I gawked at the back of her head as if she had cockroaches crawling all over it. “You’re joking.”
“No, I’m not. And you won’t make one crack about it.” She flipped around and waggled a finger in my face.
“It must be nice to have a job where you don’t have to be right—ever. Talk about job security.”
“Yeah, don’t say anything like that, Lizzie.” She pinned me with a stern look.
I gave a Boy Scout salute and determined that I shouldn’t say anything at all, just to be safe. Weather forecaster—please! Did he have to train for that? I sincerely doubted it. All the dude had to do was stand in front of a blue screen and point to the right areas. At the least, maybe he had to study geography.
We ran into Maddie and her date in the parking lot. After I had been introduced to Doug the weatherman, Maddie pulled me aside. “You okay?”
“Yeah, I’m fine. Where’d you find Doug the weather dude?”
“Don’t be an ass tonight. I like this one.” She shot me a look that suggested she’d take me out back and pummel my ass if I was rude.
“He better not ask me about lesbian sex, then.”
Maddie rolled her eyes and rejoined her date. Doug was only about five foot nine with dark hair, eyebrows that appeared to have been trimmed, a wispy goatee, and curious eyes. His nose was huge. Maybe that was good for his profession. Maybe he could smell rain or snow in the air like a bloodhound. Was I allowed to ask that question?
The hostess seated us right away. The restaurant was almost deserted. Either the food sucked, or the place was too new and no one had heard of it yet; my money was on the former, but my gut was cheering for the latter. After the day I’d had, I really wanted something to go right.
I imagined crappy Mexican food would taste how dog food looked. I’m not saying Mexican food is only fit for dogs, just that the cheap shit, like refried beans in a can, looked like dog food. The weird watery/oily substance on top of canned beans always freaked me out.
“One of my colleagues recommended this place, so I hope it’s good,” Doug said, disappearing behind the oversized laminated menu.
The menu wasn’t a good sign—laminated. But now that I knew Doug had suggested it, I knew I would have to pretend to love it, just to stay on Maddie’s good side. I wanted to avoid an ass kicking. I think she was still a bit peeved about the last guy. But that wasn’t my fault! I didn’t ask him about heterosexual sex. Couldn’t he be a normal guy and just watch lesbian porn, instead of interrogating the first lesbian he met in real life? Fucking creep.
“You look deep in thought, Lizzie. Care to share with the group?” Maddie always enjoyed putting me on the spot.
I straightened in my chair, ready to spill until I felt Sarah’s hand on my thigh, giving me that you-better-not squeeze. Could the woman read my mind?
Maddie laughed. Doug, still engrossed in the menu, didn’t notice a thing. Typical male.
“How’s work been lately, Maddie?” I asked instead, biting back words about how rude her last boyfriend had been, even though I was the one being blamed for that double date crashing and burning. In our little group, I was always the fall guy. Okay, so I usually wasn’t entirely blameless, but why did I have to turn the other cheek when straight people asked insulting questions? Why should they receive a pass for being noble enough to have dinner with me without having a clue how to act or what to say? Why should I just ignore their stupidity? No way.
Maddie shrugged. “Same old same old.” A year ago, Maddie had opened her own interior design business, and it was growing at glacial speed. She was talented—Sarah and I had hired her when we bought our house—but the economy in this part of the country was still in the shitter. There were signs of life, but that didn’t mean people were rushing out to redecorate their homes. Luckily, Maddie had her parents helping her out.
“Have you seen her work?” Doug set aside his menu and smiled like a schoolboy.
I nodded.
“That’s how we met.” He beamed.
Maddie colored. “Doug is one of my clients—former client.” She raised a finger at me.
As if that was going to stop me.
“Are you allowed to fraternize with clients?” I arched my eyebrows, ready for battle. “Jeez, ouch!” Both Sarah and Maddie had kicked me in the shin under the table, each striking a different leg. “I was only kidding. No need for both of you to kick me.”
Sarah and Maddie glared at me for outing their behavior.
