Work on Friday was anything but wonderful. Still, it was routine, and it gave Cari something to think about that had nothing to do with matches, or the fact that her search dwindled even further.
She was halfway through her shift when she heard someone say her name.
“Holly?” she asked, turning around.
“Hey,” Holly said. “I was in the area for lunch and I figured I’d stop by, since you said I could.”
“Well, hi,” Cari said.
“Something is wrong, isn’t it?” Holly asked. “It’s John and Lola, right?”
“Yeah,” Cari said. “I hate it, and it’s awful, but I can’t even be mad at him because I know he can’t do anything about it. I just… Now I’m the only one, yet again, and there’s nothing that I can do to fix that.”
Holly nodded. “I know. He really didn’t want to hurt you, just so you know. He definitely should have told you though, rather than waiting until he’d already brought her back to his apartment.”
“Yeah, he should have, but he didn’t,” Cari said. “I just hate this, because everything was going so well in my life for once, and now it’s all falling apart again.”
“It’ll get better,” Holly said. “I know it doesn’t seem like it will, but it’s going to. And I’d like to remind you, you’re designing awesome book covers for incredible books. At least you’re doing something with your life that reaches a lot of people, and who knows? Maybe it’s one of your covers that causes a kid somewhere to start drawing things.”
“Maybe,” Cari said. “I’m sorry I’m complaining to you. I know he’s your friend.”
“So are you,” Holly said. “Look, I’ve got to get back to work, but you’ve got my number. If you need to talk about anything, or you want someone to kick his ass, just give me a call, all right?”
“Thanks, Holly,” Cari said.
“Anytime,” Holly said. She patted Cari’s hand and left the store.
Five minutes after Cari got home, there was a knock at the door of her apartment. She opened it to reveal Ria and Molly, who walked past her without waiting for an invitation to enter.
“You’ve got dinner with your family, so we’re going to dress you up and make you look perfect so that your mother can’t complain about how you didn’t put enough effort into your appearance,” Molly said.
“I’m sorry I ran out yesterday, Molly,” Cari said, shutting the door. “And you guys really don’t have to do this.”
“No, but we want to, so it’s going to happen,” Ria said.
“It’s fine,” Molly said. “You don’t have to apologize to me. It was bad timing on my part. I should have asked why you were there first.”
“It was big news, and you wanted to share it,” Cari said. “I don’t blame you for not waiting.”
“Still, I should have,” Molly said. “You and Ria only ever sit on the floor for one of three reasons. You’re doing online window shopping, we just moved someone in to a new apartment, or something bad happened. Considering the fact that you hadn’t just finished moving someone in, and you had no laptop in front of you, I should have realized it was because something less than stellar happened in your life.”
“You were excited,” Cari said. “You weren’t thinking about anything else. Really, Molly, it’s my fault.”
“Well, if we’re done arguing over whose fault it was, I suggest that we move this party into Cari’s bedroom so that we can raid the closet,” Ria said.
“I approve of this plan,” Molly said.
Cari smiled. “Well, let’s do it then.”
Molly and Ria spent a half an hour in Cari’s closet flipping through her racks of clothes. Eventually they emerged with a sleeveless blouse, dark jeans, and a pair of dressy sandals.
“If they complain about this, they’re officially nuts,” Ria said, handing the clothes to Cari. “But here’s a cardigan for good measure, because knowing your mom, she’ll complain about the fact that she can see your shoulders.”
“She complains about the fact that she can see my face,” Cari said.
Molly snickered. “I’m sorry that I find that funny.”
“Don’t be, it was,” Cari said.
“Yes, it was,” Ria said, waving her hands at Cari. “Now go change.”
“Yes ma’am,” Cari said. She went off to the bathroom and pulled on the clothes Ria had given her. When she went back into her room, Molly was lying on her bed and Ria sat on her desk chair.
“Oh, you’re back,” Ria said. “Let’s get to work, then.”
