A Girl's Guide to Chicago Read online

  “I think it might be okay. I hung out with him last Friday.” The three of them look at me, and Natalie’s mouth drops wide open.

  “Wait, you did?”

  Now Natalie gives me a look.

  “Yes, but it was our team’s company party. Remember, we all left early last Friday?”

  “Oh yeah, duh. He already told me about that.”

  I roll my eyes but don’t give her any more information, and I change the subject.

  “I wish you guys could go to our company events, as well. It stinks that you guys are in your own department.”

  “Okay. Well, if we are going to meet Vin, let’s leave here around nine. I don’t even think the other models will notice. They’re all scheduled to work the event ’til ten, but we weren’t planning to stay that long anyway. The club will take down all the balloons and clean up after they close.”

  Natalie gives Amy a big smile. She pulls out her phone and sends out a text to Vin that we are coming by.

  Just after nine, we make a final check around the club to ensure everything is okay so we can leave. The event is already winding down. The girls and I change back into our regular clothes. We exit the club, jump into a cab, and I tell the driver “The Leg Room on Division,” and we head off to toward the Gold Coast. We arrive at the Leg Room, and see a few people are standing in line outside. Natalie tells the bouncer our names, and he motions us to come in.

  This club is much smaller and intimate than Underground. Red velvet chairs and couches with touches of animal print décor make the club feel trendy. We head toward the back, and we see Vin and his friends sitting in a roped-off area with his friends. One of his friends stands up to let us in.

  “Hello, ladies. How was Underground? You guys were there early. I didn’t think that place opened ’til later.”

  “It doesn’t. We were doing a promotional event for work. I’m Amy.” She holds out her arm to shake hands.

  “Vince. Nice to meet you, Amy.”

  We introduce ourselves to Vince. On the couch is Vin still sitting with a drink in his hand. He seems so different in this environment. He’s way more cool and relaxed, and there isn’t that feel like we are hanging out with our boss. Natalie, of course, immediately sits next to him. I sit on the other side of Vin, and Amy and Kourtney sit next to me.

  “So, Vin, how did you get this area? It’s so nice.”

  “Oh, I come here all the time, so they all know me.”

  I give Vin a grin. “Oh, that’s nice. Very VIP of you.”

  We give our drink orders to the waitress. Vin turns to face Kourtney, Amy, and me.

  “So, how did the event go tonight?”

  The three of us look over to Amy to let her take the lead.

  “Oh. It went really well. It was fun. We got there with plenty of time to set up and check in all the girls. Everything looked great, and we took lots of photos.”

  “Good. You will have to show me the photos on Monday, and we can put them on the website.”

  Not one of us told him that we worked the event. Since everything turned out well, that part didn’t seem necessary.

  “So, what are you doing for your birthday tomorrow? These drinks are on me by the way so we can celebrate our first big event and your birthday.”

  He lifts his drink to cheers with the girls and me.

  “Oh. Cheers, and thank you. I didn’t even know you knew it was my birthday. I’m going home tomorrow to celebrate with my family and friends. Having a pretty chill day.”

  “Cool. Well, I heard you talking to James, something about your birthday.”

  “Oh. Yep. I invited James and Jillian to a birthday dinner next Friday. We are going to a little neighborhood Italian place called Angelina’s.”

  “I’ve never heard of it.”

  “Well, you should come with us.”

  “Okay. I’m free next Friday. I’ll be there.”

  “Okay. Good.”

  I smile at Vin then look over at Natalie. She looks a little annoyed that he’s paying attention to the three of us and not her. One of Vin’s friends is talking to her, but she is trying hard to hear our conversation.

  Then I realize that I have just invited my boss to my birthday dinner. I now feel a little weird about that. The three of us had fun at the bar last Friday so it will be pretty much the same group that night too. Actually, thinking about it, I really do want him to be there. It will be a lot of fun.

