“He asked me today at work. We are going to have dinner and a movie at my place Monday night. I know it’s stupid, but I want to get my hair trimmed and my eyebrows waxed.” Lindsay knew she was putting way too much pressure on this one date, but looking her best would at least make her feel somewhat better.
When she had been with Mitch, grooming was a requirement. If her skin wasn’t smooth or perfect at all times, he would punish her or worse; humiliate her by doing it to his satisfaction. Since being on her own, Lindsay kept everything simple and easy. She rarely did more than shaping her eyebrows and keeping her hair looking healthy.
“It’s not stupid. You’re a woman, and we women need our pampering. What time do you want to meet?”
“Does one work for you?”
“Sounds perfect, I’ll see you tomorrow at one. I have to get back to his highness before he has a hissy fit again. See ya tomorrow.” With that taken care of, she only had one more thing to deal with.
Stella would hate her for it, but Lindsay looked at her and said “Let’s go.”
“Where are we going?” The cautious way Stella asked made her grin devilishly.
“Shopping!” An almost painful sound escaped Stella, and Lindsay laughed all the way to the car.
****
“It is not funny!” Stella was now slumped over trying to catch her breath as tears were streaming down her face.
“You’re right, it’s hilarious.” She said between fits of laughter. Lindsay grabbed a towel from the basket of clothes Alex was folding and threw it at her. She had just come back from Vicki’s salon and was not in a joking mood.
“Should I leave the room?” Poor Alex was caught between Lindsay and the current object of her anger.
“No honey, you’re fine.” She kissed him on the cheek and turned her attention back to Lindsay. “Not so funny when it happens to you, is it?”
She flopped down in the chair across from the couch and groaned. “No it’s not, but you don’t have to enjoy it quite so much.”
“I warned you she was evil.” Evil was an understatement. Lindsay had arrived at Color Me Beautiful three hours ago to get her dead ends trimmed and her eye brows cleaned up. That all went to hell when Victoria decided to give her the same treatment she had given Stella a few months ago. She appreciated the mani/pedi, and even the haircut she was still getting used to. What she wasn’t prepared for were the services of Vicki’s intern William. The thought of him alone made Lindsay shudder and her skin throb.
“Let me guess, you met William.” Lindsay narrowed her eyes at Stella, and then glanced at Alex who was now bright red.
“If you ladies will excuse me, I need a beer.” He stood up and went to the kitchen. Stella leaned back grinning from ear to ear.
“He knows who William is, if you were wondering why he left the room so quickly.” Great, now not only was she sitting here getting used to the newfound nakedness between her thighs, but Alex knew what she had been through. Ugh.
“I wish I would have runaway at the salon. Never again will I subject myself to that. It’s like I can feel my heartbeat” Lindsay glanced toward the kitchen to make sure Alex was still there before finishing, “everywhere.”
“I’m with you. The convenience was nice, but nothing is worth that pain.” Alex came back to the living room and all conversation about waxing stopped and shifted to other things.
“On the plus side, I’m loving this new hairstyle. Victoria did an amazing job. I never thought you’d cut your hair so short, but it really works for you.” When she had sat down in the salon chair, Vicki suggested more than a trim. Lindsay’s first reaction was to say no, but as Vicki scrunched her hair in different ways she really liked one of the styles.
“I’ve never really had short hair before. I’m still getting used to how light it feels. Going from very long hair to a medium length bob is such a drastic change.”
“Well I think it looks great, and Kyle is going to absolutely die when he sees it.” Lindsay knew she didn’t need a man’s approval to be happy anymore, but she was anxious to see how Kyle would react tomorrow.
“It does look good on you Lindsay.” Alex was always so sweet.
“Thank you, and sorry for just barging in like that and interrupting you”
“I was just folding laundry, it wasn’t a big deal. We were going to make some dinner and watch TV, do you want to stay? There will be plenty.” Alex asked and Stella insisted that she say yes, so Lindsay did just that.