Doug just chuckled. “Be glad it wasn’t my sister. She can pack a wallop.”
“Are you two close?” asked Sarah.
“Oh yeah. She’s one year younger than me, and we’ve been inseparable almost since she was born.”
I couldn’t think of anything jerky to say about that. I had only dealt with siblings who hated each other. Both Sarah and Maddie were only children, thank God. I struggled enough with my own family; I didn’t need to add any more relatives who would be disappointed in me or piss me off.
“What about you?” Doug directed the question to Sarah.
“Oh, the only sibling I have is through Lizzie, and he’s an asshole.”
Doug sat there with his mouth open, waiting for me to reply.
“Sarah, no reason to be shy.” I looked Doug straight in the eyes. “My brother is a fucking asshole. Just ask Maddie.” I pulled my legs up quickly so both Sarah and Maddie kicked each other accidentally. “Ha!”
“Why do I get the feeling I’m missing something?” Doug put the menu back down on the table.
Tilting my head, I flashed an evil grin at Maddie. “You want to field this one, boss, or should I?”
Maddie let out a long, angry breath. Shaking her head, she explained, “I met Lizzie through her brother.”
“Oh, you two dated,” Doug probed.
“You could say that.” Maddie looked to Sarah for help, but she didn’t receive any. “Truth be told, I was engaged to Peter.”
Comprehension flooded Doug’s face. “I wish I could say I’m sorry it didn’t work out, but it worked out well for me.” Maddie hugged his arm and rested her head on his shoulder. Then she stuck her tongue out at me.
Damn. I thought for sure that would get to him. I needed new ammo. “So, Doug, what do you do?”
Fire shot out of Sarah’s eyes, but I did my best to free my face of all judgment.
“Meteorologist. Maddie tells me you’re a history nut. Do you know who founded meteorology?” He looked innocent, even though he’d just put me on the spot.
“Uh…” I fiddled with my fork. “Can’t say that I do.”
“Aristotle.”
Shit! How could I say something snarky about Aristotle?
“Is that so,” was all I could think to say.
Sarah and Maddie were clearly tickled pink over my inability to be an ass.
When the waitress interrupted to take our food order, I was never so happy to see a server. To make matters worse, Doug and I both ordered tamale platters—like we were two peas in the same pod. It pissed me off. Would this day never end?
“Lizzie, Maddie mentioned your mother’s situation. I’m so sorry to hear it. My grandmother had colon cancer. If you ever need to talk…” He left the rest unspoken.
I sat there, frozen.
“Thanks, Doug.” Sarah patted my arm and then said, “Today was her mom’s first chemo session.”
Why was that necessary? Why did he have to be a nice guy? I needed to vent, and the best way for me to do that was to rip other people apart. Just like my mother. Fuck! Was I turning into my mother?
Maddie directed the conversation to safer waters: the three of them discussing spring training. The Broncos lost big time in the Super Bowl earlier in the year, and everyone in Colorado hoped the upcoming season wouldn’t be such a dud.
I didn’t care. I just appreciated that I didn’t have to speak. I really didn’t think I could. Dealing with my mom and th
en Doug…my eyelids felt heavy. Change wasn’t my forte, and I was facing a lot of it, all at once. It was best for me to tune everyone out.
Minutes later, the three of them burst into laughter. It soon became obvious that the joke involved me. I flashed a fake smile.
“I knew it. You have no idea why we’re laughing, do you?” Maddie put me in the hot seat yet again.
“Maddie, you don’t expect Lizzie to admit that, do you?” Sarah grinned, relishing the moment.
“I’ll give you a clue: turkey baster.”
I blinked foolishly, utterly clueless. Were they deriding my lack of cooking skills?
The three of them broke into a loud guffaw once again.
“Maybe Doug’s sister can teach you,” offered Maddie.
“How to cook?” The words spilled out before I could stop them.
Maddie roared with laughter, tossing her head so hard that it whacked the high-backed seat. She rubbed it gingerly, but she didn’t stop chortling.