  The rest of the night I try to focus on hanging out and dancing with Kourtney and Amy. Natalie seems annoyed. She’s been trying so hard to get Vin’s attention. I’m pretty sure she didn’t overhear my earlier conversation with him. I don’t want Natalie to think I’m trying to get in with Vin or make her jealous. If she likes him, that’s okay. Vin and I can still be friends. I can honestly say I have no interest in dating or even thinking about dating my boss.

  Ten

  I made sure not to drink too much last night and to mainly stick with water at The Leg Room. I’m tired from getting home so late, so I’m moving slowly this morning.

  My brother and I are taking the 10:40 train home this morning. We need to leave around nine, so we have enough time to catch the Brown Line to downtown, and then walk over to Union Station. We still have to get our tickets. It ended up being okay going home on Saturday instead of Friday. David is coming with me, and I don’t want to leave little Gracie by herself for more than one night.

  Before we leave, I pick her up and give her a big cuddle and lay her down on the couch. I double-check her food, water, and litter to make sure she will be okay.

  “Be a good girl Gracie. See you tomorrow.”

  We both grab our bags and head out the door. It’s a rush to get to the train, but we make it.

  Dad picks us up from the station as usual. I see him pull over his car and get out to wait for us. We drag our bags over to him. He puts his arms out to give me a big hug.

  “Happy Birthday, Boots.”

  “Thanks, Dad.”

  It feels good to see my Dad, and I’m really excited to see my Mum as well. I have so much to catch them up on. We pull up to the house and lug our bags into the kitchen. There is a pile of presents waiting for me on the table and a small birthday cake. I walk over to give Mum a big hug.

  “It’s so good to see you, sweetie. Happy Birthday!” I hold on to her for a few seconds.

  “It’s nice to be home, Mum.”

  “Have a seat, and I’ll make you some coffee.”

  I sit down at the table. Dad and David join me. We chat about David’s new job, what I have been up to at work, and my new work friends. I love spending this quality time with my family. We enjoy our coffee and a bit of birthday cake. I open my presents and thank them for the gifts.

  “So, what do you want to do for the day?”

  “Maybe we could just go shopping for a bit. Dad, you can come with us if you want? I’m not hungry after having cake for a late breakfast, but maybe we can bring home lunch from somewhere.”

  “Yeah. We can do that with you. Let me just clean this up.”

  “Okay. I’ll help you. David, what are you going to do?”

  “I think I will go see what Crystal is up to.” He gets up from the table and walks up the stairs with his phone.

  As I’m getting ready for the evening dinner with my friends, I realize that I haven’t seen them for a while, which is so strange, because I used to see them most weekends. I’m looking forward to catching up with them. We used to work together at Chili’s during college, so we thought that Chili’s would be an easy place for us to meet up for my birthday. Margaritas and chips and salsa sounded good to me!

  I walk into Chili’s and feel at ease with the familiar environment. I see my group already at one of the larger tables.

  “Hey, guys! So good to see you!”

  “Kelly! Happy Birthday!”

  “Thank you! I’m so glad we could do this, it’s been awhile since we have all been together.”

 
I slide into the table. My friend Heather gives me a hug as I sit next to her.

  “Hi love, we want to hear everything you have been up to. How’s the city and your new job?”

  “It’s been good, really good. Much better than last time I saw you guys. I changed my attitude and was determined to give the city a real try. I am enjoying work, and I have made a few new friends. We actually just did an event for work last night.”

  “That’s so great. I’m glad you are enjoying yourself now. Last time we saw you, you did seem a little unhappy.”

  Louis gives me a grin. “And, I’m sure you will meet someone soon. I’m still bummed things didn’t work out with you and Dylan.”

  “Ugh! Don’t remind me about him! He was the absolute worst!”

  “Well, I thought you two would be good together. Have you seen him anymore?”

  “No. I haven’t. Thank goodness.”

  “Well, he’s back with his old girlfriend. I guess she recently got a job in the city.”