“Alright, what do you want me to help with?”
“Not a thing. You girls pick something to watch and I’ll get dinner started.” He left the room and Stella’s eyes followed him. They had some rough spots in the beginning, but Lindsay could tell they were very happy now and hoped she could feel that with someone one day.
“So what are we going to watch?” Stella pried her eyes off Alex’s rear end long enough to look at Lindsay and then the coffee table.
“We won’t be watching anything if we can’t find the remote. I forgot I was searching for it when you showed up.” She stood up and started looking around where she was sitting.
“Where all did you check?”
“I had just started, so one couch cushion was as far as I got.”
“Let’s get to it.” And so began the quest for the missing remote. It was a fun distraction from everything she had been through earlier and her impending date with Kyle.
****
Chapter 9
“Brady! Get your ass in here.” The Chief yelled from his office as Kyle was packing his duffle bag at the end of his shift. Knowing he hadn’t done anything to fuck up lately, he finished getting his stuff together. When he was done, Kyle flung the bag over his shoulder and leisurely walked to the office.
“Did you need something?”
“Come in and shut the door.” Kyle did as he was told, and moved to one of the two empty seats in front of the large desk. He began drumming his fingers on the arm of the chair as he waited for whatever was on the Chiefs mind.
“I wanted to let you know that Lieutenant Powers is retiring at the end of the month.” Lieutenant Powers was only fifty-five and the best Lieutenant Kyle every worked for. Now he was probably going to be stuck with some asshole who thought his shit didn’t stink; great.
“What brought this on? I’ve never heard him mention retiring before.”
“I think it has a lot to do with his back. It hasn’t been the same since he injured it last year and he feels like he’s letting the squad down. But with him retiring, I’m going to have a Lieutenant position to fill; your name has come up as a possibility.”
Kyle was shocked. Being a Lieutenant was something he wanted so badly, but never thought he would get the chance until at least his thirties or longer.
“I don’t know what to say.”
“Say yes when the time comes. It will go to the committee for a vote first, but you are the best candidate for the job. You’re the only full time firefighter at this station that has completed all the classes. As long as you keep up the hard work, and stay out of trouble, it should pass no problem.”
The Chief stood and extended his hand towards Kyle. Kyle stood too, but rounded the desk and clasped a big bear hug on the other man. “Thanks Dad!”
Knowing his dad didn’t like showing affection, especially at the station, Kyle let go quickly. With a pat on the back he said “You earned it” in his deep voice.
When Kyle was growing up, all he wanted to do was be just like his dad. Leonard Brady was one of the hardest working men Kyle knew and his life was dedicated to the two things; his job and his family.
He was a man of few words and when he was at home, he didn’t talk about work. The day Kyle enrolled in the fire academy, his dad asked if he was sure this was the path he wanted for his life. When he reassured his dad that it was, Leo shook his hand and said ‘welcome to hell.’
All these years later, Kyle understood why his dad said what he did. He had seen mo
re than enough heartache and loss that he nearly quit after his first month on the job. Since then though, he learned to compartmentalize his worlds so he wouldn’t bring the awful things he saw on a daily basis into his personal life.
But dealing with the hazards of the job hadn’t been Kyle’s only roadblock. Having your dad as your chief made others think you were handed everything on a silver platter, which was bullshit. If anything, Kyle had to work twice as hard to show his dad he belonged there. It had been a constant struggle for respect, but over the years he proved he was a hard worker and could pull his own weight without Leonard Brady. This promotion, if he got it, would be because he earned it and nothing else.
“What are your plans for the next two days? Your mother would probably appreciate a visit.” Kyle scooped up his duffle bag and tossed it over his shoulder again.
“I’m going home to sleep for a little bit, but I’ll give mom a call and head over when I get up. I have a date tomorrow night, so I won’t be able to do it then.” His dad gave him a bored look.
“Can what you do be considered a date? Picking up random women, sleep with them once and never calling again.”
