by Maria Geraci
“I can talk perfectly fine in here. Is there something constricting your larynx? Maybe you can get your cousin the doctor to fix it.”
“Grace, please.” He looked a suitable combination of guilty and miserable, giving Grace a modicum of satisfaction.
“I can’t believe you,” she said, hating how her voice came out all wobbly. Now wasn’t the time to get soft. It was the time for Mal Genio to make an appearance. She should be mad. But she wasn’t. She could feel the tears pooling behind her eyes. If she started crying, she’d never forgive herself.
“Let’s go outside and talk. Please.”
What was he going to say? I’m sorry, I panicked, please forgive me?
Grace felt herself soften. She could understand that.
Without asking for permission, he took her by the hand and led her through the house to the backyard, winding their way around the other guests. She was reminded of how earlier in the day she’d walked through the streets of St. Augustine like this, her hand in Joe’s warm, confident grasp. Joe hadn’t lied to her. He’d just left out the fact that the family emergency was a party. She could deal with that. Family situations were complicated. But the other part? The part where he’d basically pretended he didn’t know her? She really hoped he had a good explanation for that.
They ended up on a narrow wooden dock, which was deserted and quiet and far enough away from the house that they would be assured privacy. The river was dark and still. For a second Mal Genio thought about pushing Joe into the water. Grace had to admit, it was tempting. But then she’d just have to jump in after him to make sure he didn’t drown (although Joe was a perfectly fine swimmer), and she didn’t want to ruin her dress.
“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you about the party,” he said. “My mother and my aunt have been on my case for the last week to attend, but I wanted to spend the weekend with you.”
She’d been so stunned earlier that she hadn’t noticed much. But now that the shock of seeing him had worn off, she could take in everything about him. He wore tan slacks and a black long-sleeved turtleneck and expensive-looking leather shoes. He’d come dressed to impress. Had he known his aunt might try to fix him up?
“Go on.”
“Obviously, I had no intention of being here, but this afternoon my cousin called and asked me to come. And I couldn’t say no to him, Grace. If Sarah had needed you, I mean really needed you, would you have said no to her?”
Grace sighed. She knew exactly what Joe was referring to. She could understand why he’d ditched their weekend, but it still didn’t excuse his pretending she was nothing but a patient.
“Your aunt has no idea, does she? About Phillip?”
Joe looked surprised. “How did you know?”
“Sometimes a woman just senses this kind of stuff. Why doesn’t he just tell her?”
“He plans to tonight. After the party.”
“So what are you supposed to be? Backup?”
“Something like that.”
“Nora’s a smart woman. So she’s a little pushy, but I like her. She doesn’t seem the type to faint dead on the spot just because she finds out her son is gay.” He didn’t say anything. “Are the two of you close?”
“Like brothers.”
“So how come you’ve never mentioned him before?”
“I haven’t?”
“No, Joe, you haven’t.” A sudden wind rippled off the water, making Grace shiver. She rubbed her hands up and down her arms to warm herself. “You have a cousin who you’re obviously close to, who lives here in town, and you’ve never talked about him, let alone introduced me to him. And instead of telling me why you had to cut the weekend short, you give me this cryptic excuse. And honestly, Joe? I’m okay with that because, like you said, we don’t have to know every little thing about each other. Not right away anyway. And I get not wanting me to meet your family yet, because, I agree, it’s a big deal and it has to be thought out. But Joe, if we’d run into my family at a restaurant, I sure as hell wouldn’t have introduced you as my dentist.”
“You might not remember, but the only time I’ve met your family, that’s exactly how you introduced me.”
“What? You mean that time you came to the store? That’s not fair, Joe, we weren’t together then.”
“We’d already gone out, Grace. At least in my mind we had.”
The friends dinner at the beach. She should have known Joe would have considered that a date. “The situation is different now.”
“Why? Because it’s you? In my defense, I was caught off guard.”
“Okay, we can fix that. Let’s go back into the house and you can introduce me to your mother again.”