  “Oh, well that totally makes more sense why he just dropped me. Anyway, he’s still a jerk, but at least I now know why he just stopped talking to me.”

  David takes a long drink of his margarita. “Okay. Let’s not waste our time on him. We have something to tell you.”

  “Oh my gosh, what?”

  “We think that by the end of the year or early next year we might be in the city as well.”

  “Really? You guys! That would be so great! I would love for you to move there.”

  “Well. We think . . . well . . . I think if we don’t do it while we are single, we will never make the move.”

  I’m so thrilled to hear this. I would love my closest friends to live in the city.

  “We would all have so much fun.”

  Heather plays with her hair. She seems a little nervous. “Moving there seems so overwhelming.”

  “Yes. Maybe at first. But you will get used to it quickly. Also, you will have me! I can help you! I would love to see you all the time in the city.”

  I love seeing my friends this evening and hearing the good news, but I am extra tired this evening, because of my late night before. We finish eating and end the night early. When I get to my parents’ house, they are on the couch watching a movie, and I cozy up next to them. This wasn’t the most exciting birthday I’ve ever had, but it was nice, and I am very happy.

  Sunday morning, Dad makes a family breakfast before we head back to the city. David bought some groceries for us to drag back to the city, which is kind of a pain, but at least we would have some food for the week. I hug Mum goodbye and tell her I will see her soon. As I say goodbye Dad at the station, I ask him to meet for lunch downtown sometime soon. David and I once again drag all our stuff to train platform. Another weekend is almost over.

  I'm at the Fullerton station on Monday morning waiting for the Red Line train when I notice a guy on the platform that I have seen a few times before. He looks over at me and smiles. Maybe he has noticed me, too, during the last few weeks? He is really cute. As the train pulls into the station, I make sure to get into the same car as him.

  Once on the train, we are standing close together. Since the train is so crowded, we can’t say anything to each other. He gets off at the Grand stop, which is one stop before mine. As I watch him get lost in the crowd, I wonder when I will see him again.

  Over the next few days, he is on the train platform standing in the exact same spot. I’m pretty sure he is doing this on purpose. Thursday morning, he comes up next to me.

  “It’s funny how I keep seeing you.”

  I look up at him. “Yep, I’ve noticed you a few times too.”

  I can feel myself starting to blush, and I tell myself to be cool. We board our train and chat all the way to his stop at Grand.

  “So, maybe I will see you tomorrow?”

  “I hope so.” I watch him as he disappears into the crowd just like he has done every day this week.

  I walk briskly into work and tell James, Jillian, Amy, Kourtney, and Natalie that I finally talked to “Train Boy,” a nickname we have been calling him all this week. I tell them what happened that morning. His name is Kevin.

  James puts on his fake girly voice. “Oh, Kevin. So cute. I wonder if he will ask you on a date?”

  I laugh, but I secretly hope he will. It has been a long time since I’ve been on a date.

  “I don’t know. Maybe.”

  “Well, I bet your “Chocolate Chip Cookie Guy” is going to be so jealous.”

  “Ugh, James! Please don’t remind me!”

  This week we signed a new client who lives in Indianapolis. I had an introductory call with him to go over his project, and he literally told me halfway through the call that I was his little chocolate chip cookie. It was so strange.

  Over the last few days, he has been emailing me about his project non-stop. He tells me he is coming to Chicago soon. I really hope he doesn’t. I looked him up on Facebook, and his pictures look normal but calling me his little chocolate chip cookie just weirds me out. Even if he never mentioned the chocolate chip cookie thing, I’m definitely not interested in someone who lives a few hours away.

  When Vin walks in, James can’t help but tell Vin about what happened with “train boy.” Vin gives me a big grin.

  “So, are you going to go on a date with him?”

  “I don’t know. Why?”

  “I think your new friend is going to be jealous.”

  “Ha Ha, very funny. I don’t want anything to do with him. I can’t wait ’til we are done with this project so he will leave me alone.”

