My house was small and homey. It was adorable on the inside, but half the size of this one. “We do,” she said. She wore white short shorts and a flowing crop top that exposed her bare midriff each time she moved. “Come on, get in here.”
I hurried inside and found the interior as immaculate as the groomed exterior. How could anybody afford this? A grand staircase wound up both sides of the entranceway. I’d only seen homes like this in movies. “Your house is beautiful. I don’t even know if that’s the right word to use. Is there something stronger?”
She grinned and led me into the kitchen. “Garrett wouldn’t settle for a little house, and the rentals and real estate bring in more than enough money.”
I didn’t know how to react as I entered the kitchen full of new appliances and a wooden center island. There was a secondary sink in the center of it. “Have you ever thought about interior designing?” I asked seriously. I slid onto one of the leather barstools.
She shrugged. “It doesn’t really interest me much. I like doing hair.”
A door from down the hallway slid open and slammed closed. Lindsey, with her long purple hair tangled in knots, drug herself into the kitchen and looked between Sylvia and me. Sylvia winced. “Did you just wake up?” she asked.
Lindsey shot daggers at Sylvia and preparing herself a bowl of cereal before hibernating back into her room. She had to have felt our eyes on her, but she didn’t say a word. “What’s her deal?” I asked Sylvia.
She shrugged. “I only know what Lance told me, and it isn’t much. She’s working in Chicago with him on some top-secret military thing. She’s not in the navy, but she’s contracting with them to help, I guess. She’s got to be someone cool if she’s so secretive, though.”
“Is she dating Lance?” I asked.
Sylvia glanced toward the hallway where Lindsey had retreated. “It’s hard to tell. He’s into her, but she doesn’t outwardly show much interest in anything—not even him. It’s impossible to read her. I suppose they’re together if she’s here.”
I glanced toward her room. I had never been so curious about a person. “So, what’s on the agenda for today?” I asked, changing the topic.
She rested her elbows on the counter and her chin on a knuckle. “I say we just hang out, watch movies, order takeout lunch, and talk,” she proposed.
Her idea sounded eerily like my ideal relaxation day, and I nodded. “I don’t think I’ve ever heard such a great idea.”
Sylvia clapped her hands and led me to her living room. I forced myself not to be shocked by the grandiose design and expensive furniture. Their home was like a wet dream for a designer. Even I couldn’t have decorated it so well. Given an unlimited budget, I’d love to know what I could do.
We settled for a few comedy movies and one scary movie, which we stopped after a half hour. Scary movies were a terrible idea while in a large mansion-style house alone. I realized I hadn’t watched a scary movie since before Derrick was born when the first scene had me jumping out of my seat. After that, we ordered takeout Chinese food and sat in the kitchen, picking at the rice and noodles.
“Are you sure you and Ethan aren’t together?” she asked. I nearly spit out my food at the random question.
“I’m positive. I’m just redesigning his house, and we used to be friends way back in our college days.” I considered how different he was now. “He’s not the same guy as he used to be.”
Sylvia looked saddened by my words. “No, he is certainly not. How much do you know about the fire that he was caught in?” she asked.
I didn’t want to get into it or mention that it was me who was saved in the fire. “I know that he got burned, and it was because of a fire.”
Why did the fire have to be such a large part of my life even now? “There’s a lot more,” she said, as if she was spilling secretive gossip. “He saved most of the family and went back in for the last person when the structure collapsed, and he was caught in the flames for five minutes before anyone could get to him.” I knew what was coming next. “He got lucky. Most firemen would have never risked their lives like that, but the guys are close. They all went in and got him out. They tried to save the other man, but he was gone.”
I nodded, blinking back tears. I hoped she’d continue talking while I composed myself. Sylvia turned toward the fridge and grabbed each of us a water bottle. I focused intently on twirling my noodles for a moment. “I had no idea,” I lied.
She nodded. “Yeah, I guess they were all in the kid’s room, so Ethan lapelled the mom and kid through the window, but the roof collapsed and they had to go through the house to get the dad out. That poor family,” she said. She must have realized that it was eerily similar to what I went through, because her eyes widened, and she stuffed her mouth full of rice. If only she knew.
“And that changed him?” I asked.
She shook her head. “It was after the fire that was the worst. He had to go through a dozen surgeries to repair
