Kylie Cantrall's Arc

Chapter 4 of 78

The phone kept lighting up on the counter. Kylie let go of Arianna's hand and stood. The puppy did not stir on the blanket. Outside the tall window, palms leaned over the pool, and the afternoon had already tipped past gold. Kylie had maybe an hour before her assistant sent someone to every property her mother owned. "I have to answer eventually," Kylie said. "If I don't, they'll find us before dinner." Arianna sat up straighter. "So what do we do?" Kylie picked up the phone but did not unlock it. "I want to see you again. Not in a year. Not through the label. I need a plan before I walk out of this room, because the second I do, they own my calendar again." Arianna pulled a folded paper from her bag. It was creased soft, written on both sides. "I made a list on the bus. Places I could meet you that aren't obvious. My aunt's house in Ojai. A studio my friend runs. Even a diner off the highway if that's all we get." Kylie sat back down on the tile. She read the list twice. It was careful. It was a girl who had thought about this for a year. "None of these," Kylie said. Arianna's face dropped, and Kylie caught it fast. "No. Listen. All of these are you hiding for me. I don't want that. I want you at my house." "Your house." "My real one. Not this rental." Kylie put the phone down. "I'll tell my mom tonight. She'll shut the label down for a weekend. She's done it before. You come Friday. You bring the puppy. You stay." Arianna's mouth opened, closed. "They'll photograph me at your gate." "They'll photograph you anyway once this gets out. I'd rather it be on my step than in some parking lot." Kylie reached into her jacket pocket and pulled out a key on a short ring. She had brought it without knowing why. She set it on the tile between them. "Front door. Friday. My car will pick you up so you don't have to take another taxi." Arianna looked at the key. She did not touch it yet. "You're sure." "I'm sure about you writing me for a year and me almost missing it. I'm sure about right now." Arianna picked up the key. The puppy lifted her head, blinked, and settled again. On the windowsill outside, an orange kitten they had not seen before pressed its nose to the glass, then trotted off toward the palms. Kylie unlocked her phone and answered on the next ring. "I'm coming back tonight," she said. "Clear my Friday. All of it. I'll explain when I'm there." She hung up before the voice on the other end could argue. Arianna closed her hand around the key.