She stood up and dragged the desk chair over to Cari’s mirror. Cari had put a small table in front of it to give her somewhere to do her makeup, and Ria began to pull products out of the tiny set of drawers that rested there. Molly stood up, took Cari’s shoulders, and gently steered her over to the chair. As Ria continued to select the products she wanted, Molly removed Cari’s ponytail and began to brush through her hair.
“You two have such pretty hair,” Molly said. “I’m the only one in my entire family that isn’t blonde.”
“Sometimes I wish I wasn’t, but then I remember that my mother would tell me that I should dye my hair so that I’ll look more like Grace,” Cari said. “Never mind the fact that Grace looks exactly like me. I was here first, as they so often forget.”
“Stupid parents are stupid,” Ria said. She started on Cari’s makeup. Cari shut her eyes and let her two best friends do their work.
“You know, this whole thing is ridiculous,” Molly said after a while.
“What is?” Cari asked.
“The whole soul mate thing,” Molly said.
“What do you mean?” Cari asked.
“Just… You know how you did the cover for the book where nobody has a soul mate, and everybody just goes along and dates multiple people until they fall in love and sometimes they fall out of love or it doesn’t work?” Molly said. “I just wonder why we aren’t like that. Everyone would have a choice then.”
“We just aren’t that way,” Ria said. “Can you imagine what it would be like if we were? All those teenagers who wouldn’t have gone out with anyone, and who wouldn’t know that one day they’ll meet the right person? Everyone would just be left to be convinced that they aren’t good enough for someone to love them.”
“It’s not about that though,” Cari said. “You guys are in committed relationships with people that you love. The fear of being alone doesn’t have to stem from thinking that you’re not enough. It stems from spending so much time being lonely that you start to wonder if that’s all you’ll ever be.”
“Well, I for one like us as we are,” Ria said. “It would be so messy if we didn’t have soul mates.”
“It would be even more special though,” Molly said. “Meeting that person would truly be a coincidence, and it would a combination of your personalities and goals that would keep you together, not some bond that you don’t have any control over.”
“I like that world,” Cari said. “You guys should read the book when it comes out. It’s really good.”
“I know I’ll buy it,” Molly said. “I like to consider possibilities.” Cari felt Molly’s hands leave her hair. “All done.”
“As am I,” Ria said. “You can open your eyes now, Cari.”
Cari did as she was told. She smiled at the sight of herself in the mirror. Ria had done a very neutral look that emphasized Cari’s green eyes, and Molly had done a series of complicated braids that were pinned up at the nape of her neck.
“Thanks so much, you guys,” Cari said, smiling.
“It was our pleasure,” Ria said.
“If your parents start pulling any crap, just send us a text and we’ll get you out of there, all right?” Molly said.
“Got it,” Cari said. She looked at her watch and sighed. “I should probably get going, much as I don’t want to.”
“We’ll walk you out,” Ria said. “But like Molly said, text us and we’ll rescue you somehow.”
“I always ask you guys to do that way more than I should,” Cari said. “But point taken.”
“What kind of friends would we be if we didn’t save you from torture?” Molly asked.
“Awful ones,” Ria said, nodding. “It’s our duty to save you.”
“That’s not to say that we only doing it because it’s our duty and not because we want to,” Molly said. “But yes, it is our duty to save you from miserable experiences.”
Cari chuckled and started to put a few things into one of her bags. “You two are odd.”
“You love us though,” Ria said.
“I do, yes,” Cari said. She zipped up the bag and pulled it over her head so the strap rested across her body. “Shall we?”
“Let’s,” Molly said.
They left Cari’s apartment and went out of the building together. They parted ways outside, Ria and Molly turning left to go back to their apartment, and Cari turning right to go to the bus stop.
The bus ride was quiet, with only a few other people on it. Cari listened to music the entire way, and when she got off the bus on a corner that was a five-minute walk from her parents’ house, she wrapped her earbuds around her mp3 player and put it back in her bag.
