“Did you really order this much?” Kelsey asked Veronica as she considered the cart full of sweets at her door. Veronica simply laughed from behind her. Kelsey shook her head and chuckled as she signed the receipt and handed it back to the bellhop. “Thank you,” she said and wheeled the cart into the room and Veronica helped her spread its contents out on the coffee table. Kelsey pushed the empty cart into the kitchen area before taking her seat next to Veronica on the couch. She picked up her dish of chocolate ice cream and french fries.
Veronica wrinkled her nose as Kelsey dragged a fry through the ice cream and ate it. “Ugh,” she said and Kelsey laughed. “Where’d you pick that up? Your pregnant sister?”
Kelsey shook her head. “No, actually, I used to work in fast food. I picked it up there. Wanna try it?”
“No, thanks.”
While they had waited for their desserts to be delivered, Veronica had freely talked about almost everything in her life: her childhood, her family, even her ex-boyfriends. Kelsey had almost envied Veronica’s openness and made it her goal to be a little less guarded with some things. It would probably do her some good to open up to someone.
Well, someone other than Patrick.
“So, what was it like?” Veronica asked suddenly.
Kelsey took a moment to remember what they’d been talking about. “What? Working at McDonald’s?”
“Yeah. Well, everything, I guess. I’ve only ever known Hollywood.” Veronica shrugged as she took a bite of a cookie. “I don’t know anything about a ‘normal’ childhood.”
Kelsey laughed. “I doubt that. ‘Normal’ is subjective after all. It’s what you’re used to.”
“So, what were you used to?”
“It wasn’t a bad childhood. Lots of playing outside if it was nice or playing board games and Barbies with my sister if it wasn’t,” Kelsey said.
“You’re lucky to have a sister. I have a younger brother, and that’s no fun,” Veronica popped the last bit of cookie into her mouth.
“We had a brother too. He was between us, but it was usually the two of us against him. He became quite protective of me as we grew up though, and we grew to be pretty close.” Kelsey tried to keep the hurt out of her voice. She never forgot Sean, but for the second time in three days, she was talking about him and that was rare.
“What happened to him?” Veronica asked and Kelsey realized she’d zoned out for a minute or two.
“He died when he was in college,” she answered quietly. Veronica gasped and Kelsey waved it off and stared at the french fry in her hand. “Now that I think about it, this was his doing.” She held up the ice cream and fries and laughed. “We worked in the same restaurant together and I believe he introduced me to this.” She hated the pity she saw in Veronica’s eyes. “He knew how much I loved chocolate and salt together.”
Veronica eyed the ice cream and looked at Kelsey again. Without a word, she picked up a fry and dragged it through the chocolate as well and took a bite. Kelsey fought a smile as Veronica’s expression changed from one of disgust to consideration and finally to delight.
“That’s not bad.”
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