A Cruel Summer

Chapter 16

'Of course, he's late,' Karlie thinks, frustration beginning to overwhelm her. Josh was supposed to pick up Levi and Eli at noon. It's now 1:30 pm, their father has yet to show up, and Taylor should be arriving any minute. She tries to call Josh once more, only to be directed to his voicemail.

With a groan, she paces the living room, her mind racing with worry as Taylor's arrival time approached. The last thing she wants is for the blonde to run into Josh, knowing how uncomfortable it will make her feel, given their last interaction.

Her phone dings, and she immediately crosses the room, reaching for it.

Josh: Need to reschedule. Will have my assistant reach out to book another time.

'Need to reschedule? Have your assistant book another time? To see your own sons? Fucking bullshit,' she thinks to herself, anger and frustration pouring through her. Her mind then switches to Taylor. She surely didn't anticipate for Karlie's children to be there. She worries it'll be too much too soon for the blonde, too overwhelming to spend the afternoon with the boys, given the small steps they agreed to take in the rebuilding of their relationship.

She unlocks her phone once again, preparing a text message to send to Taylor.

'Hey. I know you're probably on your way, but Josh just canceled on the boys, so they're here. Totally understand if you want to get together another day instead? You're obviously still welcome, but wanted to give you the option.'

As she is about to press send, the doorbell chimes out, notifying her of Taylor's arrival. With a groan, she quickly pockets her phone and takes a deep breath, mustering a smile as she approaches the door. Opening it, she's greeted by Taylor's familiar face, her expression a mix of excitement and concern.

"Hey," Taylor says, her voice warm but filled with questions, "everything okay? You look a little tense."

Karlie forces a smile, attempting to downplay the situation, "Yeah, everything's fine. Just some last-minute changes with Josh. Come on in."

As Taylor steps inside, she glances around, her gaze landing on Eli in his baby bouncer and Levi playing with his toy cars on the floor. Her eyes soften, and she walks over to greet the boys, masking any discomfort she might be feeling. Karlie watches the interaction, grateful for Taylor's ease with the children.

"Hey there, buddy," Taylor says, crouching down to Levi's level, stealing a sweet glance at Eli with a smile, "those are really cool cars. I like the red firetruck," she says.

Levi looks up at her, his face lighting up at the sight of Taylor. "Taya Sift! You sing Shake It Off now!" he exclaims, reaching out to engulf her in a hug.

Karlie watches the exchange, relief washing over her. Despite the initial hiccup, it seems like the afternoon might turn out all right after all.

"Taylor charges a lot of money for private performances, Le," she teases with a laugh, "Let's let her catch her breath first, okay?" she says before directing her attention to Taylor and whispering, "I wasn't kidding when I told you he's a massive Swiftie."