The Woman in 3B - Eliza Lentzski Page 0,23

original knot. I felt my insides clench from our continued closeness. The combination of the silk sliding against my bare skin, her cool fingers brushing against my neck, and the lingering scent of her perfume compelled me to close my eyes.

I could only take so much torture. I suppressed a shudder and laid my hands on top of hers. “I’ve got it,” I said quietly.

Lara gave up the effort and her hands dropped back to her sides. Her dark eyes shifted back and forth as she continued to regard me. I couldn’t tell what she was thinking. Remorse? Regret? Or was I overthinking our interactions altogether?

“Ladies,” the van’s driver called out, “are you coming with us or not?”

My cheeks burned when I realized that Lara and I were the only ones still left on the curb. Everyone else was waiting inside the van.

“Yeah,” I choked out. “Sorry.”

CHAPTER FIVE

Lara and I pressed into the vacant space remaining in the van while the driver slammed the sliding metal door behind us. Seating was limited—much less than what could comfortably accommodate two more grown adults. Lara sat down on the bench seating while I took whatever was leftover. Half of my backside hung off the seat’s edge. There were too many bodies in the vehicle and not enough seatbelts to go around.

“Want to sit on my lap?” Lara offered.

I could have argued that she was smaller than me and therefore should sit on my lap, but I braced myself against the interior van wall instead. “It’ll be fine,” I said through gritted teeth. “It’ll only be for a little while.”

The driver turned around in the front seat to address us: “Sorry, girls. We’ve got about a twenty-minute drive ahead of us,” he drawled in a heavy Philadelphia accent. “Everything’s all booked up in the immediate vicinity, so you’ll be staying at a hotel the next town over.”

A slight, disgruntled murmur percolated around me, but I kept my personal discomfort to myself.

The airport shuttle bumped and rattled down a dark county highway. Every jerk and jostle caused my body to tense even more in my contortionist pose. The van’s wipers worked furiously to contend with the relentless rain while the vehicle shuddered with each sideways gust of wind. All of the other passengers were silent like me, probably hoping and praying to whatever gods were listening that we’d make it safely to the off-site hotel.

My arms were practically pinned at my sides, but I managed to wiggle my cellphone out of my jacket pocket. I pulled up my most recent text message thread with Gemma to give her an update.

Grounded in Philly for the night, I told her.

Oh no! came her reply. I saw the East Coast got slammed with weather.

Lara’s here, I texted.

I flicked my eyes in my co-worker’s direction. It was probably ill-advised to be texting about the person sitting next to me, especially with our bodies practically crushed together, but she was similarly preoccupied with her own text conversation.

The interior of the van was dark, but nearly everyone had their phone out, casting an eerie glow around the vehicle. Lara’s illuminated screen lit up the delicate contours of her face. Her mouth dipped in serious contemplation over whatever she was reading. It was the same look she’d made when she’d attempted to re-tie my scarf. She’d never been overly touchy-feely during our pseudo-relationship, which made her recent constant contact all the more confusing.

I thought you didn’t have flights together this month? Gemma’s next text read. Isn’t that why you decided to break up?

I should have told my friends the truth about it not being a mutual separation, but I was too deep in the lie to change my story.

She apparently switched flights with Cheri today, I replied.

OMG. This is so romantic! It’s like Fate thrust you two together!

I could practically hear Gemma’s high-pitched squeal through the electronic words. Only her comical reaction kept me from seriously considering her words.

There will be no thrusting, I decided.

Do you need me to check on Honey?

I smiled, touched that she’d remembered my pet turtle. No. She’ll be fine for the night. I’ll let you know if I’m stranded here another day though.

Stranded with Lara Pierson, Gemma continued, That wouldn’t be so bad, would it?

I looked again in Lara’s direction. No. That wouldn’t be so bad. But it didn’t have a future, and that was the problem.

I know you want to play matchmaker, I wrote my friend, but that’s never going to happen. And that’s okay.