He shoved his hands in his pockets and looked out toward the water. “I know you think that sounds really simple, but believe me, my mother and my aunt will make a big deal about us. So unless you’re ready to make a big deal about us too, I’d rather we wait.”
“What do you mean, unless I’m ready?”
He turned and faced her. “Am I your boyfriend, Grace?”
“What kind of question is that?”
“It’s the same one you asked me last week.”
“Of course, you’re my boyfriend! I don’t go away for the weekend with just anyone, Joe.”
This mollified him some. “I just think you need to dig deep inside and see if I’m what you really want.”
“Is this because of Brandon? Because he was at the hospital the day my dad had his attack?”
“I’ve already told you, I’m not jealous of Farrell. But I admit, it would have been nice if you’d wanted me there.”
“I’m sorry. It was nothing personal, Joe.”
“Yeah, I know. Just family and close friends.”
“That’s not fair! You’re upset because I didn’t invite you to come to the hospital when we’d been dating less than two weeks at the time. And here you have this whole secret life I know nothing about. So let me ask you, Joe. Am I what you really want?”
“I thought so,” he admitted. “But honestly? As great as we are together, it feels like there’s something missing.”
Grace was speechless. Was Joe breaking up with her? She was the wronged party here!
“Tell me, Grace. Have you told Sarah about her ex? Because she deserves to know the whole truth. The two of you will never be right until you do.”
“Never be right? What are you now, a relationship expert?”
“Grace?” Sarah’s voice called out from the edge of the dock. “I’m . . . I’m sorry to interrupt, but it’s kind of an emergency.”
Grace’s heart stopped. “Is it Pop? Is he okay?”
“No, it’s not your dad,” Sarah rushed to reassure her. “It’s the . . . club meeting. Penny called to tell us there’s been a change in venue. The meeting is taking place at Florida Charlie’s.”
“But I thought it was going to be at The Continental!”
“Something got screwed up. Penny sounds really frantic.”
Shit. What had Ellen done now?
“I have to go,” she told Joe.
“You’re ditching me because of your women’s empowerment group?” he asked incredulously.
“It’s more complicated than that.” A whole lot more complicated. “Call me. Or I’ll call you!” she yelled over her shoulder, already making her way back to the house. She didn’t turn around and take one last sad look at Joe standing there on the dock. She wasn’t going to do that. Because if she did, she might be tempted to run back, and apparently she had a fire to put out.
28
Overbooked, Overwhelmed, and So, So Over It
“I’m sorry to drag you away from the party,” Grace said to Sarah. They’d come together, so they’d left together. Taxi service in Daytona Beach was iffy at best.
“No big deal,” Sarah said. “I told the Dragon you had a family emergency. She really likes you. Said you gave off good chutzpah. I think if things don’t work out between me and Phillip, you’ll be numb
er one on her potential daughter-in-law list.” Sarah’s voice was flat. Had she overheard Joe and Grace arguing about her on the dock?
“Is she really that clueless?”
“Apparently so.” Sarah sped up to pass a car. “How could you tell? About Phillip?”
“It was obvious he wasn’t into either one of us, which wouldn’t have meant anything, except he never once snuck a peek at your rack. And don’t take this the wrong way, because you know I’m totally a straight girl, but even I’m drawn to your magnificent cleavage.”
Sarah laughed, but it didn’t sound right.
Grace shifted in her seat. There was no doubt by Sarah’s strange mood that she’d overheard part of Grace and Joe’s conversation. “How about you?”
“The first red flag was when he called the pink color I used in the family room ‘lobster bisque,’ which is the most perfect description ever, and I wish I’d thought of it. But the clincher was when he kept talking interior design. Not that straight guys don’t do that once they find out what I do for a living, but Phillip actually has good taste. It was the final nail in the coffin. He’s pretty cool. He wants me to decorate his office.”
“That’s great.”
“What was going on between you and Joe? That’s so weird how he turned up at the party. Who knew he and the Dragon were related?”
