Lex walked into her darkened house and continued on a three year routine: come home, turn on light, check messages, have a beer, get changed, do some work and go to bed. So she turned on the lights and checked her messages.
"You have three unheard messages." There was a long beep.
The first message was her mother. "Hi Sweetie… I know you're probably at work right now but just thought I'd call to check up on you… Evie got engaged… Please come home soon… Love you."
The next message was Lex's boyfriend. He was not happy. "Lex, it's me. You said you'd call. What the hell happened? Look I'll be in DC next week… CALL ME!"
The final message was Lex's older sister, Lianne. "Lexi, it's Lee…. Andrew and I just got into big fight." Again? "I don't know what to do. Please call me. I need your help."
Lex only had the intention of calling one person back.
"Hello?"
"Hey, mom."
"Lexi! Sweetie, oh, I've missed you! How are you, honey?"
"Tired… frustrated… angry…" Lex laughed to herself. "How bout you?"
"Oh sweets, Eve's fiancé is lovely. He's a chef… well, a chef in training."
"And she's happy?"
"Very!" Eve wasn't one of Lex's four sisters but close enough. She had been a friend for years. "She'll be in DC at the end of the week… She wants to meet you for dinner… Can I give her your number?"
"Yep. What happened with Lee and Andrew?"
"Oh the usual. She wants to live here, he wants to live there. She doesn't want to get married yet, they both want kids… Don't think about it, pet."
Good old mom, always trying to protect me. "Have you seen Sean lately?"
A moments hesitation. "He's been busy at the office… Sweetie… you still there?"
"He, um… he left me a message. He was angry because I've been busy at work… I was supposed to call him."
"Sweetie, you should do what's best for you."
"You never really liked him."
"That's not true."
"Mama, it's getting late, I should go."
"I love you."
"Love you too." Lex hung up.