Page 42 of Can't Kiss the Chef

Jalen’s parents–with their faces squished together on the screen-are sporting two of the goofiest smiles I’ve ever seen. I join them. We are all just smiling in silence. It might be a little creepy to a bystander, but these are the people I feel most at home with.

“Byron!” Mae’s strong southern accent drips with disappointment. “You promised you were going to call me more this semester.”

I grit my teeth and put on my most charming smile. I hate knowing I disappointed the woman who is like a second mother to me.

“I’m sorry, Mrs. H, things have been a little crazy around here.” Last year I’d just jump on the call when Jalen was talking to his parents.

“You behaving yourself?” asks Mr. Holloway.

“It’s a little easier now that I don’t have your son here as a bad influence. Speaking of Jalen, he didn’t tell me he was going to see you guys today.”

Jalen’s parents’ answering his phone has me hoping even more that I get drafted by the Rangers. I want to be able to gohome after a game and make it easier for my mom, with her schedule, to come to my games.

“Ivy and him stopped by after practice today. It’s nice to have him so close to home.”

“Mom said she saw him last week, and wants to shave his awful beard.”

“Your mother and I have been working on that.” Mrs. Holloway murmurs, rolling her eyes.

“Mom, have you seen my phone?” Jalen yells from somewhere in their Brooklyn apartment.

“We have it, sweety. Byron called!”

Jalen’s head pops up behind his parents before he takes the phone from his mom.

“Hey Jay, can you take me somewhere a little more private? I need some advice.”

“Is everything okay?” The worry in Mrs. Holloway’s eyes has me feeling awful. I didn’t mean to make her nervous.

“Just need some girl advice, and I don’t need Ivy hearing and blabbing to Lola.”

A knowing smirk slowly spreads across Jalen’s face as his mom tells me, “I knew you two would work it out.”

“Yeah something like that.”

With that he’s on the move, giving me no chance to say bye to Mae and Andre.

“You could have at least let me say bye to your parents.”

“Ivy is going to be back any second. She’s coming after her study group, and I wanted to give us enough time to talk before my Mom buddies up and tells Ivy everything. I don’t know where her loyalty lies anymore.”

I can’t help the laughter that bubbles out of me. This guy and his flare for the dramatics.

I pull all the vegetables I need to make a salad out of the fridge. I keep my head turned from the phone to gather myself.I’m the funny friend, the one who doesn’t take life too seriously. Right now my life feels like a five alarm fire. My class clown persona is only rivaled by my competitiveness. Lola isn’t some trophy that I want to win, she is the person I want to be with. I want to show her she deserves more than a well-dressed man who only sees her as an accessory. She deserves someone who sees her as an equal, how she takes her morning coffee versus her evening coffee. That when she needs to decompress, she curls up on the couch with her current read, and that I can play video games next to her as long as I’m not too loud. That her love of travel comes from the trips her parents took her on growing up, and that she keeps a list of places she wants to go to next on her phone, always adding stops. Most importantly she wants to fix her relationship with her parents.

When I hear the door latch behind Jalen, it all comes flying out.

“Dude, can you believe fucking Dalton Powell was at our party last night!”

Just the mention of his name has Jalen turning red. He has always struggled being a mixed raced hockey player. Dalton and his prick teammates made him feel like he would never fit in.

“Oh, and it gets worse,” I tell him while he’s still processing. “He came with Lola.”

His jaw drops. He opens his mouth and then closes it again. After what feels like an eternity, he simply says, “How?”

“I guess he was working a camp this summer near her, and when she went home on Friday, she ran into him at a club and invited him over.” I take off my hat and toss it on the counter before I run my hands through my hair. “When she texted me asking if she could bring a friend, I assumed she meant Charlotte because we all love to see Aaron fall all over himself when she is around.”

“Dude, I don’t know what to say. Ivy hasn’t mentioned anything about Lola and a new guy.”

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