AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Hi honey, I’m so sorry I’m late,” we hear her tell him. “Dropped the baby off with my mother so we can take a long, leisurely lunch.”
Gilly turns back to us. “Oh well. But hey, Rake’s friends are invited to your mom’s party. I saw the list. Maybe I’ll hit it off with one of them. You never know.”
“I told you that you know more about Mom’s party than I do.”
She throws me her ‘prissy face’, a term Lucy and I coined long ago. “If you took more interest, Petal, you’d know what’s up with the party. But since you’re not, I’m stepping in to help.”
“You’re still singing, right?” I ask.
She shimmies her shoulders. “Oh yes. Your mom’s even getting her piano tuned.”
“Well. That will be wonderful, but I’m honestly not that psyched about the party. I don’t like being the center of attention. I do appreciate your helping Mom, though. And I can’t wait to hear you sing. It’s been too long.”
She taps her chin. “If you came by the club every now and then…”
“I know, I know. I have to bring Rake by. He’ll love it. It’s just that it’s been hard with running back and forth to Sonoma to the cottage, and you know, I want to help Tina out in the bookstore as much as I can.”
“But you’re married now,” Lucy says. “Don’t you think you should move back to the city permanently?”
She has a point. I mean, how many married people split their time between their shared home and a cottage in the country.
“I… I don’t know. I like having my own place. I haven’t even moved into his condo. I just have a few things there.”
The server delivers our food and Lucy steals a fry from my plate, and I slap her hand. “What are you waiting for?”
I shrug. “I don’t know. Look, don’t forget how we kind of did things backwards. You know, we got married, then we started liking each other. And the liking each other part is new. So, baby steps. Know what I mean?”
“Likingeach other? You’re calling itlikingeach other? You just told us he declared his love. Is it that hard for you to say that word? Here. We’ll help you. Llllloooovvvveeee,” Lucy says, drawing out each letter. “Say it with me.”
“You’re really bugging me, Lu. Hey,” I nudge Gilly, “your pretty boy’s lady just went to the restroom. Why don’t you go drop him your number?”
She gives me the stink eye. “Stop trying to change the subject. The fact is, you can’t manage to say the ‘L’ word. And by the way, you know I’m not a homewrecker, so don’t even try that silliness.”
Am I afraid to say the ‘L’ word?
No way. That’s ridiculous.
I can say it with ease. I did at least a couple times with Andy. Before I found out he was fucking Jessica.
“Do you guys think,” I ask, “that’s the reason Andy went for Jessica? Because I’m not, you know, good at verbalizing my feelings?”
“Oh hell no,” Lucy cries. “He got with her because he’s an asshole.”
Of course.
“What about you girls? Dating anyone interesting?” I ask, desperate to shake the focus off myself.
Lucy rolls her eyes. “You’d know if you came around more. But really, times are tough. Decent guys are hard to come by. Last week I went out with a guy who wears Axe body spray and thinks Applebee’s is fine dining.”
I put my hand to my mouth. I will not laugh. I will not.
But one look at Gilly, and we start giggling.
“He sounds better than the guy you went out with who loved Yanni and had a sweaty ball sack,” Gilly says.
“I don’t know. This one had three strawberry margaritas with his dinner.”
Gilly and I cringe.