The suburban neighborhood that her parents still lived in didn’t look any different than it did when she was growing up there. The houses were the same, many with the same inhabitants. Everyone still kept their lawns nicely manicured, and they walked their dogs at the same time every day. It was certainly different than Cari’s life, where the only schedule she kept to was the one for her job at the bookstore.
She walked up the driveway of her parents’ house and then onto the path to the front door. Her mother had planted flowers, as usual, and the house looked like something that belonged in a movie. She rang the doorbell and stepped back as she heard it chime inside the house.
A familiar figure opened the door. She was slightly taller than Cari, but they shared the same blonde hair and green eyes.
“Cari!” she said.
“Hi, Grace,” Cari said, smiling slightly.
“Mom’s in the middle of making dinner, but come in,” Grace said, stepping back so that Cari could walk past her and enter the house.
Cari removed her shoes and hung her bag up on a hook in the foyer. “How’s summer been treating you?”
“Good,” Grace said. “I’ve been at the dance studio a lot working on my routine for the end-of-summer competition. How about you?”
“It’s been pretty much the same,” Cari said. “I’m still working at the bookstore and designing book covers. I did move into a new apartment though. I’m not sharing anymore.”
“Why’d you move?” Grace asked. “I thought you liked living with Molly and Ria and them.”
“I did, but it was putting a bit of a strain on our relationship,” Cari said. “Molly and Nick are engaged now, and we were all going to start moving on eventually. I just was the first one to do it. I’m only about a fifteen minute walk away now, and I still see them all regularly, but I’ve got my own place now.”
Grace nodded. “I see.”
“Grace, is that your sister?”
“You should probably go say hi to her,” Grace said, jerking her chin in the direction of the kitchen.
“Yeah, probably,” Cari said, sighing.
She walked down the hall and turned left through an archway. The kitchen looked the same as it always did, with oak counters and cabinets, and granite countertops. Her mother was moving around, stirring the contents of various pots and cutting up various ingredients.
“Hi, Mom,” Cari said, stopping just inside the doorway.
Sarah turned around to face her daughter. “Cari. You still haven’t bought a car?”
“No, I haven’t, since I don’t need one,” Cari said.
“Of course you do,” Sarah said, turning back to the stove.
Cari gritted her teeth. “Yeah. Moving has eaten up a bit of my spending money though, so a car isn’t going to be in my future for a while.”
“Why did you move anyway?” Sarah asked. “You were doing just fine with those friends of yours.”
“I needed my own space,” Cari said.
“It’s not like you have a match to worry about,” Sarah said. “That is, unless there’s been a development on that front.”
Cari swallowed. “Uh… I haven’t met them yet, but I… uh… I did feel something.”
Sarah froze. The spoon in her hand fell to rest against the edge of the pot it was in. When she turned around, she had a wide smile on her face. “You should have told me immediately, Cari!”
“Sorry,” Cari said. “I just… Forgot.”
“This is wonderful news,” Sarah said. “Perfect. We’ll just have to hope that you meet them soon.”
She went back to cooking as Cari exhaled slowly. “So, where’s Dad?”
“He’s upstairs working on a case,” Sarah said.
“He’s got another?” Cari asked.
“Yes, and this one is taking up a lot of time,” Sarah said.
“That’s unfortunate,” Cari said.
“What have you been doing with yourself?” Sarah asked. “Grace has been working on her dancing all summer.”
“She told me,” Cari said. “I’ve been working at the bookstore, and doing more cover designs.”
“Those are hardly suitable jobs for a young lady like yourself,” Sarah said.
“One of my covers ended up on a number one bestseller,” Cari said, crossing her arms. “If that doesn’t count as an accomplishment, then I don’t know what does.”
“Your sister won a gold medal in her competition at the beginning of the summer,” Sarah said.
“Of course she did,” Cari said.
“Don’t take that tone with me, young lady,” Sarah said.