“My sister and her partner recently conceived their first child,” explained Doug, doing his best to control his laugher.
I still wasn’t connecting the dots. Partner? That was lesbian speak for girlfriend. Was his sister gay? Damn! Was there nothing I could hate about this dude? Why did Maddie have to introduce the perfect guy today, of all days?
“Maybe I should explain this to you later,” said Sarah.
Maddie laughed even harder, now gasping for breath.
“Here we are,” the waitress cooed, her arms laden with plates. She set the tamale platter down before me, and I did my best to ignore Maddie’s ongoing giggles by starting to eat.
To say I was miffed would be a euphemism. Sarah patted my leg, so I knew she had noticed. I bristled, moving my leg away.
She leaned over and kissed my cheek. “Don’t be mad,” she whispered.
I responded by shoving an overloaded fork of tamale into my mouth and chewing dramatically. As soon as I swallowed, my attitude softened.
“These are good,” I mumbled, forking in another mouthful.
Doug nodded. He was chewing as enthusiastically as I was.
Sarah and Maddie, taking that as an invite, plunged their forks into our respective platters.
“Back off!” Doug uttered the exact same phrase as me and pretended to defend with his fork, just as I did. It was like we were fucking identical twins—except I didn’t think my nose was as large as his.
He eyed me, brow crinkled, and gave me the look. Simultaneously, we each dug our forks into our date’s plate and scooped up a large bite.
“Hey!” The girls protested in unison.
Doug and I high-fived. Okay, maybe I could get along with this one.
Later that night, Sarah slipped under the sheets, naked, and joined me in bed. She rested her head on my chest.
“Do you mind telling me about the turkey baster?”
She giggled and hid her face with the sheet. “Do I have to?”
“Yes.” I tickled her side.
“All right, but don’t flip out. Maddie was joking that you’d get me pregnant with one.”
“How is that—? Oh.” I didn’t like the image in my head. “Um, is that how you want to…to do it?” I didn’t. Not one bit.
“Don’t worry. We can’t do it that way, since we’re using your egg. The doctor will have to implant the embryo.”
I’m sure my relief was evident.
“Gosh, you’re such a weirdo when it comes to this.” She poked me in the ribs.
“Comes to what?” Getting pregnant wasn’t an everyday thing, at least not for lesbians.
“Gay stuff.”
“What do you mean? I am gay.”
“That doesn’t mean you’re comfortable with the topic. Not one bit.” Sarah waggled a finger in my face.
“Really.” I wasn’t in the mood for this conversation again. My family hated that I was a lesbian, and my wife and best friend complained I wasn’t gay enough; it was a losing battle.
“What about this subject instead?” I lifted her chin to kiss her. “And this one?” I rolled her on her back and licked one of her nipples.
“You happen to be quite good with this particular lesbian subject.” She grinned.
“Good. Now be quiet, so I can focus.”
Chapter Five
Sunday morning arrived, and I had to pinch myself to prove that the week was nearly over. Taking my mom to two appointments had really done a number on me. I knew the appointments were harder on her, and I was trying to stay focused on that, rather than on me, but as everyone loved to point out, I was self-involved. My therapist and I were working on that.
On Friday afternoon, I had received a text from The Scotch-lady. I didn’t even know my mom could text!
“Pick up some more books for me. Audiobooks.”
So, I had to drive to Denver once again. I wasn’t one for driving—I preferred to ride my bike most places—so three round-trips from Fort Collins to Denver seemed overwhelming. I’d also hoped for a two-day reprieve from Mom. All I wanted was some time to myself, or with Sarah. That was all. Nothing more.
I rolled onto my side. The clock read seven o’clock. Seven!
Sarah nestled up against me. “You’re still here.”
“Yeah, I must have been more tired than I thought.” I rubbed my eyes, trying to force my eyelids to stay open; they weren’t cooperating.
“I kinda like it. I can’t remember the last time we woke up together. I thought when you finished grad school and started working from home, I’d see you more.” Her voice was still thick with sleep.
