Feels Like Falling - Kristy Woodson Harvey Page 0,74
you done,” Cheyenne said. “I hadn’t seen a smile like that on that girl’s face in twenty-two years, and you wiped it right off.”
Janet shook her head. “Fine. She can do whatever the hell she wants. I’m just reminding her how it all went down. That’s all. And if she wants to do it anyway, then fine.” Janet’s scowl finally broke as she said, “I’ll even wear one-a them hideous green bridesmaids’ dresses with the puffy sleeves.”
We all got a good laugh for a minute. When we stopped, I went to the fridge to get us a round of Mike’s Hard Lemonade. People can say what they want. They can make jokes and make fun. But, hear this: there’s nothing like a hard lemonade to quench your thirst on a hot day. Nothing.
I was handing them out when I heard footsteps and, “Hey, Lady Di, I’m going to—”
Gray stopped right in her tracks when she saw the girls sitting around the table.
“I am so sorry,” she said. “I didn’t know you had company. I’ll just be…” She pointed toward the door.
“Don’t be crazy,” Cheyenne said in that high, peppy voice of hers. “You come sit that bony fanny down right now and have a lemonade with us.”
Gray looked at me, and I smiled. “Oh yeah. These girls won’t bite.” Then I eyed Janet and pointed my bottle toward Cheyenne and Robin and said, “Well, these two won’t.”
Gray made a face like she was scared and sat down snuggling up close to me, far away from Janet.
Ten hard lemonades later we were laughing and carrying on like I don’t know what. We’d covered high school memories and hairdos, prom dates and birthing babies. But we’d skipped clear over Frank.
The laughter died down and Robin said, “So, for real, Di, what are you gonna do about Frank?”
Gray leaned away and made a face like she was amused and impressed. “Ah yes. The one who got away and came back. Do tell.”
I shook my head and stood up, clearing the empty bottles. “No way. It’s time to call it a…” I was going to say night, but, though our alcohol consumption would indicate otherwise, it was broad daylight. So I said, “…an afternoon.”
“Frank,” Cheyenne whispered to Gray as if I couldn’t hear, “is the love of Diana’s life.”
“And he wants this one some sorta bad,” Robin added.
Gray squealed and rubbed her hands together in delight. “Oh my goodness. So has there been a romantic reunion?”
“You’d know all about those, wouldn’t you, Miss Gray?”
I was trying to change the subject, but she saw right through me. “What I have going on is a rebound, a summer fling. Yours is real love coming back to the light.”
All of a sudden, I could hear, “Gray, where the hell are you?”
She opened the window and said, “Up here, Marce! We’re talking all about Diana’s hot rekindling with an old flame.”
“Yesssss!” I heard Marcy say as she ran up the steps.
“We’re talking about it up here so that no one can hear us,” I said.
“Ohhhh,” Gray whispered. “Sorry.”
“Look,” I said, “I’m down to my last six-pack of Mike’s, so take it easy here.”
Marcy was out of breath as she plopped down on the floor by the table. “Do tell,” she said, taking a sip from the bottle I handed her. She looked at me confidentially. “I am a therapist, after all.”
“Yeah,” Janet said, “that’s exactly who you need. She’ll be on my side for sure.”
I don’t know if it was the drinks or the girls or what, but even though I wanted to resist telling the whole messy story to my employer, they wouldn’t let me. She got all teared-up and hugged me and said she was so sorry. And it ended up all right. We tossed it all around, but, in the end, Marcy was judge and jury.
“I’m sorry,” she said. “But, one, it’s not fair to judge someone for something he did twenty-two years ago. Two, it’s not fair to punish him for not acting the right way in a situation he knew nothing about. Three, he sounds so sweet, and if it doesn’t work out, you had a good time this summer.”
She stood up, took a little bow, and said, “Therapist out,” as Cheyenne, Gray, and Robin clapped and Janet booed.
I hated being vulnerable. I hated letting my insecurity show. But I had to get it out. “What if he can’t stand up for me and his momma wins again? What if he leaves me?”