“Lindsay’s not like that.”
“I guess I should be happy you remember this one’s name.” Kyle hated that his dad knew about his playboy reputation, but he was working hard to straighten out that part of his life and make his dad proud.
“I’m trying to change; you of all people should see that. I’ve been like a regular boy scout lately and it hasn’t been easy.” Going from party animal to acting like a monk was one of the hardest things Kyle had ever done, but Lindsay was worth any sacrifices he had made over the last two months.
“I have noticed a lack of hangovers and crazy women trying to track you down here.” Kyle winced. He did seem to attract the crazy ones. “So am I going to meet the woman that has finally tamed you?”
“Tomorrow night is our first date, I don’t think we are at the ‘meet the family’ stage; especially our family.” His father’s deep booming laughter echoed off the walls of the small office.
“Your mother would probably faint if you brought a nice girl home for once.” Kyle opened the door and prepared to leave.
“On that note, I’m heading out. Thanks again for telling me about the possible promotion; I won’t let you down.” His dad tipped his head in acknowledgement and started shuffling through some papers on his desk; their moment of bonding time was over.
Kyle threw his bag in the cab of his truck and climbed in. He wanted to go home and fall asleep for at least three or four hours, so on his way there, he called his mom and promised to come over around seven. Hearing how excited she was made Kyle feel guilty for not visiting more often.
He pulled into the driveway of his house just as he finished the conversation with his mom. Kyle knew he wouldn’t get any decent sleep unless he made the one call he really wanted to. He began scrolling through his phone for the right number and hit send.
“Hello”
“Hey, it’s Kyle.”
“No way, I didn’t get that from the name Kyle that popped up on my phone when it rang.”
“Ha Ha. I was calling to ask what movies you want me to pick up for tomorrow night, and to see what time you want me to come over.” When she didn’t answer right away, Kyle started to get a terrible feeling she was backing out and he hadn’t prepared for that.
“Um…” Lindsay sounded distracted and far from interested in talking to him right now.
“We can do it another time if you need to.” Kyle didn’t know how he would deal with it if she changed her mind, but he didn’t want to pressure Lindsay into something she wasn’t ready for.
“What? No, tomorrow is fine. Sorry, I’m at Stella and Alex’s and we are looking for the remote. I got distracted trying to help them find it. Now what were you saying?” Kyle let go of the breath he hadn’t realized he was holding.
“I asked what movies you want me to pick up and what time you want me there.”
“I’ll watch just about anything, except horror and sci-fi movies; pick whatever you want.” Kyle now felt pressure to pick the perfect movies. He didn’t want to watch a chick flick, but he didn’t think Lindsay would appreciate a bunch of action movies either.
“Alright, does seven work for you?”
“Yeah, I’ll borrow Stella’s take out menus and we can decide what to order when you get here; if that’s okay with you?” As long as Lindsay was there, anything was fine with him.
“Sounds like a plan. I’ll be at your place tomorrow at seven.”
“See you then, bye.” Lindsay hung up and Kyle couldn’t stop smiling. After setting the alarm on his phone for six-thirty, Kyle made it as far as his couch before he passed out from exhaustion.
****
“Ma, your baby boy’s home” Kyle shouted as he came through the front door of his childhood home. The familiar smells of his mother’s cooking never failed to make his mouth water.
“I’m in the kitchen.” Kyle toed off his shoes by the front door so he wouldn’t endure Sheila Brady’s wrath for wearing shoes in the house. He followed the hallway past the large family room and found his mom standing in front of the stove mixing something in a big pot. He walked over and slid his arm around her shoulders and placed a kiss to the top of her head.
“What did you make for me? I am a growing boy after all.”
“Kyle Mathew Brady, you haven’t been over here in weeks. I shouldn’t let you have any of my chicken and noodles.” Kyle gave his mom a one armed hug and tried to sneak his hand in the pot to grab a piece of chicken when she whacked the back of his hand with the spoon.