“Don’t you get tired of seeing me all the time?” I knew as soon as I finished speaking that Sarah would take this the wrong way.
She bolted upright. “Why? Are you tired of me?”
I swear Sarah could twist anything to make me look bad—not that she had to twist that statement all that much.
“That’s not what I meant at all. You’re a good person. It’s me. For the past five minutes I’ve been feeling sorry for myself because my mom is sick and she’s relying on me. I’m the selfish shit, not you.”
That appeased her a little, but I knew I’d be walking on eggshells the rest of the weekend anyway. Just what I needed. When would I learn to keep my foot out of my mouth? Probably never.
“Can I take you to breakfast? Will that help repair the damage?”
“Do you only want to take me to breakfast to shut me up?” Sarah crossed her arms over her naked breasts. God, I loved that she always slept naked, not just in summer.
“That depends. Will it work?”
She grabbed her pillow and whacked me with it.
“Is that a yes or a no?” I tossed her pillow aside and pulled her on top of me. “Since I skipped my bike ride, how about some exercise?”
She opened her mouth to say something snarky, but I quieted her with my lips. It usually didn’t take much to get her to see my line of thinking.
But today, I didn’t get very far. My phone vibrated. With everything going on, I stopped to check the message, to make sure—to be blunt—that my mom hadn’t died. Since I had learned about Mom, whenever I got a phone call or a text, that was my first thought.
The message was from Maddie.
“You back from your ride yet?”
Sarah sensed my drastic mood change. “Is everything okay?”
I let out a sigh of relief. “Yeah, it’s just Maddie. Would you mind texting her back for me? I need to pee.”
Standing in front of the sink, dousing my face with frigid water, I listened to Sarah on the phone. Texting wasn’t her thing. She preferred the old-fashioned phone call. I mostly opted to text or email: the less human connection the better. How odd that my mom felt the same way.
Nope, Lizzie, block this line of thinking from your brain!
Sarah’s soft footsteps sounded behind me. “Can you be ready in thirty minutes?�
�
“For what?” I grabbed a hand towel and dried my face.
“Breakfast with Maddie and Doug.”
“She’s already fucking Doug? Maddie doesn’t waste any time.”
“Oh, please. You slept with me right away. And, nice language,” she smirked.
I sneered back at her. “That’s not the point.”
“What’s the point, then? It’s been a long time since Maddie was in a relationship. You should be happy for her.” Sarah stepped into the shower and pulled me in after her.
Normally, I liked showering with her, but not when she was arguing with me. “I just don’t want her getting hurt, like last time.”
“Not everyone is like Peter.”
“Point taken. I’ll try to be happy for her, but…”
“But, what?” She lathered shampoo into her hair. This was the most dangerous part of showering with Sarah. She took the lathering process seriously and really got into it, flinging shampoo everywhere. If I didn’t close my eyes, I risked being blinded by TRESemmé, or whatever brand she used.
Clenching my eyes shut, I rubbed shampoo into my own hair with much less gusto. “Doug seems nice, and you know what they say about nice guys.” Some shampoo flew into my mouth, and I spat it out instantly.
“You think Maddie will dump him because he isn’t like Peter.” Sarah stood under the water to rinse, and I felt somewhat safer. Her conditioning routine wasn’t so zealous. “Turn around, I’ll wash your back.”
I complied. “That, and…have you seen the guy? He’s not that good-looking.”
Sarah smacked my ass. “Maddie isn’t an asshole, like someone I know.”
“Shouldn’t you take that as a compliment?” I glanced over my shoulder to see her reaction.
Sarah quickly wiped a satisfied grin off her face.
“He has hairy knuckles,” I continued.
“He’s half Greek. He can’t help that.”
“Does he have a hairy back?” I pondered aloud.
“How would I know? Seriously, Lizzie! You’re just trying to find things wrong with him. You can act this way all you want, but I know you like him.” She raked my back with her nails. It felt good, even if she was trying to punish me.
A Woman Ignored (A Woman Lost Book 2) Page 7