“Sorry,” Cari said.
“Don’t apologize if you don’t mean it,” Sarah said.
Cari swallowed. “I’m going to go talk to Grace.”
“Good,” Sarah said. “Maybe some of her manners will rub off on you.”
Cari left the kitchen and went upstairs. She knocked on a door, and Grace responded.
“Come in!”
Cari pushed the door open to see Grace lying on her stomach on her bed with a book.
“I don’t know how you live with them,” Cari said, shutting the door and sitting down in the giant circular chair in the corner of Grace’s room.
“I just do my own thing, and for some reason, they like it,” Grace said.
“It would be nice if they liked something that I did for once, but I suppose that would be asking too much of them, wouldn’t it?” Cari asked.
“Dad’s proud of you,” Grace said. “He won’t say anything to Mom, you know how she gets, but he bought a copy of Three Times Ruined and he displays it in his office downtown. He’s been telling everyone how his daughter designed the cover of it.”
“I just wish she wasn’t so full of it,” Cari said.
“You know that a lot of it just has to do with her life choices,” Grace said. “She majored in English, and it didn’t do her any good, so now she’s sitting here wanting both of us to do things that will be lucrative careers. She didn’t become a novelist like she wanted to, so now anything to do with books is taboo.”
“You’d think the fact that I succeeded where she didn’t would make her even more proud of me, but apparently not,” Cari said.
“It makes her feel insignificant,” Grace said. “She spent her life raising us, and now you’ve found success in an industry where she couldn’t, and it probably makes her wonder what she did wrong.”
“She didn’t do anything wrong,” Cari said. “I got lucky. I designed for a book that became really popular, and it made other people request covers from me. That’s it.”
“She doesn’t see it that way,” Grace said. “She sees it as her failing. That’s why she likes my dance. It’s harmless, I do well, and it’s not going to hinder me. I’ve been telling her I’m going to go to college for pre-med just to keep her off my back, but I’ve been looking at schools with really good dance programs. She doesn’t have to know until I’m already in.”
“You’re crafty,” Cari said.
“I have to be,” Grace said. “You’re lucky. You don’t live here anymore. For the most part, she stays out of your life. She’s all over mine.”
“Yeah, sorry about that,” Cari said.
Grace shrugged. “It’s one more year, and then I’m off to college and there’s nothing she can do about it anymore.”
“I never thought I’d see the day when you would be going against Mom’s wishes,” Cari said.
“What can I say?” Grace asked. “I’ve spent my entire life watching you say ‘screw it’ and do what you want. I figured it was time I did the same.”
“I guess I did teach you something after all,” Cari said, smiling.
“I’ll say,” Grace said.
“So, has anything else interesting happened?” Cari said.
Grace groaned and rolled onto her back. “You could say that.”
“Good or bad?” Cari asked.
“In Mom’s eyes, good,” Grace said. “In mine, it’s highly questionable.”
“You didn’t,” Cari said, her eyes widening.
“Oh, I did, and I’m not happy about it,” Grace said. “Mum’s all gung-ho and telling me that we have to go to college together and get married as soon as we’re done and while he’s nice and everything, I’ve got my own goals and I’m not changing them just because I found my match while I was still in high school.”
“What’s he like?” Cari asked.
“He’s all right,” Grace said. “His name is Fred. Or Freddie, as his older brother calls him. I ran into him when I was picking up my outfit for the end-of-summer competition. He was there with his little sister because she needed hers, and that was it.”
“Ah,” Cari said. “So he’s the same age as you are?”
“A couple months older, but yeah, he is,” Grace said.
“I see,” Cari said. “Well, good for you for wanting to live your own life anyway. There aren’t enough people who do. They meet their match and they drop everything because of it.”
Grace shook her head. “I know what I want, and if he can’t deal with it, that’s his problem. That’s not to say that I don’t want to make it work, because he is nice, but it’s my life.”
