours. Instead of a fancy wax seal, you get my messy handwriting on a piece of notebook paper. Bonus points for me for managing to find an envelope in my yet-to-be-unpacked apartment, though!

So, the T in the MKT stands for Tate. The M is for Milo. So what is the K for? Kornucopia? Konstantine? Kamphor?

If it is actually any of these names, please accept my deepest apologies for making fun of it just now.

And you don’t have to tell me either way.

But I do insist on knowing one thing: How are your baby-making parts holding up? Have they fully recovered from the trauma they sustained last fall?

Rose

I grin. I chuckle. I resist the urge to place the paper against my nose to see if it smells like her.

Glancing over the words again, I read between the lines. She must have just moved to Longdale if she isn’t unpacked yet. I could ask around, but I don’t want to raise any suspicions. If anyone were to find out that this Rose is actually my Gloria, my brothers would deem it their personal mission to analyze our every move. And tease us relentlessly.

The letter she’s written is funny, but she still seems guarded. No,Let’s become penpals, Milo!

But she asked about my baby-making parts. It could mean many things, but maybe she’s thinking of me in different terms than she said she would. Or she’s just a nice person who cares when people get hurt.

It’s probably that, but still. She didn’t say I shouldn’t write her back. She practically invited me to do just that by asking me questions about my middle name and the whole baby-making parts thing.

I laugh again. I want to run to my suite upstairs right now and write her back, but I force myself to calm down. Breathe.

I manage to somewhat enjoy my lunch with my brothers. I really am lucky. I want us to hang out together as much as possible. I’ve always been that way, ever since I was a little kid. Even though they are all older than me and we’re so different, I’ve wanted to connect with them. Sebastian left home by the time I was six, and ever since then, I’ve been trying to get us all back together.

Still, I can’t help thinking of Rose. I make a promise to myself that I’ll finish my work for the day before writing her another letter. It’s just as well because I’m not sure how much I’m going to tell her about myself. Do I tell her I’m a writer? Do I tell her how much I’ve been thinking of her all this time?

I guess I’ll figure that out when I start writing her back. Now it’s time to engage in one of those tricks I learned a long time ago—to force myself to get something done, I’d tell myself I’ll have a reward after.

And today? Today’s reward will be writing to Rose.

Chapter 12

Rose

“And how do you think you’re going to manage that, Eden?”

My sister Eden is calling again. As much as I love and adore her, I can’t do this right now.

For starters, I’m at work. I finger the smooth envelope in my pocket. It’s a talisman—my lucky rabbit’s foot today. I haven’t read it yet because I can’t open it in front of my boss, Anna. And with two of my housekeepers not able to show up for work today and then one of my employees cutting her hand on some equipment, I haven’t had the chance to read it.

I had fun playing nurse—cleaning her wound and bandaging it properly.

Someday, I’ll be doing that sort of thing all day long, not cleaning the lobby and managing other housekeepers.

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