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Chapter Two

A quick shower and she perked up, her s Krysta to ask, "Xanax or Daily Show?" as she surveyed Lydia'sfor the wo of the work day, the one who needed a BFF rescue Lydia had invited her over to her apartrand often ca to Boston after graduation, though, had been seamless Grandma worked in town and had her own boyfriend, Ed; she spentor at his place, so Lydia lived a co life in the city with a rooht of entertainment

And Pawn Stars Grandma's reality television addiction was a bit scary Murray was her favorite Impractical Joker, she liked Mike , I'll bet!" she'd cackle mercilessly), and Lydia finally shut herself in her bedroom after the third episode of World's Dumbestwhatever

Her share of the rent was 400 and all the cleaning and shoveling For her own rooe, a quick walk to the T? She'd listen to Danny Bonaduce e

"Who did they hire?" Krysta snorted, settling in to a beautifully-restored Morris chair with a giant tye-died fleece blanket thrown over the back "Let uess Another relative of the Communications Director His step-sister's cousin's uy, Matt, does look a little like Mike Bournha, thin sound of defeat "Like a younger version, but with green eyes and wearing Dockers"

"Mike Bournha off the rack Remember that stupid phrase he coined on Oprah?"

"Bespoke or be naked!" they said in unison That ive to see hi of a coffeehtest rooe picturethat looked out onto a park Grandma's furniture choices were frozen in the early 1990s, so wallpaper accents were eese walking across the top of the wall Curtains matched, too

Lydia poured two cups of coffee, added so ht caraive Krysta hers As she turned away to settle in a chair, she heard a yelp

"Burn yourself again?"

"Yeah," Krysta answered in a sheepish tone The wos she wanted to do in the time it took to do forty-three of the a cell phone, typing a text, balancing the coffee on her knee – and the end result was a burned web of skin between her thuer Ouch

"Need ice?" Krysta just shook her head, springy curls bouncing, as she wiped the coffee off on her shirt and put the phone down

"That's Callie Just having an issue with Isaac" Krysta's sister's son o, and recently diagnosed as being on the autism spectrum, and Krysta often helped out

"Is he OK?"

Krysta shook her head "He's been nightwaking and crying out, as if he's in pain No doctor can figure it out" She frowned, then sed hard, sighing "I'm still not sure about the autis to talk"

"What does he say?"

"Mama, Dada, bye bye That's it But his mouth moves and he has this look of panic and frustration soree with the diagnosis, either, but she said the only way she could get good help for him with speech and doctor visits is to accept it So she did"

Lydia leaned forward and placed a hand on Krysta's are who he is He's still a sweet, chubby little toddler who loves his aunt!"

That got her a smile, but Krysta's brown eyes were sad, her face slack with concern "Yeah I just wish there were better answers" She gulped the rest of her now-tepid coffee and set theto sleep with this boss?"

Mike pulled out his smart phone and, on auto-pilot, dialed his chauffeur

"Mr Bournha froravel, carried a tone of surprise He could envision the thick rasping the wheel of the co jazz they both hated played ain, didn't I?' Mike chuckled He had forgotten that as part of the reality television ruse, he needed to strip out the trappings of what his friend Jeremy called "The one percent of the one percent of the filthy stinking rich" He wasn't quite filthy stinking rich, though

Two more months and he'd join that club

"Yup No problem, Mr Bournham" Conversations with Dominic made him feel like he was in an episode of The Soprano's "You need anything, you call" Then the sound of breathing, because Dominic lived by the very strict code that you wait until the boss says he's done with you

Unlike Lydia, who had turned on her gorgeous, red heels, calves puht into his --

"OK, Doed out to the Toyota Corrolla someone had acquired for hiement wardrobe collection, eye color, hair dye and sodialed down from the 1 percent -- to the what 25th? 50th percentile? He didn't even know anymore what aso es that weren't intuitive When had hepart of the s, a CEO by thirty-four, youngest by far aiants