“Small world, huh?” Grace’s emotions teetered between mad and wanting to cry on Sarah’s shoulder. But she had to keep it together long enough to take care of the situation at Florida Charlie’s. She could fall apart later.
Sarah threw her a long look. “Why didn’t he introduce you as his girlfriend?”
“That’s the beautiful part. He actually had the nerve to throw it all back on me.”
She told Sarah how Joe had found out about Brandon being at the hospital the day of Pop’s attack, and what he said about Grace needing to figure out what she wanted and how there was something “missing” in their relationship. She fought the tears threatening to pool up again.
“You know, Grace,” Sarah said, “maybe Joe’s right.”
“Et tu, Sarah?”
Sarah sighed and the sound of it made Grace cringe because she knew exactly what was coming next. “I overheard Joe say that I deserve to know the whole truth. What was he talking about?”
“Sarah, this is kind of a bad time. Can we please talk about this later?”
“I want to talk about it now.”
“But—”
“Now, Grace.”
Sarah’s stubborn and unforgiving.
Charlie was definitely right about the stubborn part. Joe said her relationship with Sarah would never be right until they got everything about Craig out in the open. He was wrong, though. If anything, it would create a chasm in their relationship, not bring them closer together. But Grace was tired of keeping the secret. Tired of walking on eggshells whenever the subject of Sarah’s marriage came up.
Grace shut her eyes tight. Best to spill it all out at once before she lost her nerve. “Three days before your wedding, Craig cheated on you with Carla.”
“How do you know that?” Sarah asked in a calmer voice than Grace would have expected.
Grace slowly opened her eyes. “Because I caught them.”
There were no tears, no screaming. Only Sarah frowning, like she was thinking hard about something. “Go on.”
Grace told her the whole sordid story. “He promised me he would tell you. And I thought, okay, if he’s innocent, and nothing happened, then it would all be cool. And I kept waiting for you to say something, but you never did. And . . . I knew I couldn’t keep it from you, and I was so mad that it was going to be me breaking your heart with that kind of news. So I pretended to myself that he’d told you and that it was nothing, and that’s why you never said anything. Then at the reception, I had enough booze in me to work up the nerve to ask Craig if he’d told you about Carla, and the son-of-a-bitch said no. And I knew . . . I knew then that he’d lied to me. That he had slept with her and I should have found a way to tell you, no matter how happy you seemed. But by then it was too late. So all this time I’ve kept my mouth shut. And I could see that it wasn’t the greatest marriage, but I thought maybe it was just, you know, a matter of the two of you adjusting. And then he cheated on you again and it’s my fault because if I had told you about the first time, I don’t think you would have ever married him.” The tears that Grace had been holding back for the past hour now streamed down her cheeks.
“Wow. No wonder you hated Craig so much!” Sarah shook her head and laughed incredulously, like she’d just found the final piece to a puzzle that had eluded her for a long time.
That was it? This was all the reaction she was going to get? Maybe Grace was misinterpreting and it was hysterical laughter. That must be it. She’d pushed Sarah over the edge.
Sarah suddenly stopped laughing. “Grace,” she said, alarmed. “Look at the parking lot.”
Grace swiped the tears from her face and craned her neck to get a better view of what lay ahead. Florida Charlie’s was overrun with cars. They circled to the back of the building, but there was a minivan parked in Grace’s private spot.
Sarah made a face. “Of all the nerve! Can’t they read? I’ll drop you off in front and find a place to park across the street.”
“Sarah, I’m . . . I’m so sorry.”
“About what?”
About what? “What do you think I’m sorry about?”
“Oh. No worries, Grace. It’s not your fault. I understand why you didn’t want to tell me about Craig.”
Grace had known Sarah long enough to know when she was being sincere. She really didn’t blame Grace for not telling her. Grace felt an overwhelming rush of relief. “Boy, was Charlie ever wrong about you!”