“You’re smart,” Cari said. “My little sister is a wise person.”
“I try,” Grace said, smiling.
“I’m sure you do,” Cari said.
They sat there in silence for a little while before there was a knock at the door.
“Girls?”
“Come in, Dad,” Grace said.
The door opened, and their father stepped into the room. He was the only one of the four family members who wasn’t blonde, and his brown hair was mussed.
“Hi Dad,” Cari said.
“Hello, Cari,” Alec said.
“So Grace said you’re proud of me for Three Times Ruined?” Cari asked.
Alec smiled slightly. “I am, yes, but don’t tell your mother I said that or she’ll have all of our heads.”
“It would just be nice if she’d be happy about one of my accomplishments for once,” Cari said.
“She will be, when she gets over her own misgivings,” Alec said. “You did good work with that cover, and you should be proud of that fact. I’m sorry I didn’t see how hard you worked before.”
“It’s okay,” Cari said.
Alec shook his head. “It’s not. You’re my daughter and I should be supporting you in your choices, no matter what they are. You’ve done a good job.”
“Thank you,” Cari said.
“See, I told you,” Grace said.
“Yeah, you did,” Cari said.
“I came to tell you that dinner is ready,” Alec said.
“I suppose we should go downstairs then,” Cari said.
She followed her father and sister out of the room and down the stairs. When they entered the dining room, Sarah was already seated. Alec sat down at the head of the table. Grace sat down on the right side, and Cari sat opposite from her on the left.
“So, you’ve moved into a new apartment, Cari?” Alec asked as they began to pass the food around.
“I have, yes,” Cari said.
“Why is that?” Alec asked.
Cari shrugged. “I wanted my own space, and we’re all getting to the point where we need to spread out. Molly and Nick just got engaged, so I’m sure they’ll be looking for their own apartment soon.”
Alec nodded. “Are you happy with your move?”
“Very,” Cari said. “My landlord is very nice, and it’s a quiet building. I haven’t had any trouble since I moved in. It’s also only a five-minute walk to the bookstore, which has been nice. It was a good decision, and it’s given me space to keep my bedroom separate from my office, which I really like.”
“I’d imagine so,” Alec said.
“I want to come and see it,” Grace said.
“Well, you won’t be able to, since you don’t have a car and your sister still hasn’t bought one,” Sarah said.
“Mom, I’ve been using our third car since I got my license,” Grace said. “Why can’t I use it?”
“Let’s not have this discussion now,” Alec said.
“You can come by whenever you want, as long as I’m not working,” Cari said. “I’d like for you to see it. I’d like for all of you to see it, actually.”
“Well, I’m afraid I’m too busy right now,” Sarah said.
“I never said when,” Cari said.
Alec cleared his throat. “We’ll come by at some point, Cari. What are your plans for the rest of the summer?”
“I don’t know, honestly,” Cari said. “I’m going to keep working at the bookstore, and designing covers, and I might take a little vacation at some point.”
“I thought you didn’t have the money to buy a car,” Sarah said.
“I don’t,” Cari said. “I’ve been saving for a nice vacation for a while though. I’m not tapping into that money to buy a car that I don’t even need.”
“That’s a smart decision, Cari,” Alec said.
“Thanks, Dad,” Cari said.
“Maybe you should take a trip,” Sarah said. “You might run into your match, like Grace did.”
“Mom,” Grace said.
“She’s only seventeen, and she’s already met the man she’s going to spend the rest of her life with,” Sarah said. “What can you say you’ve done, Carina?”
Cari balled her napkin in her hands. “I don’t know, Mom, you tell me.”
“You’ve done nothing,” Sarah said. “That’s what you’ve done. Nothing.”
