table to wait.
“Hello? Are you still there?” Lacey asked.
“Only if you quit interrupting me.”
“One time, geesh. I interrupted you one time, Maddy.”
“As I was saying,” Madeline stressed. “Hunter and I have been spending time together.”
“About damn time you started getting some.”
“You’ve got a dirty mind.”
Lacey laughed. “Of course I do! And you too, my friend. Come on … spill. The sex is good, isn’t it? I could tell Hunter would know how to move between the sheets.”
“I’m not telling you about my sex life, Lacey.”
“Why not? I tell you about mine.”
“I know. Remember when I use the words please don’t ? I really mean them.”
Lacey made a dismissive tsk-tsk sound. “What are BFFs for?”
Madeline shook her head and smiled. Lacey simply didn’t have built-in filters.
“I’m so happy you’re in love.”
“Whoa, Lacey,” Madeline said. She frowned. The word love jolted her. “I didn’t say anything about love.”
“You don’t love Hunter?”
“No.” She didn’t like how she’d suddenly gotten on this slippery slope the conversation was drifting toward “Of course not. What gave you that idea?”
“The way your voice changes every time you say his name,” Lacey replied. “A little breathless. A little like you’re in love.”
“Well, I’m not ,” Madeline stressed.
“Okay. But why are you instantly defensive?”
“Because!”
“Because…”
“Just drop it, Lacey.” Madeline sighed and rubbed her forehead. “I saw Kevin earlier. He’s going to be a father, you know.”
“Oh. No, I didn’t know. I’m sorry, Maddy.”
“It doesn’t matter. Anyway, seeing him reminded me that Hunter is a great guy and we’ve had some fun times, but we’ve only known each other a month.”
“No time limit on falling in love.”
“Enough!” she snapped. Her patience snapped. She really didn’t want to talk about Hunter, or love, or the fact that she’d tried very hard not to think about him all day. Which was an utter failure, of course. “This call was about me bringing some healthier alternatives to the usual bowling alley fare. Not about Kevin, or Hunter, or anything else? Got it?”
Lacey remained silent for a moment. Then she sighed. “Understood loud and clear.”
“Good,” Madeline muttered. “Now, any other suggestions besides carrots, celery, and cucumber slices?”
“No,” Lacey replied softly.
“Very well. Me and my veggies will see you in a bit.”
She pushed the end button and the call disconnected. Tears threatened to fall, but the last thing she wanted to do was cry over spilled milk. The one thing she discovered from her meeting earlier was the fact that she never realized how much she had hurt Kevin. Maybe just as much as he had hurt her. The last thing she wanted now was to do the same to Hunter.
****
The bowling alley was loud, but it wasn’t lough enough to conceal the thoughts in her head. Madeline couldn’t seem to get the word love to stop bouncing around like a ping pong ball between her ears, destroying her good mood. She tried to smile and have a good time, to pretend that her little sphere of happiness hadn’t been dented, but the air was definitely on a slow leak. Hunter sent her a few pointed glances.
“You okay?” he asked once, rubbing his palm over her lower back.
“Yeah,” she replied. “Just … had a hard day at work. Trying to decompress.”
“I’m here if you need me, babe.”
He kissed the top of her head and sauntered over to the three Js, teasing one another and goofing around. The bowling game continued, as if she wasn’t slowly breaking apart with the realization that she needed to put a little space between them. It was true they’d been spending a lot of time together, so maybe now was the time to start using their mutual friends as a shield. Be more of a group rather than just have one-on-one time.
Even though she liked the one-on-one.
Actually, the one-on-one
“Hello? Are you still there?” Lacey asked.
“Only if you quit interrupting me.”
“One time, geesh. I interrupted you one time, Maddy.”
“As I was saying,” Madeline stressed. “Hunter and I have been spending time together.”
“About damn time you started getting some.”
“You’ve got a dirty mind.”
Lacey laughed. “Of course I do! And you too, my friend. Come on … spill. The sex is good, isn’t it? I could tell Hunter would know how to move between the sheets.”
“I’m not telling you about my sex life, Lacey.”
“Why not? I tell you about mine.”
“I know. Remember when I use the words please don’t ? I really mean them.”
Lacey made a dismissive tsk-tsk sound. “What are BFFs for?”
Madeline shook her head and smiled. Lacey simply didn’t have built-in filters.
“I’m so happy you’re in love.”
“Whoa, Lacey,” Madeline said. She frowned. The word love jolted her. “I didn’t say anything about love.”
“You don’t love Hunter?”
“No.” She didn’t like how she’d suddenly gotten on this slippery slope the conversation was drifting toward “Of course not. What gave you that idea?”
“The way your voice changes every time you say his name,” Lacey replied. “A little breathless. A little like you’re in love.”
“Well, I’m not ,” Madeline stressed.
“Okay. But why are you instantly defensive?”
“Because!”
“Because…”
“Just drop it, Lacey.” Madeline sighed and rubbed her forehead. “I saw Kevin earlier. He’s going to be a father, you know.”
“Oh. No, I didn’t know. I’m sorry, Maddy.”
“It doesn’t matter. Anyway, seeing him reminded me that Hunter is a great guy and we’ve had some fun times, but we’ve only known each other a month.”
“No time limit on falling in love.”
“Enough!” she snapped. Her patience snapped. She really didn’t want to talk about Hunter, or love, or the fact that she’d tried very hard not to think about him all day. Which was an utter failure, of course. “This call was about me bringing some healthier alternatives to the usual bowling alley fare. Not about Kevin, or Hunter, or anything else? Got it?”
Lacey remained silent for a moment. Then she sighed. “Understood loud and clear.”
“Good,” Madeline muttered. “Now, any other suggestions besides carrots, celery, and cucumber slices?”
“No,” Lacey replied softly.
“Very well. Me and my veggies will see you in a bit.”
She pushed the end button and the call disconnected. Tears threatened to fall, but the last thing she wanted to do was cry over spilled milk. The one thing she discovered from her meeting earlier was the fact that she never realized how much she had hurt Kevin. Maybe just as much as he had hurt her. The last thing she wanted now was to do the same to Hunter.
****
The bowling alley was loud, but it wasn’t lough enough to conceal the thoughts in her head. Madeline couldn’t seem to get the word love to stop bouncing around like a ping pong ball between her ears, destroying her good mood. She tried to smile and have a good time, to pretend that her little sphere of happiness hadn’t been dented, but the air was definitely on a slow leak. Hunter sent her a few pointed glances.
“You okay?” he asked once, rubbing his palm over her lower back.
“Yeah,” she replied. “Just … had a hard day at work. Trying to decompress.”
“I’m here if you need me, babe.”
He kissed the top of her head and sauntered over to the three Js, teasing one another and goofing around. The bowling game continued, as if she wasn’t slowly breaking apart with the realization that she needed to put a little space between them. It was true they’d been spending a lot of time together, so maybe now was the time to start using their mutual friends as a shield. Be more of a group rather than just have one-on-one time.
Even though she liked the one-on-one.
Actually, the one-on-one
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