The Eye of a Hurricane

Pippa

Lin texted me and told me Isabel had had a really rough day. Apparently she'd walked out of school, right at the beginning of the day. She was having a hard time adjusting to her new life. He'd talked to her a bit, but wondered if she might feel more comfortable talking to me again.

That afternoon, I showed up at his apartment around 3:00 and it was quiet. He hugged me and offered me a drink.

"Just some water, thanks," I told him as I kicked off my shoes. Lin found a glass and filled it from the fridge.

"I was thinking about taking her to get a mani/pedi," I said, then took a sip from the glass.

"She'd probably love that," he said. "She probably hasn't done anything girly in years."

We both sat down on the couch. I kicked my feet up on the coffee table. I'd worn new shoes today and my feet were killing me.

"Remind me never to walk across town in brand new shoes," I told him, letting my head roll back.

"Your feet hurt?" he asked me, and I nodded. He patted his lap and motioned for me to give him my feet. I hesitated a moment, but peeled off my socks and rotated my legs towards him. I let my head settle back in the pillow and closed my eyes as Lin began to push his thumbs into the soles of one foot.

"You're not allowed to be good at something else," I groaned. "You're too talented."

"Wait, you don't want me to be good at foot rubs?" he asked, quirking up an eyebrow at me. I laughed and rubbed my hand over my face.

"I'm too tired to think straight," I confessed. He chuckled and the way he looked at me made me want to melt.

"Just relax," he told me, his voice low. And kind of sexy, to be honest. I closed my eyes again as his hands worked at my feet expertly. I had to stop myself from moaning. It felt so good.

He kept going for a good ten minutes, alternating back and forth between my two poor feet. When Isabel walked out to get a drink, he gave my feet a squeeze and winked at me. I felt my heart flutter a little bit.

"Hey, Isabel," I greeted her after clearing my throat.

"Hey," she said quietly as she opened the fridge. I swung my legs away and stood up to go talk to her.

"I was thinking we could go get our nails done," I told her, walking over and leaning against the kitchen island.

"That would be fun," she said, examining her fingernails. "I've never had them done before."

"It feels so good," I told her. "Then maybe we can go grab dinner, just the two of us."

The look on her face melted me. She was so excited. I told her as soon as she was ready we could go. Lin headed out to pick up Luna, and soon Isabel and I were out the door. I took her to a little salon in Washington Heights and she giggled as she got her pedicure. She picked out an obnoxious pink color that only kids could get away with. I settled on red, feeling a little flirty.

After we were finished being pampered, we found a cute little diner down the street. Isabel asked if she could order a Coke and I allowed her. I was pretty sure Lin didn't keep soda in the house. We chatted about all sorts of things while we ate - Puerto Rico, her dad, school. She wasn't overly chatty. She didn't offer information if I didn't ask it. Still, it was progress.

We shared a chocolate brownie and ice cream dessert, and she was grinning the whole time. I didn't think I'd actually seen her smile before. I wished I could see it more often.

I paid the bill and we headed back home. Lin had apparently stepped out of the room because Luna was jumping on the couch. It was one of her favorite things to do.