Kat’s face twisted into a smile. “It’s been awhile.”
The inside wasn’t impressive looking, some tables and a bar, but they had seats outside and even though it was October, it was warm enough to sit outside.
We grabbed a table, noticing that a band was setting up on the opposite side of the sidewalk. Kat ordered a champagne cocktail with gin, sugar, and lemon juice. I got a Harpoon’s Hard Cider. Something about autumn always made me crave cider. Since we were celebrating, I ordered Kat the calamari appetizer and some fries for myself.
“Maybe there’ll be dancing.” Kat’s eyes sparkled, and she stirred her drink with a plastic straw. It was in a plastic cup too. So high class. Phineas would not approve.
“I hope so. I happen to know a beautiful woman I would like to have as my dancing partner.”
“Oooo…that wasn’t cheesy at all.” She batted her eyelashes at me.
“Well, maybe it was, but it’s true.” I leaned over to kiss her cheek.
“I don’t believe it! What are you two doing here?”
I turned to find Samantha and Lucy standing outside the rope that blocked off the restaurant’s outdoor seating.
“A little sightseeing, actually. What are you two doing here?” I stood to hug them both. Kat didn’t get up. She smiled, but her annoyance that we had run into them again was obvious and palpable.
“Lucy’s parents live in town. We stayed the weekend, and we wanted some time away from the parental units.” Samantha glanced over her shoulder. “Are they going to have live music? What do you say, Luce, shall we crash their dinner?”
Lucy looked uncomfortable at being put on the spot but was at a loss for words.
“Yes, of course, have a seat.” I dashed off to steal a couple of unoccupied chairs from a nearby table. Kat stayed seated, but she did her best to hide her disappointment with a welcoming smile. I doubted she wanted company tonight at all, but the fact that it was Samantha made it even worse. But what could I do—send them away?
When they were seated, I motioned for the waiter to bring us more menus and water. Sam shouted for a beer. Lucy fidgeted with the drawstrings on her hoodie.
“Did you grow up in Salem?” I asked, hoping that if I got her talking the awkwardness would fade.
“Yeah,” she mumbled.
“Her family has lived around here since the whole witch craze,” said Samantha proudly.
“Really?” Interest erased the tension from Kat’s face.
I felt a change in the atmosphere, and I let out a silent sigh of relief.
“Yeah,” Lucy muttered again before finding other words to say. “One of my family members was found ‘guilty.’” She made quote marks with her fingers.
“Oh, my, how horrible.” Kat covered her mouth with one hand. “I’ve always been fascinated by the history here, but this is my first visit.”
I looked at Kat, amazed. “You didn’t go on any school fieldtrips here?”
“Fieldtrips? Do you think Phineas would allow that?” A flash of anger shot through her eyes. The flame tempered quickly and then extinguished, and she added, “My father is a bit stuffy.”
I choked on my cider. “That’s an understatement.”
Kat playfully tapped my arm. “Not all of us have cool parents like yours.”
“You think my parents are cool? Mom is a nut job and Dad can barely speak in full sentences around other people.”
“Would you trade parents, then?” She pinned me with a glare.
“Not a chance in hell.” I patted her hand.
Realizing we were neglecting our uninvited guests, Kat turned to Samantha and asked, “How in the world did you get Cori to read Twilight?”
Samantha giggled. “You held up your end of the bargain, then.” She turned to Kat and said, “Whiskey.”
“On the train here, she had her nose buried in the book, and she didn’t want to get off when we arrived.” Kat ran her hand up my thigh, tickling me. It was good to see her back to her normal self, sort of.
“That’s not entirely true, but”—I turned to Samantha—“they’re at the ballet studio and …”
Kat stuck her fingers in her ears. “Don’t say another word. I plan on reading it after you.” She reached for my bag to pull out the book, but it wasn’t Twilight—I could tell by the cover.
It was Confessions of a Shopaholic.
Kat dropped it like a lead weight, and fished out Twilight instead. She flushed and looked troubled, but she continued, “I bet I could get through this in a day.” She flipped through the pages breezily.
