Ten Days of Perfect (November Blue #1)(61)

“That’s me. I gather Bo’s mentioned me?” I smiled as I backed away.

“Are you kidding? You’re all I’ve heard about for the last week.” She shot a teasing glance at her brother.

“OK, Rae, that’s enough.” For the first time, I saw Bo blush, eliciting a giggle.

“Whatever, Bo, you have it bad for her - let’s just get it out there. OK, so, do you guys want to get lunch?” Rae smiled at me.

“I’m starving, that sounds great.”

As we headed up the stairs I realized I could be good friends with Rachel Cavanaugh; she had spunk.

*

When we returned from lunch, Rachel headed up stairs to pack her things for the weekend. I had pushed the blackmail to the back of my mind, which was good since Rachel didn’t know, and I certainly didn’t want to be the one to tell her. During lunch I got a glimpse of a young Bo Cavanaugh and it was quite a trip. It turned out that Bo played the piano until he started getting picked on by some of his friends, and then he begged his parents to let him play the ‘much cooler’ guitar. Luckily it worked out for him, though Rachel let it spill that Bo still plays the piano - which would explain its presence in the recording studio.

“You’re sister’s great,” I said as I followed Bo in to the kitchen.

“I love her so much. When our parents died we grew even closer; we’re all each other have left. My parents have family on the West Coast, but we’re not close with them.” While his voice was sweet when discussing Rachel, there was a tense undercurrent of worry.

Bo’s phone rang. His face darkened when he looked at the caller ID.

“Um, I’ll leave you alone; I’m going to wander up to the widow’s watch.” I gave him a quick peck on the cheek, turned on my heels and didn’t look back - having an idea what that call was about.

The winding stairway to the upper most point in the house was brightly lit from the sunlight. When I reached the top and opened the door, Rachel and I both jumped.

“Sorry, Bo got a call so I’m wandering,” I stood outside of the room.

“Come in, silly. It’s not like I’m naked in here,” Rachel laughed.

When I entered, I gasped at the view. I didn’t know the city limits of Concord, but was pretty sure I could see them from where I stood. The stained glass window cast rainbow shadows throughout the room, but enough natural light peered in to keep out the church feel. The windows went all the way to the floor, where Rachel sat cross-legged.

“Sit,” She patted the dark wooden floor next to her. I sat, mimicking her position, and admired the view.

“It’s so peaceful,” I whispered.

“Isn’t it great? I feel like I’ve spent half my life up here,” she said wistfully. “So, you’ve had some meetings with Bo at your organization, right?” She turned to me.

“Yeah, we had a couple last week, including one with David Bryson,” I said, looking back at her.

“So, then, you know ‘my story.’” She put in air-quotes.

“Oh. Yeah, I do.” I shrugged, trying to keep emotion out of my voice.

“I just don’t want you to feel uncomfortable around me. I’m working on myself all the time, everyone knows, most people aren’t *s about it.”

“Most people?”

“Well, you know, when you’re in your early twenties, your friends tell you they just want you to come out with them ‘to dance’ or just ‘hang out.’ Sometimes I can do that, no problem, but it’s the days that I’m feeling sad, depressed, angry, or otherwise weak that I don’t want to be around all of that. So, I don’t go out, and they don’t always get it.” I was impressed by her maturity and confidence.

We sat in silence for a few more seconds, before Bo’s footsteps drummed up the stairs.

“There you guys are,” he said as he entered the room. “Rae, I thought for sure you sent Ember running for the hills.” He sat between us.

“Ha. Hardly, Bo. You have no idea how happy it makes me to finally see you happy,” Rachel cooed as she rested her head on Bo’s shoulder.

Watching them, it was the first time I realized that I couldn’t comprehend the weight that had been on Bo’s shoulders for the past few years. The thought sent fresh tears to my eyes; I excused myself and made a bee-line to Bo’s bedroom.

When I got to his room I called Monica.

“Hey Em! How’s the trip?” She sounded cheerful, which was a good sign as far as she and Josh were concerned.

“It’s great so far. You should see his place - it’s a f*cking palace. He has a recording studio in his basement.” I stopped there to avoid revealing my parents album that she had no idea about.

“You sound weird, is everything ok?” How does she do that?

“Yea. I met his sister, she’s great Mon. She loves Bo so much, it’s lovely to see but heartbreaking at the same time, knowing what they’ve been through.” I felt better getting it out there, and the tears stayed at bay.

“Well, he’s amazing, we all knew that. Have a great rest of the weekend and call or text me with the inappropriate details.”

“Hey, wait, how are things with Josh?”

“All good.” I could tell by the smile in her voice that he was standing next to her.