“I know. So do I.”
Dad parked behind his Corvette. We climbed out, and he tossed me the keys to the station wagon.
“What’re you doing?” Mom asked.
“I figure we might spend the night,” he said.
“And when were you going to ask me?”
“Right now. You wanna spend the night? That is, if I’m off the shit list.”
“Yes, you’re off it.”
I didn’t ask. Silence is golden, I told myself. And ignorance is bliss.
Words to live by, the little head said.
I didn’t reply. He was the reason we were on the shit list in the first place.
I heard that, you know.
I sighed.
Christy shot me a curious look, but I shrugged her off and gestured for her to follow my parents through the gate to the back yard. They headed toward Chris and Elizabeth, while Christy and I joined Gina. The older couples drifted toward the hot tub, so we took over the patio. I draped my jacket over the back of a chair, kicked off my shoes, and loosened my tie. The girls started taking off their dresses.
“Wow,” Gina said when I lowered my boxers. “I wasn’t expecting that. I mean, I knew Christy’d be shaved, but you too?”
“Yeah. She likes the look. So we’re a matched pair.”
“I’ll say,” Gina laughed. “I’m back to natural. Mostly.” She stepped out of her panties. “I trim my bikini line, but that’s about it.”
“Well, you look nice,” I said. Then, “Have you lost weight?”
“A little,” she said. “Mom thinks I need to eat more, but…” she shrugged. “I’ve sort of become a vegetarian.”
“For real?”
“Yeah. I still eat shrimp and some fish, but no beef, pork, or chicken.”
“I’m a Buddhist vegetarian,” Christy said.
“One of my sorority sisters is a Buddhist,” Gina said in surprise. “She’s the one who got me started. It’s much healthier.”
“I think so. And better for my soul.”
“I don’t know about that,” Gina laughed, “but…”
I listened with half my attention and followed them toward the pool. Gina already had tan lines from her bikini, where Christy was an even honey color all over. And even though Gina was thinner than I’d ever seen her, she still made Christy seem pint-sized by comparison.
The girls continued chatting as we waded into the water. The little head had delusions of a threesome, but the big head knew better, even if Christy hadn’t said so. She hadn’t drunk any alcohol at dinner, which said a lot about her mindset. I’d have done the same thing if I were about to step onto a judo mat. Gina wasn’t an opponent, but Christy wasn’t going to underestimate her either.
It didn’t matter in any case. Gina wasn’t trying to win me back. She was gracious in defeat, although “defeat” wasn’t the right word. Mostly she wanted to be friends. I felt guilty that I hadn’t been able to make her happy, but relieved that she still wanted me in her life. We’d been through too much together, and neither of us wanted to throw it away simply because things hadn’t worked for us.
Some insecure part of me wondered what would’ve happened if Christy hadn’t been so determined. What if she’d given up in disgust and started dating some other guy? Would I have gone back to Gina? I probably would’ve been happy, but I couldn’t imagine life without Christy. Not now, not ever.
“Paul…? Earth to Paul…?” Gina was saying.
“Sorry, what?”
“Wow. I’d give more than a penny for your thoughts,” she said. She and Christy shared a smile. “You were in your own little world.”
“Yeah. Sorry. Just thinking. What if…? That sort of thing.”
Her dark eyebrows twitched up. “For real?”
“Yeah. And how lucky I am.”
“No kidding,” Gina agreed. “Now that I’ve met her, you’re even luckier than I thought.”
“You don’t know the half of it,” I said. “I feel bad for saying that, though, ’cause you’re wonderful too.”
“Thank you,” she said, so softly that I almost didn’t hear it. Then she forced a smile. “I promised myself I wouldn’t cry. I’m really happy. Happy for both of you.”
“Thank you,” Christy said. “That means a lot.”
“Let’s change the subject,” I suggested, and both girls nodded. “What’re you doing this summer?”
“Me?” Gina said. “Didn’t Leah tell you? One of the doctors at the clinic invited me to El Salvador.”
“Okay…,” I said tactfully, “but that doesn’t sound very romantic.”
“It isn’t!” she laughed. “I’ll be working. They’re called Doctors Without Borders. They…”
* * *
We eventually moved the conversation to the patio chairs. We talked for another hour, about summer plans, school, and life in general. The older couples continued their own party in the hot tub, although they moved to the privacy of the guesthouse sometime after eleven. I glanced at my watch and caught Christy’s eye.
“We should probably head home,” I said.
“You’re welcome to spend the night here,” Gina offered. Then she read my expression. “Never mind. It was just a thought.”
I chuckled. “I forgot. You can do it too.”
“Do what?”
“Read me.”
“Yeah. Sorry. I can’t help it.”
“He does the same thing to me,” Christy said. “I can’t lie to him. It drives me crazy sometimes.”
“For sure!” Gina laughed. She stood and extended a hand to Christy. “Thanks for coming tonight. I didn’t want to like you at first, but now I can’t imagine Paul with anyone else. I heard it in his voice before, and it’s even more obvious in person. He loves you. And I’m truly happy for you.”
Christy rose and bypassed Gina’s hand. She hugged her instead.
I had to choke down a sudden wave of emotion.
“So, now do you believe it?” Gina asked her as they separated. “That I’m not the competition?”
“I never thought you were,” Christy lied easily.
“I’m glad,” Gina said. Then she smiled at me. “It was great to see you again.”
“Yeah,” I agreed. “Great to see you too.”
“You’ll have to call me next time you’re in San Diego. It’s only a couple of hours down the coast.”
“Or we can come see you in Los Angeles,” Christy said. It wasn’t entirely a lie—more like a banal pleasantry.
“I’d love that,” Gina said.
Yeah, what do you say in a situation like this? I wondered.
I know what I’d say, the little head offered.
That’s nice. Keep it to yourself.
Christy’s eyes widened in disbelief.
“Did I miss something?” Gina asked.
“Oh, no,” Christy lied again. “I was just thinking about the last time I was in LA. We got lost on the way to a competition. It was horrible.”
It wasn’t the worst cover story I’d ever heard, but it wasn’t very good either. Gina accepted it at face value, though. I started breathing again and gestured toward our clothes. Gina wrapped her towel around herself as Christy and I donned the minimum for decency.
Gina walked us to the gate and then kissed my cheek. She hugged Christy. “It was a pleasure to meet you.”
“The pleasure was all mine,” Christy said.
“Have a safe flight home,” I told Gina.
“You too.”
We said goodnight and then Christy and I headed out to the car. She waited until we were safely out of the driveway before she rounded on me.
“Oh my gosh! What were you thinking?”
“What?”
“I should probably ask him the same thing!” She shook her head in disbelief. “Seriously, Paul?”
“Sorry. I’ll try to do better.”
“It’s all right,” she said after a moment. “He has a mind of his own. But it’s never going to happen. Do you hear that, Mr. Big? You can have a threesome with anyone else, but Gina’s off limits.”