The Secret of You and Me - Melissa Lenhardt Page 0,62
I said, pushing between Sophie and Alima and directing Kim toward the hall. “Actually, you can start in Ray’s room. At the end of the hall.”
“How do you do it?” Kim asked as we walked down the hall.
“Do what?”
“Encourage such loyalty in your friends.”
“It’s a gift.”
She stopped when she saw Alima’s suitcase on the floor next to mine.
“It’s not what you think.” Maybe I would go to great lengths to keep my secret in Lynchfield.
“Too bad.” Her gaze flickered down the hall toward Alima and Sophie. “It would explain a lot.”
“Kim...”
“Don’t worry. I’ve suspected it for years and never said a word. I wouldn’t now either. Someone close to me is gay, I...understand the fear.” She looked down and away. “Too well.” She put a bright smile on and patted my arm. “No need to babysit me. Maybe we can talk later, though.”
“Sure,” I said.
“There’s a little Spanish blood in my family,” Sophie was saying when I returned.
“Makes sense. I wouldn’t expect to meet a Persian out here in the middle of Texas.”
The two women looked at me as I stood there, dumbly, at the end of the hall.
“I, uh, better be going,” Sophie said.
“I’ll walk you out,” I said.
“No need.” Sophie stopped at the door. “I don’t know if Nora mentioned it, but we’re having a dinner for her Friday night. If you’re still in town, we would love for you to join us.”
“I wouldn’t miss it. Thank you.”
Kim was at the end of the hall. “Oh, that sounds fun!”
Give Sophie credit; she kept her composure when I knew she wanted to scream at Kim to fuck off. “We’d love for you and Joe to come, too.”
“Thank you! What can I bring?”
“I’ll text you. See y’all later.”
I caught her at her car door. “Wait up.”
Sophie tossed her purse into the passenger seat and turned to face me, her sunglasses firmly covering her eyes. “Was she here this morning? Before we...?”
“No. Christ, Sophie. Is that what you think of me?”
“What am I supposed to think? It’s pretty clear all I’m going to be is a notch on your bedpost.”
“No, you’re not. I lied, okay, and I’m sorry. Your fuck buddies comment pissed me off. We’re in an open relationship, but I’m monogamous. If I knew she was coming I wouldn’t have kissed you and I damn sure would have told you.”
Sophie reached out and pulled the neck of my T-shirt. “I see you had a nice reunion.”
I shrugged away and pulled the collar to cover the hickey.
“Is she why you’re so eager to get back to DC?”
“Give me a reason to stay.”
Sophie’s mouth tightened, and I followed where I thought her gaze had settled. Alima leaned against the front door jamb, watching us with a sly smile. When I turned around, Sophie was getting in her car. She rolled down her window, started her car and said, “That’s why I came by.”
As her window rolled up, she said, “See you and Alima Friday.”
fifteen
sophie
“You invited who?”
“Jamie and Trent. Kim just happened to mention you invited her and Joe over. I couldn’t very well not invite them, Sophie,” Charlie said.
“Yes, you very well could have.”
“What’s four more people?”
“Four? Who else?” Sophie said.
“Tiffany and Richard.”
“Jesus Christ.”
“You know the grief we would get if we invited Kim and Jamie and not Tiffany?” Charlie said.
“When are we going to fucking move past high school pettiness?”
“Not today. Calm down. It’s four more people, and Trent is bringing two cases of beer.”
“Well, the one thing I’m not in charge of, nor can I drink, is taken care of. Thank you so much.”
“Sophie...”
“And, don’t fucking tell me to calm down. This was supposed to be dinner for four—you, me, Logan, and Nora. Now it’s turned into, what? Sixteen people?”
“We’ll use paper plates. And, I’m helping, don’t forget.”
I inhaled and counted to ten. Charlie’s version of helping was grilling the meat and making sure everyone had a beer in their hand. Everything else fell to me. I’d only marinated enough fajita meat for twelve people, assuming Logan and her friends might swing through at some point. Our refrigerator had been decimated too many times by hungry teenagers for me to be unprepared. Now I needed another pound or two of unfrozen, marinated meat, which I didn’t have. I would have to send Logan to the store for the prepackaged stuff. I threw up a little in my mouth at the thought. I pulled a scratch pad and pen from the junk drawer and started a list.