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“Not exactly my taste,” Lisa said, giving Heidi the once-over, her implication clear.
Heidi slipped Aiden her phone number as she was processing the return, and he called her that same night. Three months later, she and Aiden were engaged. At their wedding the following month, he vowed to love and cherish her, to put her above all others.
Well, that first part might be true,Heidi thinks as they enter the air-conditioned department store, but it didn’t take her long to figure out who really came first.
“What time’s your break?” he asks now.
“Not sure. I’ll text you.”
“Don’t forget.”
Heidi smiles.He’s like a big kid,she thinks. Impulsive and sweet and needy. Hard to believe he served two tours in Afghanistan. Which means he probablykilledpeople, although she can’t be sure. It’s something he never talks about.
She watches Aiden take up his position behind a glass counter filled with men’s watches and checks her own fake Chanel. It’s almost ten o’clock, when the mall opens to the public. She heads toward Lola’s Lingerie, already looking forward to the day’s end. What she’d really like to do is quit work to start a family, but she’s afraid to raise the issue. Not because she thinks that Aiden might be against the idea, but because sheknowsLisa would.
And what Lisa says goes.
“Damn it,” Heidi mutters as she enters the large store.
“What’s your mother-in-law done this time?” her co-worker Shawna asks, coming up beside her.
Heidi laughs. She’s still chuckling when the store opens its doors and several customers appear, as if by magic.
One woman looks vaguely familiar, and Heidi follows her with her eyes as she wanders between the aisles, running desultory hands across the provocative push-up bras and bikini panties on display. She seems skittish, repeatedly glancing over her shoulder, as if afraid someone might be following her. Or maybe she’s just waiting for a chance to slip some merchandise into the large canvas bag she’s carrying.
“Can I help you?” Heidi says, approaching cautiously.
“Just looking,” the woman says.
“We’re having a special on bras. Buy two; get one free.”
“Thank you.”
Heidi is about to turn away, then stops. “I’m sorry, but you look so familiar. Do I know you?”
The woman barely glances in her direction. “I don’t think so.”
“I know!” Heidi proclaims. The woman jumps, the canvas bag she’s holding dropping from her hands to the floor. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you like that.” Heidi kneels to pick up the bag. “You live over on Carlyle Terrace, right?”
The woman’s eyes shoot toward hers. “How do you know that?”
“We’re neighbors,” Heidi tells her. “We moved into the house nearest Hood, number 1834, a few months ago. Next to the old lady. You live right in the middle, at the curve. Right?”
“That’s right.”
“I knew you looked familiar. I’m Heidi Young. Nice to finally meet you.”
“Maggie McKay,” the woman responds, taking another glance over her shoulder, as if someone might be listening.
“Pretty name. Sounds like that old Rod Stewart song,” Heidi says. “Except that was Maggie May. Kind of a silly song.” She stops when she realizes she’s rambling. Her mother-in-law once accused her of having verbal diarrhea. “You have two kids, right?”
Maggie nods.
“Yeah. We’re thinking of starting a family.” Why had she told her that? If she were to say anything to Aiden, or God forbid, his mother…“Your daughter’s really pretty,” she says to mask her anxiety.
“Thank you.” Maggie reaches for the straps of the canvas bag still in Heidi’s hand. “I should get going.”
“You’re sure I can’t help you with anything?”
“Another time. Thanks.” She takes the bag from Heidi’s hand, causing it to gape open.
Heidi feels her breath catch in her lungs and she takes an involuntary step back. “Oh my God. Is that a gun?”
Maggie pales. “Just a toy,” she says, although her eyes say otherwise. “My son’s. I took it out of his backpack this morning. The teachers get kind of bent out of shape when he takes it to school.”
Heidi nods, even though she recognizes it’s no toy. She knows what a real gun looks like. Aiden owns several.
“Well, I guess I’ll see you around the neighborhood,” Maggie says.
“Have a nice day,” Heidi tells her, pulling her phone from her pocket as she watches her leave. She texts her husband:You won’t believe what just happened.
