her, Millie should have gone back to the Ivy League mother ship from whence she sprang and made it with some guy who wears corduroy and reads Foucault. Really, do you think being the secretary at Nick's landscaping business is the best she could have done?"
Stacy had a point, but I still couldn't wrap my head around the idea of Millie being in love with Nick Easter. Honestly, it was a little tough to imagine Peach with Nick. He was gruff, bald, and a little schlubby, and he used to shoot at us with his BB gun when we were kids. He'd grown up okay, was basically a good guy, but I wasn't the kind of girl who forgot welts.
"No," Peach said, shaking her head emphatically. "She would have told us."
"Oh?" Stacy said, eyeing Peach. "Just like you?"
I exchanged looks with Peach, and then Millie came back into the room. She had a hard smile etched into her face, and while her eyes were a bit red, she was obviously trying to hide it. She sat down, reached for her margarita, and took a gentle sip, then said, "Liv, these are really good."
I glanced from woman to woman, examining the faces, each more tense than the other. So, I did what needed doing - I jammed my elbow into the eight-hundred-pound gorilla sitting between us, and tried to shove it under the carpet.
"Oh my god, guys, the weirdest thing happened last night at work. This woman came in with a stinky gym sock and she threw it at me and I fell and got knocked out."
"Speaking of work," Stacy said, talking over the last part, "how did Tobias take the news about you leaving?"
I reached into the bowl for some chips, and dipped one in the pico. "Fine. He's happy for me."
Peach put her margarita glass down on the coffee table. "Wait, Tobias knows? You told Tobias before you told us?" She turned to Millie. "Can you believe that, Mill?"
Millie shrugged, not meeting Peach's eye. Peach picked up her margarita glass and took another drink.
"Of course she told Tobias first," Stacy said.
I looked at her. "You say that like you mean something by it."
She raised one brow at me, and those eyes that knew everything dared me to challenge her.
I looked away. "I've told you a thousand times, there's nothing between me and Tobias."
Stacy shrugged. "Right."
Peach made a thoughtful sound and said, "Do you think he might be gay?"
I choked on the chip, and had to down half my margarita to dislodge it.
"He's not gay," Stacy said.
"Well, has he dated anyone since coming to town? A man like that doesn't come to a town like this without getting it regular, and I don't think he has since he got here." She reached out and gave the arm of the love seat a tentative touch. "What do you think, Mill?"
Millie didn't respond, just stared down at her shoes.
"He's not gay," Stacy said.
Peach pulled her attention from Millie. "No, I think I might be on to something here. I mean, he hangs out with Liv all the time. But he's never tried to sleep with her. Right, Liv?"
That one hit me in the gut, but I couldn't bear telling Peach and Stacy about Tobias and my unrequited love. Not right now. It had been hard enough admitting it to Millie.
"Nope," I said, feeling a little sick. "But ... you know ... just because he doesn't find me attractive doesn't mean..."
"It's not about being attracted to you or not," Peach said, getting into her argument. "A guy spends that much time hanging out with a woman, horniness and opportunity are going to overlap eventually. Has he ever even tried to get in your pants?"
"No," I said, swallowing hard. "But I may not be his type of woman. Maybe he likes them prettier, or thinner - "
"Shut up, you're gorgeous. Any man in the world would have to be gay not to want you." She grabbed a chip and pointed at me with it, accentuating her argument. "I'm telling you, I think he's gay."
"He's not gay," Stacy said again.
Peach threw her hands up in the air. "How do you know?"
"Because I slept with him, and I've slept with gay men before. Trust me, I know gay. He's not gay." Stacy looked at me. "Sorry, Liv."
The thing about shock is that it hits in a flash, and even as you're laughing and saying, "What are you sorry about? I think that's great!" you know you're