“Ow! Damn it, Ma. I’m sorry I haven’t been by to see you, but there is no need to injure me.” His mom put down her big cooking spoon and placed a kiss to the spot she hit. From somewhere behind him, Kyle heard a man laugh.
“Mommy’s still kissing your boo boo’s I see.” Kyle would know that voice anywhere. He spun around and was now face to face with Cooper Wilde.
“What the hell are you doing here?” His smarting hand all but forgotten, Kyle clasped Cooper in a tight hug. This day just kept getting better and better.
“I’ve been back in Chicago for a few weeks, but tonight was the first free night I’ve had to visit my parents. I came to say hi to your mom and she said you’d be here soon, so I decided to stick around a little while longer.” Kyle couldn’t help it; he had to hug the man again.
“It’s so great to see you. It’s been what, five years? Are you back for good?” Cooper nodded.
“What happened to L.A? I thought you loved it out there.” The expression on Coop’s face told Kyle there was definitely a reason he left, but clearly didn’t want to talk about it.
“Just time to come back home.” No matter what the reason, he was happy as long as Coop was staying in Chicago for good. Cooper Wilde lived next door to Kyle’s family for as long as he could remember and was more like a brother than a friend. He was Kyle’s best friend before Alex, and it was going to be so great to have him back.
When he moved to L.A. eight years ago, it felt like a piece of Kyle left with him. They tried to stay in contact, but between both of their crazy schedules it had been difficult. They spoke on the phone occasionally, but that hadn’t happened in at least a year.
“Well I’m glad your back. Are you still working in television?”
“Yep, I’m going to be the new commentator for the Chicago Crush. That’s why I haven’t been able to get home to visit since I’ve been back. Baseball is already underway, and they want me on air by the end of the month.”
“That’s awesome. How many times did we say we wanted to work with the Crush growing up?” Granted they both thought it would be on the field, not in the commentary booth.
“I know, I just have one problem. The producers want me to completely change my image. In L.A I was this cocky jokester, their words not mine, and they don’t think people in the Midwest will co
nnect with me. So now they’ve hired an image consultant of sorts to teach me how they want me to act.”
“Are you serious? They hired you because of your work and then want you to change what made you popular. Have you already met with whoever it is?” Coop grinned devilishly.
“Oh yeah, she absolutely hates me. Everything she tells me to do, I do the opposite. I’m hoping to piss her off enough that she quits and the producers get the hint.”
“You surprise me, Cooper. You’ve never been intentionally mean to someone before.” Kyle loved his mom. No matter how old they were, she still tried to give her lectures on good manners and such.
“I promise Mrs. Brady, no harm is being done. This woman’s shield of armor is so thick I don’t think King Kong could scare her. I’ve thrown every trick in the book at her, and she’s still standing.” His mom just rolled her eyes and went back to stirring the pot of noodles.
“I hate to rush off before we got a chance to catch up, but I have to get back to the hotel and go over some questions for an interview tomorrow.” They had just started talking and Kyle was bummed he was leaving so soon, but since he was back they had all the time in the world.
“My number is still the same. Give me a call when you get a chance and me, you and Alex can go grab a beer or something.” Coop extended his hand to Kyle.
“Sounds good to me, how is Alex?”
“Good, he got engaged a couple months ago. You’d like Stella; she’s a huge sports fan.” He’d leave off the psycho Predators fan part for now.
“I’ll give you a call later this week. Bye Mrs. Brady, I’m sorry I’ll miss eating your delicious chicken and noodles.” His mom wiped her hands on her apron and patted Coop’s cheek.
“Don’t worry about it, honey. You come back anytime and I’ll make more. It’s not like my own son or husband appreciates it.” He kissed the back of her hand and after another hand shake and goodbye, Cooper made his exit.
“I really am sorry Ma. I’ll try to come by more often. I know you get lonely here with dad working all the time.” He knew his parents’ marriage was strong, but sometimes he wondered how his mom dealt with his dad hours.