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“I slept with Thatcher.” I repeated the phrase, letting the knowledge settle over me, seeking acceptance within myself as easily as Jamie had.
“Yes, you did,” Jamie said with a smirk, sitting beside Danielle at the bar top counter.
“I slept with Thatcher and fell asleep. And then I did the walk of shame back home.”
“Yes, you did, you shady lady.” Danielle’s teasing words and saucy wink had me chuckling at the absurdity of it all. “I thought for sure I was seeing things. Luckily, I’m not only a fucking fantastic author, but I’m a stand out improv actor.”
“What?” Jamie turned his gaze on her, face screwed up in confusion.
“Lisa came by this morning to inform me that my house is the wrong color.” She shook her head with a roll of her eyes.
“Wait, what? You bought that house already painted. How is it the wrong color?” I scoffed.
“Oh, that’s the best part! Apparently, the paint hasfaded in the sunlightto a color that is not approved by the homeowner’s association.So I’m not in compliance. I swear, the audacity of that woman!”
“She needs a hobby,” I agreed.
“She needs to get laid.”
“Jamie! Ew!” I screeched, unable to hold back my laughter and my disgust. “Fuck, now I’m picturing it! I need to bleach my brain!”
“What? Tell me I’m wrong. I dare you.”
“The kicker is, I can’t even be all that mad. She brought biscotti.”
“God, that woman’s biscotti is so good it makes me even more annoyed with her,” Jamie groaned, slipping from the barstool and skirting the corner to make another cup of coffee for himself and Danielle.
“I know, right? Like, I want to be pissed, and I am! But also, damn, it’s good biscotti. Oh, Danielle, please tell me you brought it with you.” She turned to grab the basket of baked goods and I groaned in hunger for the flaky delectables.
“You’re a god among men, Jamie Day.” Danielle sighed happily as Jamie handed her a steaming cup of coffee, into which she immediately dipped a stick of biscotti.
“Oh, my God. Did she see me?” I wondered aloud, immediately realizing I may not have been as sneaky as I had thought.
“Oh, she saw something. But don’t worry. I convinced her that she was just seeing someone running. She waved it away without a thought.”
“Fucking fuck. This is the last thing I need.”
“Sadie, I promise, you’re good. She didn’t realize it was you. I promise.” Danielle’s words of reassurance did little to quell the rising anxiety.
“Ugh, this is a nightmare. I lose my mind for one night and all ofthishappens.” I looked down at the last drops of coffee sliding around the bottom of my mug, wishing it were liquor not caffeinated bean water.
“No matter what happens, it’ll be okay, Sadie.” Jamie’s hand covered my own, my eyes finding his, that affable grin of assured love helping me to take the deep breath of clarity I so desperately needed.
My mind raced through every potential outcome, my nails tapping rapidly on the ceramic cup.
“Wait. Jamie, did you say you met someone?” I suddenly remembered his words as I had entered the house. I had completely slid past them before, caught in my own emotions and triggered trauma responses.
“I did.” I watched the blush tinge his cheeks as he lowered his gaze, smirking with pure new relationship energy that had compersion rising inside of me, a positive bubble in an otherwise dread-filled morning’s haze of emotion.
“Oh, my gosh! Tell me everything!” Danielle nearly squealed, bouncing her seat as all attentions fell to my adorable-as-fuck husband.
“Their name is Valen. We’ve been talking for a little over a week, but it’s just… easy. It’s simple and good. They are ace, just like I am.” He explained.
“They?” Danielle asked in confusion.
“Valen is non-binary,” Jamie explained. “They are just so strong in their truth. It’s refreshing in a way that I envy — in the most healthy of ways, of course.”
“So, do you guys have a date on the books? Or is it too soon for that?” Danielle asked.
