“Hi.” Molly offered her a polite smile. “We attended Harlot’s Bay High together, didn’t we? Lovely to meet you again.”
Jane? Janet? Jan? Something like that. They’d been in world history together, and maybe gym class?
“Yep. We graduated the same year.” Raising her arms in anoverhead vee, Jan-something waved invisible pompoms and raised her voice. “Goooooo, Fighting Floozies!”
Molly had almost forgotten about the school mascot, whose very existence perhaps helped to explain how Lise had become Sadie Brazen. That said, Lise had also lived her entire life in a town called Harlot’s freaking Bay. Maybe it was inevitable thatsomeonein the community would wind up writing about sexually voracious, ethically dubious kangaroo-men.
Well... maybe not. That particular story seemed very specific to Lise, honestly.
Jan-something was looking at her with expectant cheer, and Molly still hadn’t come up with her exact name. “I’m so sorry, but I can’t quite—”
“Janel Altman.” Lise had appeared at Molly’s side from somewhere in the shadows, again without warning. This time, Molly managed not to jump, but it was a close thing. “Class vice president, former cheerleader—”
Well, that explained the invisible pompoms, as well as the startling energy and enthusiasm that radiated from Janel’s beaming, elfin face.
“—devoted wife, mother of three adorable urchins, and current night programs supervisor for Historic Harlot’s Bay. Also the main organizer of our class’s twenty-year reunion, which she somehow convinced me to attend, even though I get nauseated every time I think about it. The prospect of making small talk in a crowd for hours at a time...”
Lise shuddered, and the reaction was only a tiny bit exaggerated. Although she wrote erotic literature about guppy-men with ripped abs, the “Brazen” in her pen name was more aspirational than descriptive of her actual personality.
“You lead tours full of strangers, babe. Suck it up,” advised Janel.
Lise flicked her coworker’s upper arm. “It’s not the same thing, and you know it.”
As she’d explained to Molly last year, leading tours at night worked for her because she remained in control of the situation, knew exactly what was expected of her, and had years of experience doing it. Mingling with swarms of former classmates, though, without a clear script or conversational goal? She’d find the prospect terrifying.
Casual socializing didn’t scare Molly the same way. But she’d already sent her regrets to the reunion organizer—Janel, evidently—months ago. Making idle chitchat with people she hadn’t seen in twenty years and would probably never see again was pointless. If she’d wanted to stay in touch with them, she would have.
Not even Karl’s urgings could make her stay for the blessed event.
Though she’d been tempted by those urgings.Verytempted.
“Hmmm.” Janel eyed Molly consideringly. “Lise, perhaps you’d feel better if you went with a friend. More specifically, a friend who won’t be running around, frantically putting out various fires during the event like I will.” Her brow puckered in a momentary frown. “Hopefully not literal fires, given that we’re doing a cookout for one of our activities. My husband Dave was always a bit of a pyro.”
Lise snorted.
“Anyway.” Janel’s expression cleared, and she bounced a bit on her toes. “The reunion’s in early October, during Homecoming weekend, and I would really love for you to be there, Molly. I know a lot of people who’d be excited to catch up with you andfind out what you’ve been doing all these years. Including me. If I didn’t have to get home for my kids’ bedtime, I’d be dragging you to the Doxy Diner to talk about it tonight.”
The diner’s signature tuna melt and loaded fries were calling Molly’s name, and she wouldn’t have minded chatting with Janel over dinner. Not about Molly’s possible reunion attendance, though. That wasn’t happening, for any number of very pressing and legitimate reasons that didn’t involve romantic cowardice.
“Sadly”—fortunately—“I fly out on Friday, so I can’t make it. But thank you, Janel.”
“You’re absolutely certain?”
“I’m certain.”
Janel’s smile turned wry. “Well, you can’t blame a girl for trying. Safe travels back home, Molly, and I hope you come back to us much sooner this time.”
Molly returned her smile and made zero promises.
After a few more standard farewells, Janel hugged them both, then hustled toward the nearest employee parking lot. Lise and Molly turned right instead and headed down She-Devil Street, the historic area’s central thoroughfare, at a leisurely pace.
“Does she know about Sadie?” Molly quietly asked after a minute.
Lise’s basket swung from her arm with every step, and their footsteps tapped against the cobblestone sidewalk. “Nope.”
The answer didn’t surprise Molly. Her friend kept knowledge of her pen name limited to as few people as possible.
After another half block of comfortable silence, Lise spoke again. “You’re still good with having dinner at Termagant Tavern? Colonial Karaoke Night is fun, but it can get loud. If you have a headache, we can go somewhere else.”
