bathrobe. Her
loose hair was mussed from sleep, except Rosalinda guessed there hadn’t been
much in the way of sleep. Allie’s face was set in a silly contended smile, but
there were bags under her eyes.
“Allie, sweetheart,” the man crooned. “You’ve got a
visitor,” he informed her, gesturing with an open palm towards Rosalinda’s top
half.
Allie glanced from the face of the man to Rosalinda’s
confused features. “Hi,” she greeted, her tone lifting in question.
Righting herself, Rosalinda stepped into the room, pushing
past the leather-jacketed stranger. “You forgot?” she demanded.
“Forgot what?” Allie responded.
Opening her mouth to speak, Rosalinda sucked in a breath,
before remembering that they weren’t alone in the room. Quickly pressing her
lips together, she twisted to face the man. “Do you mind?” she asked rudely.
“Oh,” he replied, uncomfortably. “I’m sorry.”
“It’s all right,” Allie chipped in, wandering towards her
date from the night before and placing a placating hand on his chest. “Look,
umm…” she murmured.
“It’s okay,” he quickly stated, sensing her disquiet at the
tension unmistakably mounting between the two women. “I’ll get out of your
hair,” he added, motioning towards the door. “You know,” he chuckled. “I had a
great time last night.”
“Me too,” Allie smiled, following him closely as he reached
the threshold.
Before leaving, he leaned down and placed a gentle kiss on
Allie’s lips. “It’d be nice to do this again sometime,” he suggested quietly.
“Maybe,” Allie stated, waving him off.
Rosalinda didn’t take her eyes from the pair. As she watched
the exchange, her mouth dropped in disbelief.
With a frustrated sigh, Allie closed the door and rapidly
turned on her friend. “Did you learn those manners in finishing school?” she
demanded. “You know, this is my home, Ros.”
“And you know, we had a date for lunch,” Rosalinda snapped
back. “I was waiting in the restaurant for over an hour,” she added. “Have you
any idea how worried I was.”
“So worried you stopped at Starbucks on the way,” Allie
pointed out, striding across the room and tossing the words over her shoulder
as she breezed into the kitchen.
Glancing down at the cup in her hands, Rosalinda huffed in
response to the accusation. “What the hell is going on with you?” she insisted.
“You don’t turn up to lunch; you don’t even remember we’re supposed to be
having lunch. You’ve got strange men in your apartment, and when I called you
at work yesterday, they told me you were off sick.”
Allie didn’t bother to lift her head at the long list of
complaints Rosalinda seemed set on airing. She was intently focused, instead,
on fixing herself a cup of coffee. Huffing, she slammed cabinet doors, as she
tried to find a fresh jar of the instant stuff. “I’ve been feeling a little off
color,” she stated, choosing to only acknowledge the last of Rosalinda’s
points.
“Well, you clearly felt a lot better when you picked up Mr.
Texas.”
“Kansas,” Allie matter-of-factly snapped.
“What?”
“Stephan is from Kansas,” she explained, closing another
cabinet with a sharp bang.
“I don’t care where he’s from,” Rosalinda erupted, marching
into the kitchen. “Look,” she sighed, trying to keep a tenuous hold on her
desire to grab her friend and shake some sense into her. “I just want to know
that you’re all right. You’ve been acting so strangely these last few weeks.”
Giving up on her search for coffee and trying to remember
the last time she actually went grocery shopping, Allie perched herself on a
stool by her breakfast bar. Lifting her face to Rosalinda, she shook her head.
“I’ve been having fun these last few weeks, there’s nothing wrong with that.”
“All right,” Rosalinda conceded. “There is nothing wrong
with having fun. But there’s more to it than that.” The tension seeming
loose hair was mussed from sleep, except Rosalinda guessed there hadn’t been
much in the way of sleep. Allie’s face was set in a silly contended smile, but
there were bags under her eyes.
“Allie, sweetheart,” the man crooned. “You’ve got a
visitor,” he informed her, gesturing with an open palm towards Rosalinda’s top
half.
Allie glanced from the face of the man to Rosalinda’s
confused features. “Hi,” she greeted, her tone lifting in question.
Righting herself, Rosalinda stepped into the room, pushing
past the leather-jacketed stranger. “You forgot?” she demanded.
“Forgot what?” Allie responded.
Opening her mouth to speak, Rosalinda sucked in a breath,
before remembering that they weren’t alone in the room. Quickly pressing her
lips together, she twisted to face the man. “Do you mind?” she asked rudely.
“Oh,” he replied, uncomfortably. “I’m sorry.”
“It’s all right,” Allie chipped in, wandering towards her
date from the night before and placing a placating hand on his chest. “Look,
umm…” she murmured.
“It’s okay,” he quickly stated, sensing her disquiet at the
tension unmistakably mounting between the two women. “I’ll get out of your
hair,” he added, motioning towards the door. “You know,” he chuckled. “I had a
great time last night.”
“Me too,” Allie smiled, following him closely as he reached
the threshold.
Before leaving, he leaned down and placed a gentle kiss on
Allie’s lips. “It’d be nice to do this again sometime,” he suggested quietly.
“Maybe,” Allie stated, waving him off.
Rosalinda didn’t take her eyes from the pair. As she watched
the exchange, her mouth dropped in disbelief.
With a frustrated sigh, Allie closed the door and rapidly
turned on her friend. “Did you learn those manners in finishing school?” she
demanded. “You know, this is my home, Ros.”
“And you know, we had a date for lunch,” Rosalinda snapped
back. “I was waiting in the restaurant for over an hour,” she added. “Have you
any idea how worried I was.”
“So worried you stopped at Starbucks on the way,” Allie
pointed out, striding across the room and tossing the words over her shoulder
as she breezed into the kitchen.
Glancing down at the cup in her hands, Rosalinda huffed in
response to the accusation. “What the hell is going on with you?” she insisted.
“You don’t turn up to lunch; you don’t even remember we’re supposed to be
having lunch. You’ve got strange men in your apartment, and when I called you
at work yesterday, they told me you were off sick.”
Allie didn’t bother to lift her head at the long list of
complaints Rosalinda seemed set on airing. She was intently focused, instead,
on fixing herself a cup of coffee. Huffing, she slammed cabinet doors, as she
tried to find a fresh jar of the instant stuff. “I’ve been feeling a little off
color,” she stated, choosing to only acknowledge the last of Rosalinda’s
points.
“Well, you clearly felt a lot better when you picked up Mr.
Texas.”
“Kansas,” Allie matter-of-factly snapped.
“What?”
“Stephan is from Kansas,” she explained, closing another
cabinet with a sharp bang.
“I don’t care where he’s from,” Rosalinda erupted, marching
into the kitchen. “Look,” she sighed, trying to keep a tenuous hold on her
desire to grab her friend and shake some sense into her. “I just want to know
that you’re all right. You’ve been acting so strangely these last few weeks.”
Giving up on her search for coffee and trying to remember
the last time she actually went grocery shopping, Allie perched herself on a
stool by her breakfast bar. Lifting her face to Rosalinda, she shook her head.
“I’ve been having fun these last few weeks, there’s nothing wrong with that.”
“All right,” Rosalinda conceded. “There is nothing wrong
with having fun. But there’s more to it than that.” The tension seeming
Similar Books
