by Lynn Galli
They made their goodbyes, and their departure opened up the floodgates. Diners from all over the restaurant stopped by the table to shake the mayor’s hand and officially meet Lena if they hadn’t already. Many of them had a look of envy on their faces, almost like they wished they could join us. Spencer kept to his tight group of friends and family. As the mayor, he had to keep a wall up. I couldn’t blame him, but I felt like he was missing out on some good friendships.
Once the tide of well wishers passed, we got back to enjoying dinner. Not surprisingly, Lena was able to hold her end of the conversation square. When she wasn’t talking, she seemed to be studying us. Every once in a while I thought I caught a knowing smile creep onto her lips and a furtive glance at me. I couldn’t interpret it, but it was nice to see.
By the time we were done, I was feeling worn out but much happier than when I’d left work. My clients had an exhaustive effect on me at times. Spending an evening with friends was a great way to erase that feeling.
Spence jumped into his car and offered Mei a ride to the house where she was staying. I hoped that they’d spend the evening together. In their plan to be seen as just friends, they hadn’t spent a night together since Mei had left Andy. I didn’t want their forced separation for the sake of appearances to back them off completely. A night reconnecting would do wonders for Mei.
Lena and I climbed into her car and headed toward our homes. It felt like we’d all been getting together for years, and it brought a smile to my lips.
“I’m sorry,” she said.
I started forward, not knowing what she was apologizing for. I gave her a questioning look.
“For calling Spencer your beard.”
“We already went through this.”
“Yeah, but I didn’t know that he was using you as his beard. I should have given you the benefit of the doubt.”
I tilted my head, trying to think if anything happened at dinner that would have given her that impression. “What?”
“They’ve been together, what? Almost a year?”
“Who?” My heart thudded. Had I spilled the one secret I couldn’t spill?
“You know who.” She shot a knowledgeable look at me. “Was it your idea or Spencer’s to start acting like you two were a couple?”
“We didn’t act like we were a couple. I told you that.”
“Right, yeah, I remember.” She didn’t sound convinced. “I’ve been curious about Mei’s car in your driveway when I’d stop by and she wasn’t around. Smart, really. How does she manage to get past Nancy’s prying eyes?”
“Let’s drop it.”
Damn, she had guessed. From her house she wouldn’t be able to see Mei’s path from my driveway through the trees to Spencer’s side gate. Not even Nancy had a view of that. That secluded path allowed them to keep their relationship secret from the beginning.
“You’re right. It’s none of my business.” She turned onto our street and pulled into my driveway. “I won’t say anything. I just wanted you to know that you’re a good friend. To me, of course, but now I see just how good a friend you can be to others.”
I absorbed that. “Thanks. Nice of you to say.”
She grabbed my hand and squeezed. “I mean it. See you tomorrow?”
I smiled and got out of her car. My heart rate came back down. I could trust that she wouldn’t say anything about Spencer and Mei. She was a good friend, too.
From the Journal of Lena Coleridge:
Okay, I know it’s none of my business, but wow, Spencer and Mei? And Glory putting herself out there to help hide it. Like a mini soap opera in my own neighborhood. Not something I’d usually think is okay, but after seeing Mei with her husband at the fundraiser and now with Spence, it’s so clear she belongs with Spence. Considering her husband was the one to start a lot of the gossip I’ve been hearing, I applaud Mei for getting out of that relationship. It’s great to know that she will be able to move on and with a really nice guy.
Dinner was fun, even with the unexpected guests. The mayor has lots of admirers in town, and Mei and Glory seem to know everyone in town. I better get used to that if I’m going to keep hanging out with them. It does come with benefits. Glory has some really nice friends like Cassie, who stopped by the table tonight with her sister-in-law, Vivian. Gorgeous woman, that one. Family, too, that was easy to spot. Wonder if she’s single. The way her eyes practically ate up Glory, I’ll bet she is. Not that Glory noticed.
Can’t quite figure that Glory out. She’s either clueless or knows exactly what she wants. Both seem possible for someone so relaxed. Must be nice not to be constantly wondering what others think. I should take a lesson from her. Maybe after a few more months in this town, I’ll get there.
Chapter 20
As weekends went, this one was going down as pretty mundane. I’d just gotten back from my parents’ house where we’d watched a movie with Mei and her parents. Tomorrow, Mei and I would finish inventorying her assets for the divorce papers. It was the last formality on her part. I hoped that once she handed this to her attorney, Andy would stop dragging his heels and do his part. Either his disinterest was making this process more drawn out or he was regretting having let her slip out of his hands.
When the doorbell rang, I faced the door with a frown. Very few people would stop by this late other than Mei, Spence, or my parents, all of whom had keys and usually let themselves in.
“Hi,” Lena greeted when I opened the door. She wore slacks and a halter top. The top showed off lots of smooth skin, which had recently darkened from beige to light sable in the summer sunshine. Once again, her wardrobe was sharp and tasteful. Not one misstep that I’d seen, even her casual jeans looked custom.
“What brings you by?”
Her arm lifted and a bag of empty containers dangled in my view. I smiled at the offering. It was so nice to have someone else to bake for now that my dad was on a strict diet. Client meetings always helped diminish my supply, but mostly, I’d end up freezing the leftovers and tossing them after months. Lena made for a guilt-free baking experience.
“Is this a hint for more?” I kidded, leading her back to my kitchen.
“Only if you feel up to it. I haven’t had to stop by a bakery in ages. Should I be buying you flour, eggs, and sugar to encourage more?”
“You could help with the baking.”
With a sly smile, she admitted, “You don’t want that.”
I did, actually. So much that the vision of us baking together in my kitchen distracted me.
“No one would want that,” she continued, oblivious to my daydream of domesticity.
I shook myself to stop from wanting something I’d never wanted before. Talk about confusing. Could I really be thinking about sharing a life with someone? Just like that? One day I’m happy just to be alive, and the next it’s not enough? Seems ungrateful, really.
“Where’d you go?” Lena’s face was suddenly much closer, interest in her eyes.
Somewhere unmentionable, at least for now. “I was thinking I’d try something new tomorrow. How does pumpkin bread sound?”
Her head tilted, sweeping the hair that wasn’t clipped back across one eye. “I’ve never heard of it, but that ginger cake was scrumptious and I’d never heard of that either.” She tucked the hair behind her ear, leaving those beautiful brown eyes unobstructed. “That wasn’t where you were, though.”
Like she could know that. “Where do you think I went?”
“Somewhere serious and heavy. Places you don’t like to go.”
She couldn’t know that either. “Yeah, I’m all surface all the time.”
“I didn’t say that. I said that you don’t like to go there, most of us don’t, but you, especially.”
“Did I miss an M.D. in psychiatry on your résumé?”
She ignored the joke, her eyes slashing right through me. “Is it because you were forced to think about serious things from too young an age?”
I sat back against the barsto
ol for balance. We were venturing into new territory. We’d sniped at each other before. I’d even been angry with her, something I rarely felt with anyone. Now she was asking questions that no one, not even my family, especially not my family had asked.
“You look so young, you are so young, but sometimes you act so, so-”
“Ancient, over the hill, out to pasture?” I joked to hide my discomfort.
“Then the jokes kick in and you’re back to your teenage self.”
“Have you seen my copy of Twilight around here?” I glanced around, biting back a grin. “Whenever she comes out with a new one, I have to read them all from the start again. I just love Edward. He’s so dreamy.”
“You’re impossible.” Lena shook her head, not as successful in holding back her smile as I’d been. “I can see that you don’t like to talk about it. That’s fine. I thought it might be easier to talk about with someone who wasn’t here back then.”
I considered that. It sounded nice. To be able to share how scared I’d been for much of my life. How much I hated that my parents had to go through any of it. How I couldn’t allow myself to be negative. It wouldn’t have helped anyone. On the contrary, it would have only served to scare everyone who cared about me more. Lena was right. I’d lived an entire lifetime by the time I was seventeen. That pretty much made me ancient now. Not that it made me any more willing to chat about it.
“Or maybe not,” she muttered, backing up.
“Maybe you’d like to discuss why your sister’s so worried about the singles’ scene here?”
“Fair enough.” Her lips curled. “Not exactly the same thing, but I take your point. If you ever feel the need to unburden yourself, I am good for more than a rundown of the day’s events over a beer on the porch.”
I gave a slight nod. “I’ll keep that in mind.”
She grasped my forearm and squeezed, sliding her hand down to mine. Awareness raced through me. Her hand was soft and warm. My perpetually cold hand clutched hers instinctively, seeking that warmth. Or that’s how my mind justified clinging to her hand. It felt so good in mine.
Her eyes dropped to our hands before rising to meet mine again. Something raw sparkled there. She turned away, taking her hand with her. I wanted it back, missing and craving her touch, an unfamiliar sensation, unacceptable as well. This wasn’t good. Attraction was one thing; genuine feelings were something entirely different.
“I should head home.” She took a step toward the front door.
“Thanks for returning the containers.” It seemed like the best response given my alternatives: Will you please have hot, lusty sex with me? What the hell do you put in your hair to make it so damn shiny and perfect? Whatever it is makes me want to have hot, lusty sex with you. Also stop figuring me out because it’s getting to the point where I’m going to have to kill you for knowing so much. It’s an annoying trait that makes me want to have hot, lusty sexy with you. I’m not normally annoyed, and I’ve never had hot, lusty sex. Mild, healthy sex, but not hot or lusty, and you make me want to have it. As her neighbor and friend, I think I chose my response wisely. No need to ruin a good friendship and bring on awkwardness in the neighborhood.
Lena hesitated. For a moment it seemed like she was able to hear my inner dialogue, or perhaps she was having one of her own. She turned back, coming closer. In the next instant, I found myself in her arms. An infinitely better feeling than holding her hand.
Too soon, the hug ended and Lena was walking backward. “Goodnight, Glory.”
I watched her stumble on the edge of a chair before she turned and double-timed it to the door. I was glad to see I wasn’t the only one affected tonight.
From the Journal of Lena Coleridge:
I hugged her! I shouldn’t have done that. She felt so good. I knew she was going to feel that good. I hate being right.
She’s my neighbor. She’s practically a baby even if she acts like she’s an old soul. I shouldn’t have tried to get her to open up about her heart surgery in high school. How could discussing something that happened so long ago push us into dangerous territory? It couldn’t, but I’m glad she shut it down. There’s no telling how I would have reacted if she’d opened up. Screw hugging her, I might have kissed her. Might have jumped her even, which would be a huge mistake. Neighbor. Young. Guarded. Neighbor. Not to mention how infuriating she is with her laid-back, nothing bothers me, let me see if I can get under your skin, attitude.
Bad arms, with the hugging. Bad, bad arms.
Chapter 21
Leaning over the pool table, I lined up what I hoped would be the final shot of this match. Cassie and I were partnered up for a charity tournament to prevent animal cruelty. The farther we went in the tournament, the more money we raised from our sponsors. I made a good teammate, less so for my pool skills than for my wealthy client list.
“Good shot.” Cassie knocked my knuckles after I’d sunk the eight ball for the win.
“Eiben!” Mitch growled as he stared down at the last pocket, his dreams of winning the tournament now gone.
Cassie rolled her eyes at his constant use of everyone’s last names. Then she punched his arm to break him out of the despair.
“Yeats!” Mitch growled at her, rubbing his huge bicep.
Andy, his pool partner, laughed and shook our hands. He didn’t like losing any more than Mitch did, but he was better at hiding his annoyance. Neither was too upset to accept a sloppy kiss from one of my least favorite former schoolmates Abby. She kissed both men, despite Mitch being married and Andy in the middle of a divorce. She had been Andy’s girlfriend before he started dating Mei. She hadn’t taken that well, and Mei had suffered her bad attitude ever since.
Abby continued to cling to Andy, giving off a territorial signal. Everyone nearby seemed as surprised as I was by the affectionate display. It didn’t mesh with the town gossip that Andy and Mei were both upset by the divorce. He sure didn’t look concerned when he accepted another kiss from the clearly tipsy Abby. I wasn’t looking forward to telling Mei that her soon to be ex-husband seemed to enjoy flaunting his newly single status, but I couldn’t let her be blindsided either.
“I’m going to grab some air,” I told Cassie, not enjoying the show Abby was putting on.
I waved at Vivian and Molly on the way out. They were our next opponents. Molly was good; Vivian not as much, but like me, Viv had a great client list to help Cassie raise money. If we beat them, we’d face Spencer and his buddy James. We didn’t have a hope of winning that one. James had his own pool table and could clear a table in one turn.
“Home wrecker.”
I turned in the direction of the inebriated accuser, curious to see if it was a local or a tourist getting the dressing down. Abby was walking through the front door, following me. I twisted to see if she was talking to someone else, but we were the only two people outside. “Excuse me?”
“You heard me. It’s one thing to break up a marriage, but it’s another to pervert someone to your ways.”
Giving her my full attention, I reversed my course to close the distance between us. “What are you talking about?”
“Don’t act all innocent.” She swiped at her too blond curls to push them out of her face. In her inebriated state, she forgot about the copious amount of hairspray she used. Her fingers snagged halfway through. “Andy told me about you. Not that he cares that his wife left him, but leaving him for you, especially since you’re supposed to be his friend is tearing him up inside.”
“Are you injured? Maybe on your head somewhere?” I asked her. She was accusing me of luring Mei away from Andy? What the hell?
“I’m just drunk enough to finally speak my mind. You and Mei make me sick. You’ve probably been secretly screwing behind Andy’s back for years.”
I wanted to walk away. Normally I would have, but this was such an outrageous accusation that I just couldn’t. I’d never told Abby I was gay. In order to preserve some privacy in a small town, I’d only told my close f
riends. Abby wasn’t on that list. “You honestly believe that Mei and I are romantically involved and were prior to her separation?”
“Don’t act like you aren’t some big dyke. I was fooled, everyone in town was fooled, but Andy let me know about you. It doesn’t take a genius to figure out that Mei left him for you. What’s almost as bad is that you’re hurting our mayor in the process. What do you think Spence would do if he knew his girlfriend was a dyke? Maybe I should tell him.”
Oh, for heaven’s sake. “Abby, you’re drunk. Get a cab and sleep it off.” I turned to head back into the bar.
“Don’t ignore me.” She tried to grab my arm but missed and stumbled.
I faced her to prevent her from injuring herself. “Mei did not leave Andy for me. That’s ridiculous. I know Andy doesn’t believe that. You should spend your energy wrapping him up instead of spreading lies.”
“Oh, I’ll get him. Had I been more experienced in high school I never would have lost him, but he’s mine now.” Her brown eyes blazed like I was going to make a move on him. “I’m just making sure that you and Mei get what’s coming to you.”
I tried for calm. “Divorce is hard enough. Let them work through it.”
“What about Spencer?”
“What about him, Abby? I’m not his girlfriend. We’re just friends. That’s all we’ve ever been,”
Confusion knitted her brow. “But you’re a lesbo.”
“Ahh, drunk Abby, we’ve missed you so,” Cassie crooned as she stepped outside into our conversation circle.
“Bite me, Cass,” Abby retorted then looked at me. “That’s probably something you’d like.” Her smile was smug, thinking she’d spilled a state secret to one of my friends.
“Biting’s always fun,” Cassie declared, looping an arm around me.
“What? You know?” Abby’s brow was getting a wrinkle workout.
“Know what?” Cassie looked at me for clarification.