  “You know he wants to come to Chicago for a little visit.”

  “What! How do you know that? Did he actually tell you that?”

  “Yep. He sure did.” Vin laughs at me and walks back into his office.

  I look over at James. He’s laughing too. I shake my head and walk back to my desk.

  Friday night is my city birthday dinner with Jillian, James, and now, Vin. I almost forgot about it. I call the restaurant, and luckily, I get a reservation for four at seven. I leave the office on Friday evening with a plan for us to all meet at the restaurant.

  Just before seven, I pull up in a cab and walk into this quaint little restaurant. I have wanted to eat at a local spot since I moved here, and I’m so excited to try this place. When I think of city restaurants, this is what I imagine. Quaint, cozy, and lots of character.

  James and Jillian are at a little table that doesn’t seem like it will fit two more people. I greet them each with a hug and join them at our teeny table. Ten minutes later, Vin strolls in and heads toward us.

  “Wow, this place looks great. Good choice, Kell.” I give him a smile. The waiter places four glasses of water and fresh bread on our table, and I help myself to the bread.

  “Thanks for coming. This table is a little small, but I think we will be okay.”

  We look over our menus in silence. The descriptions of the food sound so delicious. My mouth starts to water, and I’m starting to feel really hungry. We start with drinks and decide on a bottle of red wine for our table.

  The waiter comes back with our bottle and four glasses. We are ready to order, and I order cheese ravioli. My favorite. The server takes our menus, and we all cheers as they wish me Happy Birthday.

  I notice that Vin is quiet this evening. He is just listening to our conversation. I give him a few side-way glances, but he doesn’t notice. I wonder why he is so preoccupied?

  “So, you guys. We have to check out this new bar that’s . . .”

  “My girlfriend moved out last weekend.” James stops mid-sentence, and the three of us look over at Vin.

  I reach over and gently and touch his arm. “Oh no. What happened?”

  “Well, I told you Kell, but ever since we moved in together, it just hasn’t seemed right. We moved in because we thought it was the right next step, but I knew I didn’t want to go any further with her. It was wrong of me to move in with her, a
nd I felt bad, but I had to end it. We were both not happy. I gave her some money to help get her own place. She is currently staying with a friend right now.”

  “Wow. Vin. I’m so sorry to hear that. I knew you guys were not getting along, but I’m sorry it had to end that way.”

  “Yeah, me too. But, I know she is not the girl for me. I realized that once she moved in. I should have been more honest about how I felt before she moved in.”

  We sit in silence for what seems like a few minutes. I don’t think anyone knew what to say or wants to start another conversation. The waiter ends the awkward silence as he fills our wine glasses.

  The rest of the evening is great. We chat, enjoy our food, and have a few glasses of wine. The food is amazing, and the conversation is light-hearted and fun. We don’t ask Vin any more questions. I am really enjoying all their company and, yes, even my boss. We have come a long way since that first interview, and I’m glad I have included him this evening. It's actually not that weird.

  The three of them take care of the bill. I try to pay my share. It’s sweet that they want to treat me, and I thank them for joining me to celebrate my birthday. James makes a few suggestions for other restaurants we should try, including a place called Ann Sather that has the best cinnamon rolls. It’s not far from where we are now. As we leave for the evening, we make a plan to go there for brunch soon.

  Eleven

  I see “Train Boy” again on Monday morning, which instantly puts me in a good mood.

  “Hey. I was wondering if I would run into you,” he said. “How was your weekend?”

  “It was good. Yours?”

  “Same, good. Normal weekend. I was also wondering, do you have plans for this Thursday?”

  “Umm. I don’t think so. Why?”

  “Well, I thought that maybe we could get a glass of wine and a small bite at this little wine bar in Lincoln Park.”

  “That sounds great. Oh, wait. I should probably give you my number.”

  We exchange numbers before the train arrives and continue talking the whole way to his stop at Grand.