not from Massachusetts, are you?” she said.
He shook his head. “California.”
“What brings you out this way?” Vincent asked.
“My kids.” He got a distant, almost pained look in his eyes, but quickly snapped out of it. “They go to school out here.” He took a long swig of his drink. “My ex-wife insisted on sending them to an exclusive boarding school back east, which meant moving across country and driving two hours in order to see them every other weekend.”
“So does your ex live here too?” Vincent asked.
“Nope. Patrice is still back in California.”
This earnest dad who’d do anything, including move across the country, to be near his kids, took her by surprise. If she had been keeping tally, he’d moved back up the plus column. “I’ve heard it’s a great school.” Meaning it was expensive.
“Oh, yeah, the best.” He finished another long drink. “Which is the main reason I chose plastic surgery this time around.” He gave an I-don’t-give-a-damn-what-you-think glance, meant only for Kasey.
Yes, he came off gruff and uncaring, and maybe a little drunk to be talking about this with near strangers, but Kasey saw through the façade and did the math. He had an ex-wife who got alimony and kids in a private school. The man was upgrading his pay scale by going into plastic surgery. A perfectly respectable specialty in this day and age so she wasn’t going to come down hard on him for that.
Her father had never even tried to find her. This guy had moved across the country to be near his kids.
He took a long draw on the last of his beer. Vincent waved his hand to the passing waitress and ordered another round. “You’re not driving, are you, Dr. Finch?”
“Call me Jared. Actually, I’m within walking distance of here. What about you guys?”
“The T,” Kasey and Vincent answered in unison, then locked pinky fingers. “Jinx, one, two, three, you owe me a beer,” they also said in unison.
Jared cocked his head, glancing at Kasey and Vincent. “I keep forgetting I’m not in California any more. We can’t live without our cars.” Ignoring the pinky locking, he pinned Kasey with an inquisitive look. “Do you feel safe riding the T at night?”
“As a woman, I’m never completely comfortable commuting after dark, but as long as I’m home before midnight, I’m okay with it. Anyway, after the T there’s a bus that takes me right to my street corner. It works out pretty well.”
Jared glanced across at Vincent. “You’re not seeing her home?”
“She’s my best friend, but also a big girl, and I’m a big boy in the big city. Besides, I live in Jamaica Plains at the other end of the Orange line, and she lives in Everette. We’re okay with that, aren’t we, Kase?”
“Yeah.” She nodded, just as the waitress delivered their next round of beers. “I’m fine with that. If you can’t handle the transportation, get out of the city, I always say.”
From across the booth Vincent reached for a high five and she joined him, grateful she wasn’t drinking on an empty stomach and wondering what the heck Dr. TD&G thought about their childish antics. Ah, what did she care? After next Tuesday he’d only have another eight to ten hours left to volunteer at the clinic and then she’d never see him again anyway.
By the end of the next beer even Jared had loosened up and the conversation had run the gamut from surviving while going to school to favorite pubs in the area to bad break-ups. And Kasey’s head had started to spin with all the details.
“This certain person, who shall rename mainless,” Vincent said, and giggled. “I mean shall remain nameless, took all my favorite CDs and DVDs before we broke up. Should’ve seen it coming, I guess.”
“No, no, no.” Jared said. “You have no idea what a real break-up is. California style. I’ve been a doctor for thirteen years and I’m living in a basement apartment with rented furniture, thanks to my ex.”
“So that’s why you’re going into plastic surgery,” Vincent said, with a poor-baby gaze in his eyes.
“Absolutely. Plus the fact I believe people should be able to look the way they want. If I can help make them happy with their appearance, I’ll be glad to do it.”
The man was definitely toeing the line on plastic surgery, and she was beginning to believe his sincerity.
Somewhere during the conversation Kasey had slipped into the shadows of her mind, leaving Vincent to stir up mischief and Jared willingly joining in. She’d heard the retold saga of Vincent’s childhood in Kansas and what had brought him to Boston. She’d also gathered some interesting information about Jared’s fifteen-year marriage to his college sweetheart, Patrice, and how over the years his ex had changed into a shopaholic, how it had ruined their marriage and caused their divorce two years ago. She also knew one-sided stories were never accurate, and wondered what the rest of that tale was. She suspected he was still hurting about the break-up of his family, and even thought about commenting on that, though didn’t get that far.
With all the open conversation, Kasey hadn’t managed to share a single thing about herself.
Kasey’s mind slipped back to the latest news, the worst news of her life. She’d managed to distract herself the last couple of hours with the male company and pale ale, yet now it tiptoed back into her thoughts and soured her stomach.
“You’re awfully quiet,” Vincent prodded.
“Yeah, what about you?” Jared said. “Don’t you have any dating war stories?”
She laughed and swiped at the air, her idea of feeling cavalier about life’s major curve balls. “You guys don’t have anything to complain about.”
Vincent’s cellphone rang. He checked who it was, his eyes going wide. “Speak of the devil.”
Kasey faked a grin for Jared, who returned a benign smile, while Vincent took the call. She tore her bar napkin into three soggy parts while mulling over her news. The waitress arrived, and Jared ordered for them, though Vincent shook his head. Jared glanced at Kasey again, one brow raised.
Sure. What the heck. I’m living life moment to moment now, right? She nodded, and Jared ordered for both of them.
Vincent finished his call. “It’s been great, but I’ve got to go.” He fished in his pocket for cash for his share of the bar bill.
“You’re leaving?” Kasey said, as in was he leaving her there alone with Dr. Finch?
“A certain someone has come to their senses.”
“Returning all the CDs and DVDs?” Jared said, surprising Kasey that he’d actually been following along.
Vincent looked startled. “Oh, good point. I’ll make sure of it.” He flashed his winning smile, kissed Kasey on the cheek, and left.
Wait! I need to talk to you!
What the heck was she supposed to do now?
Jared
