“Your wife?” Phoebe repeated.
I walked three more strides into my living room, stopped and planted my hands on my hips. “You can’t go around telling everyone we’re married.”
Tor turned to me, crossed his arms on his chest, tilted his head slightly but dangerously to the side and asked back, “And why not?”
“Because it freaks them out!” I semi-shouted.
“The other her?” Phoebe asked.
“Oh for goodness sakes,” I hissed, stomped to the door, reached to Phoebe, grabbed her arm, pulled her in and turned to her. Then I introduced my friend to my parallel world husband, throwing my hand out from one to the other and back again as I spoke, “Phoebe, my kind of husband, Tor, Tor, my hopefully still best friend, Phoebe.”
Phoebe blinked again and asked, “Kind of husband?”
“It’s a long story,” I muttered.
“I’m not her kind of anything,” Tor stated at this point. “I am her husband and she is my wife and the mother of my unborn child.”
Oh my God!
Phoebe’s eyes bugged out of her head.
I whirled and exclaimed, “Tor!”
“What?” he growled, losing patience.
“You also can’t go around telling everyone I’m pregnant!” I cried.
“The little white stick said you were and I knew you were even before that contraption confirmed it so why the bloody hell not?” Tor returned.
“You just can’t,” I shot back.
“You’re pregnant?” Phoebe whispered and I turned back to see her face pale, her eyes still big and they were on me.
“Uh… yeah,” I whispered back.
Her big eyes darted to Tor then back to me then back to Tor then to me.
Then I knew she came to a decision (and not a good one for me) when she straightened her shoulders and pulled in breath as I watched her face close down.
Then she lifted up the bag and informed me, “Dave said you were back. He also told me some stupid story about how you had amnesia or whatever. Total soap opera but he bought it because he’s a big dork. So, whatever. I’m here to return that Coach bag and that blouse you loaned me. Then I’m gone.” She shook the bag. “Here it is.”
I didn’t look at the bag; I kept my eyes glued to my friend.
The other Cora had done something to her, obviously, I just had no clue what.
And I also had no clue what to do to make it better.
What I did know was that I couldn’t bear thinking she was mad at me at all much less leaving her in this world after whatever happened to me and Tor knowing she would always hate me for whatever the other Cora did so I had to do something.
“Take it,” she said, shaking the bag again.
“She hurt you,” I whispered.
“All right, don’t take it,” Phoebe stated, moved further into the living room, dropped it by my armchair and hitched her purse up on her shoulder muttering, “Have a happy life with your hot guy kind of husband.”
Then she started toward the door Tor had not yet closed.
“His name is Prince Noctorno Allegro Hawthorne. He’s of the House of Hawthorne, heir to the kingdom of Hawkvale, ruler of Bellebryn,” I announced, Phoebe’s shoulders went up her neck as I spoke, she stopped and slowly turned to face me.