Part 32 (1/2)
”It was really awkward for a while, but then everything settled down again.”
Marian opened her mouth, then closed it again. ”Do you think they found somebody?”
”To play with?”
Marian nodded.
”Yeah, I do.”
”Oh . . .” This was juicy. ”Mary Jane.”
”Yeah, that's what I've always thought.”
Inner Prude was repelled. Inner s.l.u.t thought it sounded like a h.e.l.luva good time-muscled Patty, confident Mary Jane, gentle Wen. ”I hope they're having fun.”
Ellie sighed. ”Even you are now. Everybody is but me.”
Marian sighed. ”Jersey's not having any fun right now.”
”I'll call her later.” Ellie gave a self-deprecating laugh. ”Maybe we'll just do what everyone else is doing, have a great f.u.c.k and get over it.”
Marian blushed beet red.
Ellie immediately noticed. ”Oh, my, speaking of great f.u.c.ks, how was she?”
Marian decided to take a page from Mary Jane's book. ”That would be ungallant.”
”You are red as a fire truck!”
”You can't make me say, Ellie.”
”That good?”
”d.a.m.n good,” Marian said before she could stop herself. ”I could fall in love with her.”
”Aren't you already?”
197.
”Maybe.” Marian sighed heavily. The chair was coated in cat hair.
”She's not sticking around, remember?”
”You've got some time to change her mind.”
Marian allowed herself a tiny smile. ”I guess so. Ellie, I've never felt this way with anyone. Like I had the power to make her fantasies come true.”
”It's not like you can count your lovers on more than one hand, M'Sue.”
”I know, but . . . it was different. I felt . . . like I was discovering who I could be with her. More than I thought.”
”You know what I always say-who cares if it's forever as long as today is good.”
”It's good.”
”And I cut off your date. I'm sorry.”
”It's okay.” Marian rose. ”I'm ravenous, too. Let's go get some breakfast. More breakfast for me, but I didn't have dinner last night.”
”I didn't have dinner either. Hamburg Inn?”
”Everyone will think we spent the night together.”
”h.e.l.l, let's give them something to talk about.”
Ellie laughed, sounding happier than Marian had thought she would be for a while. ”I'm glad you're my best friend, M'Sue. I don't know what I'd do without you.”
”Hey,” Marian began. ”You'll never guess something that Liddy and I have in common. Someone we have in common.”
”She slept with Carrie already? I thought you couldn't be with someone who'd been with an ex.”
Marian led the way out the door. ”Oh, you have no idea. I think I'll have to get over that because the universe is twisted.”
Liddy pushed the stack of books away and rested her head on her arms. She'd had a nap, but she still felt too restless to work.
What was Marian doing? What was wrong with Ellie? Would she call before evening?
198.
She dabbed lavender oil on her mosquito bites and, to her amaze-ment, it worked equally as well as any anti-itch cream she'd tried. It didn't smell bad at all.
She paced. She turned the Cranberries up loud, but the music failed to distract her. Finally, she went for a drive because the Hummer had better speakers than the boom box.
Not sure she wouldn't get lost, she followed what she hoped was the route to the overlook where Marian had driven her on Sat.u.r.day.
The occasional landmark looked familiar, and in a short time she was parked.
She was a long way from home. Even so, Robyn Vaughn had followed her. Not Robyn, she thought suddenly. The pain Robyn caused followed you here, and here is where you'll let it go. You can get hurt again, but not by Robyn. A wave of peace washed over her, and for the first time in weeks there was no anger simmering in her heart.
It was very quiet and she stood looking down at the countryside with only a light breeze against the leaves for noise.
Female. Lush. Wet. Alive. Iowa was all those things.
So was Marian. And so was she when she was with Marian.
It's not paradise, she thought. Not quite. But it could feel like home with Marian.
”I don't know what her dreams are,” Liddy said to the breeze. ”I don't know all of her pain, I think. I want to know, though. I want to see behind those amazing eyes.”
She hugged herself for a moment, remembering the way it had felt to be in Marian's arms. n.o.body had ever touched her like that.