Page 64 of I Hope This Finds You Well

Cliff:Can’t wait!

It’s just an exclamation mark. It shouldn’t make my heart leap.

Gutter Ball

Traffic finally shows an opening after a painful chug of stop and go. We crawl around the pylons and past a guy in yellow coveralls who directs us through the detour. When the light flips to yellow and the guy in front halts, Cliff taps the steering wheel. “Come on, you could’ve made it.” His gaze drifts toward the little clock under the dashboard.

“Maybe they shouldn’t have broken the water main today,” I joke, grabbing his phone off the console to find a new song.

“Yes.” Cliff nods stiffly. A heavy sigh follows.

His phone lights up in my hands as he’s taking a turn. A text notification flashes onto the screen.

Grace:Are you coming?

Holy shit. Cliff has a date.

Of course he does.

“Sorry, it’s just... I said I’d be somewhere and it’s halfway toward our neighborhood, but because we’re so late...” He locks eyes with me. “Would you mind if we picked someone up on the way?”

“No, of course not,” I pleasantly agree as my insides crumble.

A carpool buddy should have no problem letting him pick up his girlfriend.

“Thanks,” he says. “That’ll be much easier than heading home and then picking her up to go to the bowling alley.”

Oh god, he’s taking her bowling. Why does his choice of date venue have to be soCliff? Something catches in my throat, and I blink far more than necessary.

When we pull up to a beautiful little century-old apartment building with a perfect red door, I blink and blink as an attractive brunettein a trendy, oversized wool jacket with clunky boots and heavy makeup trots toward the car. She walks with such a sure-footed stride that I’m half convinced she owns the sidewalk.

“I can give her my seat,” I offer, my smile as delicate as a porcelain doll.

“No, don’t worry, Grace’s cool. Just stay put.”

I don’t know why I feel the urge to clarify that I’m just as cool.

This Grace opens the back door and says, “We’re never going to make it unless you book it now. What, did you need them to pave the roads before you could drive here?” Grace’s spicy perfume wafts toward me as she settles into the back.

“Water main. You’re free to check the traffic app.” Cliff rolls his eyes and tilts his head toward me, rubbing their casual bicker in. “Grace, this is my colleague Jolene.”

I turn, forcing my smile to brighten—forcing my exterior to at least not crack.

Grace sizes me up, her eyes shifting across my face, before her lip curls up. “Oh,you’rethe Jolene he works with.”

She sort of chuckles. And I sort of die. What the hell is he telling her about me? There are so many possibilities:the HR problem child, the violently horny music girl, the girl with the stain on her chair.Every possibility makes me need to crawl inside a giant hole and live like a bear during winter.

Cliff’s knuckles whiten and he wincesjustso. Via the rearview mirror, I catch Cliff and her exchanging a nervous grin.

I stare forward through the windshield. Okay, so they laugh about me.

I push all my thoughts down—below the tightness in my chest, below the lead in my stomach. He just gives me rides, that’s all. And maybe he shouldn’t if I’m just making him late to gossip about me with his girlfriend.

I’m mentally preparing an email to let him know that three buses marinated in urine are preferable to his boorish company when Cliff says, “This is my sister, Grace.”

Grace throws her hand into the front of the car for me to shake. “I’ve heard so many wonderful things about you.”

A rush of heat flushes through my cheeks as I take her hand. Cliff looks between his sister and me again. Why am I smiling so hard? “Nice to meet you.” My voice is small. What wonderful things has she heard? And how can there be so many?