Samantha clapped her hands together. “And then it will be your turn, Lucy.”
“What?” Lucy sipped her water through a straw. “I’m not reading that!” Turning scarlet, she added, “Not that there’s anything wrong with it.”
“Oh, get off your high horse. Cori teaches English lit and Kat loves Wilkie Collins—and they’re reading it.”
Lucy stared at us as if we had termites crawling out our ears.
The waiter approached and all three of them ordered lobster. Being the odd man out, and the only vegetarian, I ordered the mac and cheese with tater tots on the side.
When the waiter asked if I wanted lobster on my mac and cheese, Kat said firmly, “She’s vegetarian.”
Kat didn’t subscribe to my beliefs, but she defended them all of the time. The waiter tapped his pencil and asked if we needed anything else. Kat ordered a bottle of red wine, and for the first time, my heart didn’t skip a beat. I have to admit that knowing my income was going to increase was a relief. Billing wasn’t my choice, but it would be foolish to look a gift horse in the mouth. And if Kat actually helped, that made it even better. It felt like we were in this together. I mean we always had been, but even more so.
Samantha seemed uncomfortable. Unfortunately, the shoe was on the other foot. My money woes were getting under control just as hers were beginning. I saw Lucy comfort her, and I wondered if Samantha had confessed yet. My gut said no, but my heart hoped she had. Going through something like that alone would be tough.
“So, Lucy, how’s Match.com going?” Kat dipped a ring of fried calamari into the lemon aioli sauce.
“Actually, pretty well.” Lucy smiled shyly and squirmed in her chair. “I didn’t think many hopefuls would want to meet up with a nerdy writer, but I’ve had several people ask me to coffee.”
“Several? Do tell.” Kat’s eager face compelled her.
Samantha slurped her beer, and I sat there frozen like a deer in headlights, unable to think of a way to end this conversation.
After Lucy had described some of the women she had been conversing with, she said, “So far, I’m more flattered than interested.”
Samantha’s face lost some of its rigidity.
“Except for this one—”
“I need to pee!” interrupted Sam, and then she dashed inside.
Neither Kat nor Lucy paused to consider Samantha’s body language. Could Lucy be that cold towards her ex, or was she just completely oblivious that Sam was still heads over heels in love with her? Lucy was book smart. I had checked out her novels on Amazon. She wrote thrillers—along the lines of the Da Vinci Code. From the excerpts I had read, she was quite good. But brilliant people tend to suck at the real world, especially when it comes to matters of the heart.
Samantha returned just as Kat and Lucy finished discussing the potential love match.
“So, Sam, have you reconsidered?” Kat asked, eyeing Samantha as soon as she sat down.
“What?” Samantha plunged some calamari into the sauce angrily. Even her fingertips were covered, I noticed. After popping the seafood into her mouth, she licked each finger dismissively.
“Match.com. Sounds like Lucy is having success. It’s a shame we aren’t getting you out there. I’ve had some luck setting people up.” Kat’s tone was upbeat, tempting.
Sam wiggled in her chair, unsure how to proceed. Then her eyes
glimmered with something I hadn’t seen before. “Sure, why not?”
I wanted to laugh out loud. Was she going for the jealousy angle? Rub Lucy’s nose in the fact that others might want to be with her.
Looking over at Lucy, I tried to determine if I could detect any hint of hurt. I saw none. My heart fell into the pit of my stomach. Poor Samantha.
On the other hand, Kat’s mood perked up.
Would this alleviate her fears? She had been joking about Twilight earlier, but I’m sure that, in her mind, my reading the book was a confession that I was crushing on Samantha. Was Kat rubbing it in my face? Was this her way of saying hands off? Or of trying to tell me Sam didn’t want me. Women and the games they play. People hate the backstabbing in politics. Try lesbian romances.
I have two rules in life. One is never open a Facebook account. The other is never get in the middle of a girl fight. If necessary, I would break the first rule. But I’ll never break the second.
