Page 38

After Megan dumped the trash in a nearby receptacle, she walked with Audrey back to the parking lot. Megan escorted her mother to her silver Lexus and gave her a hug goodbye. Over her mother’s shoulder, Megan spied the two gay women approaching a vehicle two spots away from Audrey’s car.

Before Audrey could see them and say something else outrageous, Megan ended the hug, said a quick goodbye and hurried to her own car. Once she started the engine, she pulled out of the parking spot without even taking the time to fasten her seatbelt. At this point, she just wanted to get as far from her mother as quickly as possible.

At the first stop sign on Vancouver Street, Megan put on her seatbelt, silencing the insistent pinging noise her car was making, as if asking her if she was out of her mind for driving so recklessly. She then considered her next moves.

She could go home and log back in to work but the fact of the matter was that her next important obligation wasn’t until that estimation meeting at two o’clock.

Megan chewed on her bottom lip, thinking.

The estimation meeting was sure to be boring. All estimation meetings were boring. Thus, it would help if she had some coffee to keep herself awake. She had coffee at home, of course, and a great coffee maker. But…

There was another place where she knew she can get a great cup of coffee…

She signaled right and headed towards downtown Carlsbad.

Chapter 15

“We should definitely go on a double date,” William told Vanessa. They were on the phone while Vanessa was behind the counter in La Vida Mocha, working on a crossword puzzle from a puzzle book she had found at home. She had nothing better to do; La Vida Mocha was currently sans customers.

“The problem with that idea,” Vanessa began, “is that Megan and I are not dating.”

“So what?” William crowed. “You mean you and Megan can’t just meet up with me and Tyrone for drinks or something?”

Vanessa thought about that. She supposed that, technically, there was nothing preventing her and Megan from meeting up with friends for drinks or a night of playing board games or whatever. People in casual flings did stuff like that all the time. Unless, of course, Megan wanted to restrict their time together to the bedroom…

And I have no problem with that.

“I think I’d better spend some more time with her first before I subject Megan to the craziness that is William, sweetie. I like this woman, after all, temporary though she is.”

“You can’t see me, but I’m giving you the finger, honey,” William said. “But listen, if you like this woman, you need to introduce her to me so that I can tell her how fabulous you are—you know, basically lie—and then she’ll fall in love with you, forget all about moving to New York, and then you and her can have a destination wedding in Tahiti!”

“Jesus! No one is getting married!” Vanessa laughed.

“Don’t sell yourself short, honey! You’re a catch! If I were straight, I would have already popped the question.”

“If you were straight, all the gay bars in Southern California wouldn’t need as many security guards,” Vanessa said.

“Once again, I am giving you the finger.”

“Anyway, speaking of you being gay, not straight, what are the plans for Wednesday night?”

“What time do you close the shop again?”

>

“Seven. Although the way things have been going lately, I can just put a cardboard cut-out of myself behind the counter after six o’clock and sell as much coffee.”

“Aww, I’m sorry. Anyway, my place, at seven-thirty,” William told her. “My mom is cooking.”

Vanessa groaned inwardly. It wasn’t that William’s mom wasn’t a good cook; she was. It’s that the woman tended to overdo it a bit with the spices. Vanessa made a mental note to put her bottle of Pepto-Bismol in her purse that night.

“You know, I’ve always wondered something,” Vanessa said. “What does darling Tyrone think of all this nonsense you pull just to keep your parents in the dark?”

William blew out an unconcerned breath.

“Please. He’s not out yet either, so he gets it. Whenever my folks come by, he just hides out in his apartment two floors down; then, when my folks go to sleep, I sneak out and spend the night with him.”

“It’s the classic gay love story, isn’t it? Why do you think Disney hasn’t made a cartoon out of it yet?”