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“Good to know you’re feeding the kitty,” she winks. “But you know exactly why you did it,” Georgie says, and this is why I regret telling her because she’s gonna give me a big dose of the truth. “He’s hot, and he’s obviously got it bad for you.”
“I don’t do things like that.” I let go of her. “This isn’t me. I have a kid.”
“You’re a woman.” Georgie forces me to look at her. “A verysexywoman, and the fact that you have a kid is irrelevant,” she says. “You deserve to have some fun. God knows you earned it.”
“This isn’t right,” I tell her, shaking my head.
“Why, because he’s younger?” She gives me the evil eye. “There’s nothing wrong with that. Hat’s off to you my friend,” she says, as if I’m her hero. “You bagged a hot, younger musician who obviously knows how to fuck you right, and that is a rare find.”
“It’s not just that,” I admit. “He’sfamily,” I say with distaste.
“He’s notfamily, Lake,” Georgie chastises me. “He happens to be related to your sister’s wife.” She puckers her lips, looking around before continuing, “Far removed from being family.”
“Well, when you say it like that,” I roll my eyes, “it doesn’t make it any better,” I protest.
“What are you so afraid of?” Georgie asks.
So many things.
“Making a fool of myself, all the things that can go wrong, not to mention my kid,” I tell her because Georgie doesn’t get it. She doesn’t have a kid or a sister, and she’s never had to think of anyone else but herself. I would never say that to her because I think it would come across as insensitive, but it’s the truth.
“That kid,” she points to the lobby, “is going to be an adult in less than a year, Lake. And making a fool of yourself is not possible.”
“And then there’s Beth,” I say, causing Georgie to square her shoulders.
“What about Beth?” Georgie asks.
“She saw us,” I start to say and see Georgie’s expression change to horror. “Not having sex, God,” I roll my eyes. “She saw us talking the morning of her wedding. We were in the courtyard, and it was raining.” How can I explain this draw I have to him when even I don’t understand it? “She didn’t like it.” I don’t go into it further because I don’t feel like talking about Beth.
“Since when do you care what Beth likes?” Georgie asks, and it’s a legitimate question. Normally I wouldn’t, but this is so much more personal.
“I just want her to be happy,” I say, squinting my eyes to the sun that streams in over Georgie’s shoulder.
“And she is,” Georgie says. “She had a fabulous lesbian wedding, the best I’ve ever been to.”
“This is the only one you’ve ever been to,” I point out.
“And I will compare Beth’s lesbian wedding to every other lesbian wedding I attend in the future,” she says, grabbing me by the shoulders and making me look at her. “Don’t let her take up all the happiness. There’s plenty to go around.”
My car pulls up along the curb, the valet revving the engine a little too vigorously, and I text Noelle that we're ready to leave.
The young valet exits the driver’s seat and says, “I love my job,” to himself, while eyeing my car enviously.
He drops the keys into the palm of my hand, and I give him a nice tip.
“Thanks,” he says, and runs off to get the next car.
“You have all the young ones eating out of your hand, don’t you?” Georgie teases and knocks her hip into me.
“Huh?” Noelle asks, sidling up next to us, the wheels of her luggage catching in the grout of the clay tiles that make up the front of the hotel.
“Tell your mom to live a little,” Georgie says, winking.
I grab Noelle’s luggage and place it in my trunk. “You have weird friends,” Noelle says, buckling her seatbelt.
“Yeah.” I look in the rearview mirror and watch as Georgie waves goodbye to us, her own car pulling up to the curb. “But weird is good.”
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