Cari looked at Alec and Grace. Both were eating silently, their gazes fixed on their plates. She looked up at her mother and laughed. “You know what, Mom? I’ve done a lot of stuff. I designed the cover for a number one bestselling novel. I have two jobs, one of which I don’t even need, and I’m perfectly happy with it. I moved into an apartment on my own, and I’m paying rent without any problems, and I’m only twenty-three. So what if I haven’t met my match yet? To tell you the truth, I’ve never even felt anything. I lied to make you feel better. But if you think I’m such an abysmal failure, maybe I should stop coming to dinner when you ask me to.”
She stood up and set her napkin down on the table. “I’m going home. It was nice to see you, Grace, Dad.”
Without waiting for a response, she went out into the hall, slipped her shoes on, grabbed her bag, and left the house. She started walking down the street towards the bus stop. As she rounded the corner from her parents’ street to the next, someone pulled up beside her.
“Cari? Cari Felis?”
She looked over at the car to see a boy with red hair looking at her through the open window. “Palmer? I haven’t seen you since high school!”
“What are you doing walking?” Palmer asked.
“I got into it with my mom and I was going to go catch the bus,” Cari said.
“I can give you a ride into the city, if you want,” he said. “I was on my way in anyway.”
“That would be great, thanks,” Cari said.
“Get in then,” he said, smiling.
She got into the passenger’s seat of the car. He pulled away from the curb when she shut the door.
“Long time, no see, huh?” he asked.
“I’ll say,” she said. “Why did we stop talking anyway?”
He shrugged. “Different colleges, we never really ran into each other, things like that.”
“It’s a shame,” she said. “You were always so nice to me and Ree.”
“Are you two still best friends then?” he asked.
“Of course we are,” Cari said.
“I should have expected as much,” he said. “If you don’t mind my asking, why did you have an argument with your mom?”
“I don’t know if I’d really call it an argument,” Cari said. “She just loves to compare me to Grace, and never recognizes any of my accomplishments. I got sick of her putting me down constantly, and I snapped and told her off. I don’t know what she expects me to do.”
“Well, from what I’ve heard, you’re doing really well, so don’t listen to her,” he said.
“I try not to,” Cari said. “I just needed to get out of there, you know?”
“Yeah,” he said.
“Now what are you doing here?” she asked. “The last thing I heard about you was that you moved.”
“I did, for a little while, but I’m back here working again,” he said. “I was visiting my parents. That’s why I was in the neighborhood. I live in the city.”
“You and me both,” Cari said.
“So what are you going to do when you get home?” he asked.
She shrugged. “I don’t know. I’m thinking about getting out of here for a little while. I’ve been saving up money so that I can go on vacation, and I’m thinking it’s the time for it.”
“I think you’re right,” he said. “A change of pace would probably be just the thing. It also means that your mom can’t go after you, because you won’t be here.”
“Pretty much,” Cari said. “I don’t know where I’m going to go first though.”
“Where have you always wanted to visit?” he asked.
“London,” Cari said immediately.
“There’s your answer,” he said.
She smiled. “Yeah, I guess it is.”
He dropped her off in front of her building twenty minutes later. She smiled at him through the open window.
“Thanks, Palmer.”
“Any time,” he said, smiling back. “We should get a coffee once you’re back in town.”
“That sounds great,” she said.
She went upstairs to her apartment, whistling the whole way there. The first thing she did once she was inside was go to her computer and go hunting for flights.
She found a flight to England at two in the afternoon the next day, and picked up her phone.
“Molly? Yeah, hey… Can you possibly borrow Nick’s car tomorrow?... I need you to drive me to the airport… I’m going to England… I don’t know, I just felt like it… Thanks so much… See you tomorrow.”
She hung up the phone and pulled her suitcase out from where it had been stowed underneath her bed. It took her just under an hour to pack everything that she thought she would need. She made herself some dinner, since she hadn’t eaten much at her parents’, and then took a shower. The last thing she did before she went to bed was email Grace.
Grace,
Tell Mom and Dad that I won’t be in the country for a while. I’m going to England tomorrow, and I don’t know when I’ll be back.
Love,
Cari
She fell asleep with a smile on her face.