AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Chapter Sixteen
Philomena
I dropped the second wine glass and the stem snapped off. We should’ve gone out to eat.
“What is wrong with you, PJ? You’re never klutzy. I’m afraid that when Clark gets here with the food, it’ll end up on the floor, too,” Crystal teased.
Even hearing Clark’s name made my hands tremble. It made no sense at all. He wasn’t the first guy Joey and Crystal were meeting. I used to double date with Crystal all the time. Not so much now that she’s with my brother.
Quietly, out of Joey’s earshot, I said, “Crystal, please, no joking tonight. I’m a…wreck.”
“Gee, I can’t tell,” she said sarcastically. Then she put an arm around my shoulder and said, “This is only dinner. Joey isn’t going to say or do anything to embarrass you.” I gave her a doubtful look, and she added, “Trust me, I warned him what would happen if he did.”
“I don’t think Joey is afraid of you,” I teased.
“Nope, but there is something he likes more than ragging on you.” She winked.
Oh, God. I don’t want to hear about Joey’s sex life.
“Fine. Good behavior. From the both of you, right?” I asked.
“Since I think he’s the one, then yes, I can commit to that,” she said.
The one?That was a huge statement. There was so much that Clark and I hadn’t discussed, and our status was one of them. I think we’re in a good place, but I really don’t know. It felt so good it didn’t seem real.
“Crystal, you’re thinking way ahead. Just enjoy dinner, have some wine and laughs, and then, go home.” That actually sounded rude and I hadn’t meant it to be. “So you can enjoy your night before Joey leaves again.”
“Did he say he’s leaving?” she asked.
“No. But you know he will. It’s only a matter of time. His job takes him away often.” She knew that before dating Joey. But now that they were in love, it seems to have gotten harder for Crystal when he’s gone.
She said, “It’s hard on us, being apart so often, but I can’t picture not having him in my life. I know you hate hearing me say it, but I love your brother. He makes me happy. It was difficult in the beginning because I used to focus on when wasn’t here, so that when he was, we argued about him going again. Now, we make the most of all the time we have together. It’s amazing.”
Was she just telling me this because Clark is from Boston and eventually, we would have to have ‘the talk’? I’m glad it worked out for her and Joey, but we weren’t them. Joey was never a player, and from what Lizzy told me, Clark was. Women threw themselves at him all the time. That would be hard enough to deal with if we were seeing each other every day. But how could we get past that if we weren’t even in the same state?
Crystal didn’t need to know any of that. And if Joey knew, he might have a few choice words for Clark, too. And the night would end even before it started.
There was a knock on the door, and I said, “That’s dinner.”
“You mean, that’s Clark,” she chuckled. I gave her a look and she added, “Can’t even say his name? Boy, you must have it really bad.”
“Why did I agree to this? We could’ve had a nice, romantic night just the two of us,” I said.
“You still can. After dinner. Now go and answer the door. I’m starving,” she said.
When I got there, Joey had already opened it and was helping Clark with the bags of Thai food. “Are we eating here or in the kitchen?” Joey asked.
“Kitchen,” I said, and he walked past me. I went over to Clark and said, “Looks like you got enough food for days.”
“Wasn’t sure what everyone liked, so I got a variety.” He bent over and kissed me briefly. “How was work?”
I smiled, because no one ever asked. Guess it’s because people usually want to avoid any conversation that has to do with someone’s passing. But it felt nice that Clark didn’t. If we were alone, I’d probably tell him about the old woman who was wearing underwear several sizes too big. Because when she was walking, they fell down around her ankles. She didn’t even notice and stepped right out of them. It had taken everything in me not to burst out laughing. Instead, I shuffled my feet and kicked them under the staging that the coffin rested on. I could only imagine what the funeral director would think when he moves the coffin.
And people think my job is boring. They have no idea the stories I have.
“It was a lot less interesting than the last. But you’d never believe what happened this time,” I said.
“Really? I can’t wait to hear all about it,” he replied.