The band’s guitarist strummed a few cords and everyone at the table fell silent. Thank God. We came to Salem to help Kat relax, and now I was fretting about Samantha’s feelings for Lucy and trying to steer my jealous girlfriend away from dating talk. It would have been more pleasant to walk across hot coals all night long.
The musicians were decent, covering songs from the eighties, but unfortunately there wasn’t any room to dance. Instead, Kat leaned up against me, and I wrapped my arm around her shoulder.
In honor of the Red Sox, the band played “Sweet Caroline”—the song that is played at every Sox home game during the eighth inning. Many of the patrons stood to join in the singing, including Samantha and me.
Kat was slightly amused by us making asses out of ourselves in public.
Lucy was shocked. How in the world had Sam fallen for such a straight-laced gal? Then again, Sam had told me Lucy was kinkier in bed. It was humorous to observe their differences, but I guess the same could be said about Kat and me. From the shocked look on many faces when they learned Kat was with me, I guessed most people thought we’d be a flash in the pan. So far, we’d been together three years, and my grandmother’s ring was at the jewelers being resized.
When the song finished, I sat back down and kissed Kat on the lips. Samantha cheered, to my surprise. The beers were going straight to her head. Even Lucy tipped her glass in our honor.
The lobsters arrived, along with my mac and cheese. Both Kat and Samantha stole a tater tot as soon as the bowl hit the table.
“Ladies, hands off!”
“Why, Cori, I don’t think you’ve ever said that to me before?” Kat faked a Southern belle accent.
“When it comes to my tots, hands off.”
Kat waved me off and grabbed another one. I reached for my knife, brandishing it in her face with mock menace. The waiter chuckled as I requested two more orders of tater tots. He smiled and said that often happened. Here we were, grownups, fighting over tater tots.
“You can order me my own, but I still prefer your tots any day.” Kat winked.
“How come you never say that to me?” asked Samantha.
At first, I thought she directed the question to Kat, but when I turned, I saw Lucy’s face redden.
“Ah …” was all she could get out.
Luckily, the band started a new song. Kat flashed me a quizzical look, and I shrugged innocently. Clueless, Lucy grabbed one of my tots and handed it to Sam. I was pretty sure she had missed the point completely.
“Ladies and gentlemen.” The singer tapped the microphone to get our attention. “We appreciate all of you listening to us this evening, even though the Sox are playing. I wanted to let you know that just moments ago”—he stopped abruptly to get everyone’s attention. “The Sox are going to the World Series!”
Samantha and I jumped up and hugged enthusiastically. Instantly, I knew I was in trouble. Turning quickly, I grabbed Kat’s arm and pulled her to her feet before planting a kiss on her lips—a kiss I hoped would save me from an awkward conversation later. Lucy stayed in her chair while Samantha hugged some strangers at a nearby table.
For the rest of the evening, I dreaded the impending talk. Kat acted normal, playful even, but I knew the shoe was about to drop. I just didn’t know when.
* * *
The train ride home started pleasantly. Kat nestled up against my shoulder and nodded off to sleep. I read Twilight. The train cruised through a few stops and neared Boston.
Then the train halted in between two stops. An announcement over the PA system informed us there was a small fire on the tracks. Great. Just great.
Kat roused herself, and looked around, confused. “Are we there?” Her voice was groggy.
“Not yet, sweetheart. There’s a fire on the track up ahead.”
“Why aren’t you reading the other book?” she asked testily. At first, I thought she was kidding.
“What’s wrong with shiny vampires?” I teased, not sensing any doom.
“Does one of them have a shopping addiction?”
Alarm bells clanged in my head. “Hey, what are you implying?”
“Me? What are you implying? You left that book in your bag for me to find it.” The sleepiness faded from her voice. Now, it was just full of anger.
“Do you really think I would do that?”
“I didn’t—until I went into your bag tonight and saw it.” She leaned away from me and crossed her arms.