“Charlie? What does he have to do with this?” The color drained from Sarah’s face. “Did Charlie know Craig cheated on me before the wedding?”
“Of course not. The only person I ever told was Joe. But . . . Charlie and I did discuss you and Craig once. I was afraid you were going to take Craig back, but Charlie told me not to worry. He said you were stubborn and unforgiving, which obviously isn’t the case because—”
“Charlie said I was unforgiving?”
“Yeah. What does he know, right?”
A car horn blasted, startling them both. Sarah glanced up at the rearview mirror. “There’s a car sitting on my ass. You jump out and I’ll meet you inside.”
Grace got out of the car and hustled around to the front of the store. The hat to Gator Claus’s new NASCAR outfit was missing. He also looked extremely unhappy. “Tell me about it,” Grace muttered. She opened the doors to the sound of a dozen different conversations buzzing at once.
There must have been at least a hundred women in the store. Grace recognized a few of the regulars from former meetings, but there were a lot of new faces as well. It took her a few minutes before she spotted Penny.
“Thank God you’re here!” Penny said.
“What happened? I thought the meeting was going to be at The Continental!”
Penny’s eyes narrowed. “Ask Ellen about that one.” She pointed to the Hemingway corner, where Ellen was setting up her laptop. “She and some of her sycophants swooped in before the store was closed and now I can’t get them out. Should I have called the police?”
“The police? No! We can’t call the cops on Ellen. Besides, it would draw too much attention to what’s going on. I’ll take care of it myself.”
Grace marched up to Ellen and tapped her on the shoulder. “I need to talk to you in private.” She pulled Ellen into her office and flicked on the light switch.
“I swear I didn’t do this on purpose!” Ellen said, already on the defensive. “I got to the hotel early to set up, but they had our dates screwed up. And they had this big wedding reception going on and nobody would talk to me and finally the manager said that since it was Speed Week and also Valentine’s Day, there was no way they could accommo
date us because they’d overbooked. Then all these women started showing up. What was I supposed to do?”
“You’re an English teacher. Do you not understand what the word cancel means?”
Ellen flushed. “I thought about it. I really did, but it’s Valentine’s Day, Grace! And these women need this meeting. Tonight of all nights, especially. You of all people remember how it feels to be alone on Valentine’s Day.” Ellen stilled. “Wait, what are you doing here? Aren’t you supposed to be on a big romantic weekend with Joe?”
“It’s . . . complicated.”
“Oh, Grace, no! Not the St. Valentine’s Day Curse again.” Ellen grabbed her into a hug. “I’m so sorry!”
“So am I, Ellen, but it’s not important right now. Explain to me how you ended up here at Florida Charlie’s when I specifically told you no more meetings.”
“Like I said, I couldn’t let all these women down. I’d have had the meeting at my apartment but you know how small my place is. So I thought just one more meeting and I promise, we’ll never have it here again. I honestly didn’t think so many women would show up. The word has spread like wildfire. Can you imagine how many women still think the meeting is at The Continental? I bet we would have had twice this number!” Ellen ended in an excited rush.
“Okay,” Grace said, trying to stay calm. “This is what we’re going to do. You’re going to make an announcement and tell them that the February meeting of the boyfriend club has been canceled.”
“But since we’re already here, I thought—”
“Don’t think, Ellen. It’s what’s getting us in trouble. Go out there and tell them we’ll make the March meeting a double-header, anything to placate them, then steer them all to Coco’s.”
Ellen looked like a kid whose lollipop had just been stolen. “All right, I guess it’s the practical thing to do. I really am sorry, Grace. I didn’t mean for this to happen. And I’m really sorry about Joe, too.”
Grace stepped outside the office to find Penny waiting to talk to her. “I hate to bring you more bad news, but you’re not going to believe what’s happening. All those cars outside are making people think the store is still open. We have tourists stopping and wanting to buy stuff. I already closed out the cash registers and the only cashier left in the store is Marty. Grace, what do I do?”
