I Hate You, Mr. Boss-Man [18+]

037

Katherine

"It was lovely to have you, my dear," Nell crows, taking both of my hands in her grasp—eyes creasing from her sweet smile. "I hope to see you again."

"Thank you, Eleanor," I say earnestly, the corner of my lips curving into half of a smile. "For letting me into your home and making me feel so welcome. I haven't felt like that in such a long time."

Nell's eyebrows drew together, brown eyes shimmering with tears.

She pulls me into her arms, wrapping around my back. "Take care of yourself, you hear me?" She whispers, hands patting my back. "You're welcome anytime. I know it's not my place but, if you ever need some motherly advice," Nell leans back, smiling warmly—so much concern in her features, it almost made me cry. "I'm a phone call away."

My eyes flicker behind her, Jesse coming into view—our bags in his grasp. "You have no idea how much I appreciate that," I vow, my voice almost breaking at the end. "I'm just sorry that you even had to offer."

Eleanor kisses her teeth, waving her hand in dismissal—Jesse saunters closer. "I can't even begin to explain how angry it makes me, knowing that your mother is so prideful. Especially being her daughter, I could never turn my back on Cassandra. I can only hope that one day, she'll realize her mistakes."

My smile fades slowly, nodding my head in agreement. "I've been holding out hope forever. There's only so much I can take." I feel Jesse's arm snake around my shoulder, tugging me closer to plant a kiss on the side of my head. I meet his eyes, my smile reappearing at the sight of him.

"Ready to go?" He asks, dropping his hand to reach for the bags on the floor, his head jerking towards the front doors. "We gotta get going, mom." Jesse's eyes flicker over to his mother. "We don't want to hit traffic on the way to the airport."

"Of course," Nell agrees, extending her arms out to give her son a goodbye hug. "Be safe and call me when you get home."

"Always," He grunts, pulling away from his mother's embrace. "I'm gonna put these in the car," Jesse gestures to the bags in his hands. "I'll give you a bit more time to say goodbye." He trails, his eyes shifting to Caleb, who was slowly approaching. His lips set in a hard line, brows furrowing softly—chin lifting subtly.

Caleb stands beside Nell, head lowered. His hands fiddled in the front pockets of his jeans, foot shuffling back and forth—grazing the tile. "I..." He starts, a crease appearing between his brows as his eyes meet mine. "I want to apologize to you, Katherine."

My brows raise—somewhat surprised with the apology. I press my lips together, head bowing slightly—encouraging him to continue. I glance at Jesse, knowing damn well he must've said something to him. "Caleb, don't even worry-"

"No," He chimes, cutting my repudiation short. "I have to say this. I judged you too harshly without knowing the whole story. My effronteries will not go unchecked, and I'm truly sorry that I hurt your feelings."

So, there was hope for him. "I admire your candor," I say softly, giving him a lopsided grin. "And I accept your apology. Not very many people can sound so genuine."

Caleb's face flushes, eyes widening slightly from my compliment. He bows his head once, reaching into his pocket for something. "Jess told me that your brother wants to design video games," He pulls out a laminated card, handing it over to me.

I shoot Jesse a look, shaking my head at his nonchalance. I take the card from Caleb's fingers. "Yeah," I mumble, glancing down at the card's inscription. CRT Developing, SF, California. "It's sort of like his dream."

"I've been looking for content designers. I'm trying to get as many interviews in as I can, and I hear your brother is one hell of an artist." Caleb notes, earning a head nod from me. "If he's interested, I'd love to set up a meeting to see what he's got."

My smile grows, looking up from the card to meet Caleb's gaze. "I'm sure he'd be thrilled. I'll make sure to pass the memo along. Thank you, Caleb." I beam, glancing at the outstretched hand he offered me. I take it, shaking it once, and I return my hand to my side.

"It was wonderful to meet you, Katherine." Caleb flashes me a genuine smile, placing his hand back into his pocket. "I hope to talk soon about your brother."

I nod once, lips forming into a thin smile—placing the card into my bag. "Will do."

"It was good to see you, man," Jesse pipes up, taking his brother's hand in his—pulling him against his chest as they pat each other's back. "Talk soon?"

"Definitely," Caleb says, nodding once as he lets go of Jesse's hand. "Again, I'm sorry-"

Jesse waves his hand, dismissing the second apology. "Don't even worry about it. I'm not holding anything against you. Thank you for apologizing to Katherine."

"Yeah." He nods again, and Nell places her hand on his shoulder, smiling softly at the interaction.

"I wish Henry, Ronnie, and the kids didn't leave so early. They send their best, by the way," Nell mentions, her eyes flickering between Jesse and me. "As for Cassandra, she had to get to school early. Cheerleading practice and all."

The sound of my phone ringing interrupts me—sighing as I reach into my purse. "Can you excuse me for a moment?" I ask, gripping on the edges of my cell. Dylan's third-grade graduation photo appears. Taking in the nods of dismissal, I squeeze Jesse's arm and step outside.

Suddenly, my pulse quickens—trembling fingers answer the call. "Dyl?" I mutter, my face prickling—the cold morning breeze biting my exposed skin.

"Yeah," Dylan replies, the sounds of a hectic airport bustling in the background. "I just wanted to let you know that I made it to JFK. I'm safe, just waiting for my flight to board."

I nod softly, well aware that Dylan couldn't see me. "Good," I sigh, eyes averting to the cobblestone at my feet. "Uh, what time does your flight leave?"

"Not for another hour," He answers tiredly, a yawn coming through the mic. "I kind of wish I didn't book it this early."

"Sorry, I'm not there to see you off," My eyes meet Jesse's at the doorway, our bags in his hands. I raise my finger, signaling him to give me a minute. "I wish I was going with you."

The line goes silent for a second, his breathing coming through before he curses. "This fucking sucks, you know that?!"

My lips part in surprise, somewhat expecting his outburst and then not. "Which part?"

"All of it," He mumbles. "You've been missing dad's birthdays for the past seven years. For what?" He spits harshly. "You're gonna let mom keep you from visiting his grave?"

I lower my head, lip trembling as I draw it in, keeping it between my teeth to stop myself from crying. "Dyl, I..."

I hear Dylan take a breath—exhaling in my ear. "I'm sorry. That's not fair to you. It's not your fault. I just..." He sighs again, the whole fight bothering him. At least she talked to him. "I miss how we used to be, you know?"

I sniffle, keeping my eyes to the ground—my chin is lifted, Jesse's finger tucked underneath to get me to look at him. His brows furrow at the tear that rolls down my cheek before he wipes it away. "I miss us too," I murmur, leaning into his chest as he pulls me in. "Let me in on all the platoon tales, mkay?"

"Yeah, I will. Kat, I didn't-"

"It's fine, Dyl," I say lowly. "I know you didn't mean it. Kiss dad's headstone for me?"

"Always."

I shut my eyes tight, my heart breaking into a million pieces. "Okay, love you, kid. I'm sorry for everything."

"I love you, too, Kat. I'm sorry I let her tell you those things."

The line goes dead before I could respond, and I find myself crying harder—burying my face into Jesse's chest.