“Samantha mentioned the book when she suggested Twilight. She said it was funny and lighthearted. I’ve been reading George Eliot—I need fun and lighthearted. There’s no hidden message. How did I know you would go into my bag?”
She harrumphed. “Yeah, right.”
“Listen, Kat, I would never buy anything to make you mad or to rub your face in it. I got the book because I heard it was funny. End of story.”
“Why didn’t you read it first? Why Twilight?”
I wanted to bang my head against the window. Was she seriously upset because I’d bought a book? I’ve never even called her a shopaholic. Never so much as implied it. As a matter of fact, I never complained about her shopping. No, instead, I worked out a way to get us out of debt without saying a word, and this was my thanks.
“Well, shiny vampires are cooler than shopping, in my book.” I smiled to cajole her, to get her to realize she was acting like an idiot.
It didn’t work.
“Return the book,” she demanded.
“What? Why? I haven’t read it yet.”
“I don’t want it in my house.”
Her house? What about my house—I mean our house?
“Let’s talk about this later. You’ve obviously had too much to drink.” I knew it was the wrong thing to say, but I couldn’t take it back.
“Too much to drink! You sucked down ciders like they were water. And how many times can you make eyes at Samantha and think you’ll get away with it?”
“Make eyes at Samantha? So now I’m a cheater AND a passive-aggressive asshole. Am I following your gist completely?”
Kat’s expression suggested she didn’t appreciate my sarcasm. “Glad to see we’re on the same page.”
There weren’t many passengers on the train, but some people were eavesdropping on our fight, and I was embarrassed. “Can we just talk about it later?”
“Everything’s always later with you. Later we’ll talk. Later you’ll write your book. Later, later, later!” She slammed her hands down onto her legs.
I’d had it. Standing up, I grabbed my bag and my copy of Twilight from her hands. She held on tight to the book, so when I finally pried it from her hands, it popped free and hit me on my chin.
“See you at home,” I sputtered, and then barged through the train and sat two cars away. Seething, I took a seat and stared out the window. If there hadn’t been that stupid fire, Kat and I wouldn’t have fought—not yet, at least. We would be home by now, probably in bed.
Chapter Twelve
&n
bsp; The next night, when I approached the front door after class, the house was dark. I wondered if Kat decided to stay at my aunt’s. By the time we got home from Salem the night before, neither of us were speaking, and I had spent the night on the couch. I had never done that before.
As soon as I opened the front door, I saw Kat sitting in the dark, drinking wine. The only light was from the fireplace.
Not knowing what to do, I stood in the doorway, dumbfounded. Kat eyed me and then motioned for me to have a seat. I obeyed.
“What’s up with Samantha?” She peered over her glass as she sipped her red wine. The glass had several lipstick smudges on it already, and I wondered if she was on her first or second bottle.
“What? Why?”
“Is there a reason you won’t answer the question?”
Her accusatory tone stunned me. “No, I’m just baffled why you want to know what’s up with Sam—shouldn’t we talk about last night?”
“I am. What’s up with you two?” Kat tapped her wineglass with a fingernail.
“Kat, we’re just friends. We’ve known each other a long time.”
“Funny, because she only popped into your life recently, and now all of a sudden you two are BFFs. And she has a habit of always being around, such as the gay bar, Clammy’s, Red Sox games, Salem—and God knows how many other times I haven’t caught you.” She didn’t slur any of her words, but her eyes were foggy.
“Caught me! You make it sound like I’m having an affair.”
“Are you?” Her voice was steady.
“Do you really think I suggested Salem yesterday so I could spend time with Samantha?” I deflected.
Kat sighed deeply. “My head says no. But… there is a part of me that worries.”
“About what? Kat, you are totally off-base with this. Trust me. You have nothing to worry about.”
“That’s not how I see it, Cori. In fact, I’m wondering if I should just leave and not come back.”
I pulled back as if I’d just been punched in the jaw. “You can’t be serious.” I glanced around to see if she had any bags packed. Was this the end? “Kat, you know me. I’m loyal to you, and to my friends.”
Confessions From A Coffee Shop Page 18