"Where the hell have you been, Moira?" Keri hollers out of the window and pulls her mom's van to a screeching halt behind Will's Volvo. "And what the hell is Fitzwilliam doing here?"
Keri slams the car door and stomps up the short gravel path on a mission to scold.
"Will's been helping me with my mom," my words vaporize into puffy clouds in the icy air.
"What?" Keri squawks like a parrot. "Why? What's going on with your mom? Is that why you called me yesterday?"
"Can we take this inside?" I ask when I catch the blinds of our neighbor's trailer window eek upward. "It's freezing out here."
I unlock the door as quickly as possible to usher Keri inside.
"I'll be waiting in my car," Will stifles a chuckle.
I watch him walk away before shutting the front door behind me.
"What the hell is going on, Moira?" Keri frets. "What happened to your mom? And, isn't that Hotty McHotpants?"
"My mom fell off the wagon," I reply as Keri's expression falls. "Will was helping me find her, but she wound up in the hospital."
"Oh my gosh!" Keri gasps. "Is your mom OK? Is she in jail?"
"She's alright, thank goodness," I hustled over to our wall heater to crank up the temperature (seeing as I could still see my breath on the inside of our trailer). "And I don't think she's going to jail because Will got my mom in a private rehab program, complete with a lawyer to work on her behalf."
"I'm so sorry I wasn't there for you!" Keri wails and tackles me in a hug. "Oh, and don't think I didn't hear you call your teacher, Will! What else was he helping you with?"
"Outside of helping me graduate on time," I reply carefully. "Will is my friend, for now."
"Great googly-moogly!" Keri screams as I wriggle out of her grip to save my eardrums. "You're in love with him!"
"I have feelings for him," I hiss and wave for her to keep her voice down. "But nothing is going on for now, because it's complicated, as you can imagine."
"Sure," Keri's epic eye roll is hilarious.
"Can I stay with you for a while?" I gnaw on my bottom lip. "I'm not used to being on my own yet."
"Um, are you sure you want to stay with me?" Keri nods toward Will's Volvo in front of our trailer.
"While I appreciate your effusive support of us hooking up," I smile at Keri. "I think it's better if I stay with you. If you think your parents would be alright with it?"
"Girl!" Keri feigns indignance. "Please! You are always welcome. I think my parents like you and Joey more than me, at this point."
I hug her tight to thank Keri for being my best friend and my rock.
"I'm really glad your mom's getting help," she mumbles into my hair. "You do realize that you're going to have to tell me everything that happened with that beautiful man, right? Preferably over hot chocolate."
"Yes," I laugh and pull away. "I am well aware you're going to want every sordid detail."
We head outside where Will's boxy car is running and a plume of puffy white exhaust into the air. He's watching us with a pleasant smile as I approach his window.
"I'm going to stay with Keri for a few days," I tell him as the glass retracts into his door.
"That sounds like a good idea," Will nods. "Listen, I don't want to go home and see whether Rory trashed my place while he was moving out. Do you want to go and grab something to eat? I can drop you off at Keri's house after."
I wince at the memory of Rory's frightening face while my empty stomach snarls.
"That sounds amazing," I nod. "Hey, Keri!"
"Present!" Keri hoots and pokes her head out of the driver's side window of her mom's van.
"We're going to go get dinner," I call out. "I'll meet you at your house around eight?"
"Sounds like a date," Keri bounces her eyebrows suggestively while the van's engine roars to life.
"Do you want to pack a bag?" Will asks as Keri pulls away and unblocks his car.
"Sure," I nod.
I jog inside and stuff about a week's worth of clothes into my backpack before turning off the wall heater and locking up our trailer.
Will's car is delightfully toasty inside and I sink into the buttery-soft seat, grateful to have a little while longer with him.
He's been by my side for the better part of two days, and yet, I still want more time with him.
"So, I have a very serious question," There's humor dancing in Will's eyes. "Do you want a greasy burger? Or do you want to take a chance on a restaurant that may or may not be a front for the Chinese mafia?"
"The second one," I don't even have to think about my answer. "I want tofu and Tommy Guns."
"Fuck, you're perfect!" Will's deep laughter fills the car as I duck my head to hide my burning cheeks.
It's going to be hard staying just friends, for now.
Will drives us out of Auburn, but he doesn't name the restaurant that we're going to so I watch the street signs and landmarks passing by.
A few of the knobby trees lining the sidewalks already have holiday lights twinkling in their naked branches.
Thanksgiving is only a week away and I'll be spending it with the Gotliebs, not my mom.
My mom's addiction has stolen holidays and birthdays from us in the past, but this felt different.
Plus, I can't stay at Keri's house forever. At some point, I'm going to have to be a big girl and go back to the trailer, alone.
Eventually, we pull into a cramped parking lot alongside a rundown strip mall.
"My family loves this place," Will exclaims. "We also suspect that the family has ties to some kind of organized crime because, well, you'll see."
He opens my car door for me and we stroll arm-in-arm toward the elaborate iron and glass doors of the restaurant.
The place is teeming with customers and the dining room is abuzz with happy, animated chatter as we're greeted by the hostess and led to one of the last free tables.
We're seated right next to one of two phantasmal, life-size gold dragons snaking along the floor of the restaurant. Tapestries and hand-painted masks and colorful wall hangings and gold-plated armor adorn the red walls.
Most everyone is dining with their family or friends and dressed as casually as us, except for one very obvious table near the back of the establishment.
It's shrouded by a murky fish tank full of monstrous crustaceans, but I definitely saw what Will meant by organized crime.
The high-back leather booth is full of suited gentlemen who are discussing God-knows-what over liquor and soup. They're fastidiously dressed and every single one of them looks like he's carrying more than one weapon.
"Do you see them?" Will asks from behind his laminated menu.
"They're hard to miss," I nod as a waitress drops off some ice water for us.
"Right?" He laughs and shifts in his seat.
"What's good here?"
"I'm a big fan of the hot and sour soup," Will grins. "It's the perfect thing to warm you up on a cold night. They also have really good spare ribs."
"Yes to all," I hum my agreement. "Do you want to order for us? I trust your judgment."
Will's smile widens and he flags down the waitress.
"Thank you, again," I tell him as soon as she's gone. "And I'm really sorry about your job."
"Don't be," Will reaches over the table to take my hand in his. "I hated that job, and I'm excited about the future."
The pads of his thumbs are rubbing the top of my hand in comforting circles that relax all the muscles in my forearm.
The waitress returns to deliver a steaming ceramic pot of green tea.
He lets go to pour me a cup and I hunch over to inhale its soft, earthy scent while watching the tea particles settle. My lids slide shut during my first tentative sip to fully appreciate the flavorful heat slipping into my belly.
When I open my eyes, Will is smiling at me.
"And what about the future are you looking forward to, Will?" I ask.
"Getting to know you, Moira," he whispers furtively to send shivers of excitement into my core.
A/N ~ How I picture Keri's epic eye-roll: