by Jill Shure
Which was when Courtney lunged for the gun.
26
Courtney flung herself at Arlene, grabbing for the gun. I held my breath as they struggled to overpower each other. Finally, a shot rang out. Lisa, Tabitha, and I froze. An eternity passed before Arlene rolled out from under Courtney. Courtney fell back on the sofa. A red spot began to spread across her dirty white T-shirt. I helped Arlene up. Courtney lay inert on the sofa.
&ldquoIt&rsquos a wing. Nothing too serious,&rdquo Arlene whispered to Lisa, Tabitha, and me. Aloud she said, &ldquoHurry! Call an ambulance. Lisa get me an old pillowcase, scissors, towels. Tabitha you&rsquoll find painkillers in my medicine cabinet.&rdquo
&ldquoAm I dying?&rdquo Courtney cried.
&ldquoLie still.&rdquo I knelt beside Courtney and gazed into her tearful eyes. &ldquoI&rsquom sorry.&rdquo
&ldquoI need a priest.&rdquo
&ldquoOf course,&rdquo I soothed.
Lisa returned with a handful of little prescription bottles. &ldquoLet&rsquos see. We have quite a few choices here.&rdquo
I pulled Lisa aside. &ldquoHold off on the drugs. Let&rsquos get a few answers first.&rdquo
In the family room, I eased back onto the floor by Courtney. &ldquoTell us about you and Tommy.&rdquo
&ldquoStill jealous, huh?&rdquo Courtney gasped.
I attempted to look sad. &ldquoOf course. I loved him first.&rdquo
She chuckled, then winced. &ldquoHe was devoted to me.&rdquo
Apparently, Courtney still had plenty to learn about men.
&ldquoYou promised him money, didn&rsquot you? Over a million dollars,&rdquo I said.
&ldquoSo?&rdquo
&ldquoSo far, you&rsquove only collected about fifty. Which, I assume, you gave Tommy to hold.&rdquo
We heard the front door open. The sounds of voices, car engines, and sirens poured in. Ken appeared in the doorway. In jeans and a flannel shirt, he looked both invincible and sexy. I wanted to bury my face in his chest and cling to him.
&ldquoTell her about Tommy,&rdquo I told Ken.
Ken knelt by Courtney. &ldquoThey found Tommy.&rdquo
&ldquoSo?&rdquo
&ldquoThey found him at the border with a suitcase full of money.&rdquo
Courtney blinked. &ldquoI have nothing to say.&rdquo
&ldquoPuerto Nuevo, right?&rdquo Ken said.
She glared at him. &ldquoThink what you like.&rdquo
&ldquoExcept they caught him at the Canadian border. With a twenty-three-year-old swimsuit model named Samee. They were running away together.&rdquo
Courtney&rsquos smug expression faded.
&infin&infin&infin
A few minutes later, the paramedics took Courtney away in an ambulance.
Maybe I should&rsquove enjoyed her misery. But how could I? We both had scars from broken hearts. She&rsquod fallen for Tommy, aka. Mr. Wrong. In the past I&rsquod bought into his lies, too. Although never as completely as Courtney had. Like Ken said, deep down Courtney had always been a lot more desperate.
That night, I fell into bed feeling satisfied but also upset. Okay, the story had a good finish. But not a happy one.
At Denny&rsquos the next morning, my cousin Jasper ordered waffles and bacon. His glittering blue eyes matched his sweatshirt and jeans. And he was tanned to perfection from his latest trip to Barbados.
&ldquoI don&rsquot get it,&rdquo I said, digging into a mound of pancakes. &ldquoWhere did Samba fit in?&rdquo
&ldquoSamba let Courtney hide out at her place. I guess Samba fell for Courtney, too.&rdquo
&ldquoJeez, what was it about that girl? Every man and woman she met flipped for her.&rdquo
Jasper shrugged. &ldquoNot everyone.&rdquo
&ldquoDid Samba help Courtney kill Andy and Wild Bill?&rdquo I asked.
&ldquoShe was an accomplice.&rdquo
&ldquoI wonder if Courtney loved any of them.&rdquo
&ldquoMaybe Tommy. Or Sirhan Spector,&rdquo Jasper said.
&ldquoHow come the police told you all this?&rdquo
&ldquoI still have a few friends on the force.&rdquo
The following week, life returned to normal. My day began at six-thirty when my alarm went off. By seven-fifteen, Sofia and I sat across from each other for breakfast.
&ldquoWhat should we do this weekend?&rdquo I said.
&ldquoI already have plans. I&rsquom going to the mall with Darcy.&rdquo
This was inevitable. I couldn&rsquot turn Sofia into Ken&rsquos replacement, just because he wouldn&rsquot commit to a full weekend, let alone the rest of our lives.
I&rsquod just started reading my daily horoscope in the paper when the doorbell rang. &ldquoWhat now?&rdquo I grumbled, marching over to peer out the peephole.
Ken. I quickly unlocked the door. Today, he had on a dark suit and tie.
&ldquoCome in. We weren&rsquot expecting you but&mdash&rdquo
&ldquoI just thought I&rsquod drop by and see my favorite girls,&rdquo he said, handing me a bag of piping hot bagels and three kinds of cream cheese.
&ldquoHold on while I fix you a plate.&rdquo
&ldquoDon&rsquot bother, I&rsquom fine. But I won&rsquot refuse a cup of coffee.&rdquo
By some miracle, I&rsquod worn a new dress, jewelry, sexy shoes, and makeup. My hair had decided to behave, too. Life can be sweet sometimes.
While I poured Ken a fresh cup of coffee, he and Sofia giggled like two best friends. I&rsquod just handed Ken his cup when I saw it. A blue velvet box about the size of an engagement ring. It rested on my place mat by my coffee.
Nudging the box aside, I sat down and began reading my horoscope again.
&ldquoMotherrrr!&rdquo Sofia growled, staring from my face to the box.
My face felt flushed. I didn&rsquot dare look at Ken. I just knew the box held a sweet little gold pin or a locket. Something nice but unofficial. Then I popped open the lid. I swear I heard trumpets and a drum roll. It was either a real diamond or a darn fine cubic zirconia.
I heard Sofia&rsquos shoe catch Ken in the shin and his resulting grunt.
&ldquoOkay, okay,&rdquo he said, dropping to his knees before me. He gently grasped my hand. Staring into my eyes, he solemnly asked, &ldquoBetsy Ross, will you marry me?&rdquo
So what do you think I said?