Part 6 (2/2)
”Do you think she's a s.e.x addict?”
”Maybe. I'm not sure that's a real addiction, but if it is she probably has it. To get a night off, sometimes I'll stay out late playing pool so I know she'll be asleep when I get home.”
Terri leaned on Callie and moaned, ”Why do you get too much and I don't get any?”
”I could lend you Marina.”
”No, thanks. You're much more my type, sis.”
Callie pulled Terri onto her and kissed every part of her face and neck that she could reach, peppering the giggling, thras.h.i.+ng woman with kisses. She finally stopped and they stayed just like that for a few minutes, holding each other as their racing hearts calmed. This was it. Having someone you could be yourself with. Someone you could trust your heart to. Someone you knew would never hurt you on purpose. Someone who loved you as much as you loved yourself. That was something Marina could never do. It was silly to hope for.
Terri had been invited to a big party, and after debating for a while, they decided to go. They got to the house fairly early, just after the snacks had been put out. Terri laughed when Callie moved a pair of chairs just behind the folding table that held cheese and crackers and corn chips and salsa and various dips.
”Come on, don't make me look like I'm the only one eating,” Callie insisted, shoving another dip-laden cracker into her mouth.
”You are the only one who's eating.” Terri took a chip and bit into a corner.
”You're the only person I know who takes six bites to eat a corn chip.”
”That's why I'm the same size I was in college.” She tilted her head back, looking down her nose. ”If you don't stop stuffing your face, you won't be able the wear the jeans you wore yesterday.”
”You know I eat when I'm upset.”
”I know.” Terri leaned over and kissed her on the temple. ”I wish you weren't so conflicted.”
Callie purposefully piled three pieces of cheese onto a cracker. Biting into it, she shook her head. ”I'm not.”
”Huh?”
”I'm not conflicted. I'm determined.”
”To do what? Other than eat all of their food.”
”To kick Marina to the curb.”
”What? Why do you seem so calm?”
”I was half out when I found out about Angela. Finding out Marina lied about it almost got me out the door.” She leaned over and kissed Terri's cheek. ”Talking to you convinced me.”
”Me?” Terri pointed to herself. Her face bore every sign of complete amazement. ”What did I do? h.e.l.l, I told you what she did wasn't so bad.”
”I know. But when you asked what had been great about our relations.h.i.+p and I couldn't come up with a list”-she formed her hand into a semblance of a gun and acted like she was firing it against her temple-”that was death.”
”d.a.m.n.” Terri shook her head, still looking dumbfounded. ”Are you...upset? Sad? Anything? I can't tell.”
”Yeah, sure I'm sad. But I've really been inching out ever since it first happened-so I've had time to get used to it.”
”What are you going to do?”
”d.a.m.ned if I know. I can't decide if I should go home and pack up while she's still gone or make up my mind about things and go later.”
Terri took her hand and gave her a pleading look. ”Move back here. Please, please, please.”
”I might. But I can't think about that now. I've gotta get out first.” She started to make up another cracker. ”Can we go out for tacos or something? I'm still gonna be hungry. This isn't nearly enough food.”
After Terri left for work, Callie took a run around the neighborhood. A day or two at her mother's house seemed like the right move. Then she could make up her mind about whether to move back to Phoenix or stay in Dallas. The thought of a little mothering was too tempting to resist.
Her phone rang as she was heading for the shower. When she saw the text that showed on the display, her heart started to beat wildly. It was Regan. What to tell her? d.a.m.n, there were too many decisions to make and too little time to make them.
”Hi Regan.”
”How did you know it was me?”
”When I called you, I made a contact entry for you. It's incomplete because I just put down your first name. I didn't know your last.”
”It's Manning.”
”M...a...n...n...i...n...g?”
”Yeah.”
”Okay. I've got it. I like to be organized, if that wasn't obvious.” She waited for a couple of seconds to see if Regan would say why she'd called, but she was greeted with silence. ”What's up?”
”I...I probably shouldn't have called, but I haven't told anybody about what happened with Angela and I'm...”
”Oh, wow. I don't think I could do that. I just spent seven hundred dollars that I couldn't afford to come visit my best friend and spend a couple of days feeling sorry for myself.”
Regan's low, gentle laugh echoed across the miles. ”I've been doing that since the day I found out. Feeling sorry for myself, that is. But I haven't talked to anybody.”
”No one at all?”
”No. n.o.body. I learned my lesson years ago. My first girlfriend and I had a big fight, and I told anyone who'd listen. We made up almost immediately, but a lot of my friends never liked her again.”
”So you're keeping this all inside yourself just for Angela's sake?”
She sighed, and the ragged exhaled breath showed Callie that she was on the verge of tears. ”I guess.”
Sensing that Regan was struggling for control, Callie took up the slack. ”I think that's very kind of you. If you told your friends that Angela cheated on you, they'd hate her.” She wasn't sure what to say next, but Regan didn't seem anxious to jump in. ”Are you and Angela talking about this much?”
”No, not really. Angela's more of a doer than a talker.”
”Sounds like Marina. Maybe that's what makes them good salespeople.”
”Maybe.”
Callie was thinking that Regan wasn't much of a talker either. ”I'm usually the one who wants to talk, but not this time. For some reason, I just want to try to forget about it.” Oh, d.a.m.n. Tell her now or hold off until things are settled.
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