Page 76 of No Such Thing as Serendipity

I could tell by the twinkle in her eyes she was messing with me. “One of everything it is.” I plopped the menu on the table and sat back in my chair.

When the waiter came, I ordered cacio e pepe, my favorite Italian dish. “I’m surprised they have that here,” I said to Robyn.

“We’re not as backward as you think,” she responded.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to be offensive.”

“No. I suppose I’m a little protective of our little corner of the world. Vera draws people from all over the country. I know some believe we’re a bunch of backward hicks.”

Had I been one of those people? If I were honest with myself, I had been. “Were you born in Wisconsin?”

“Nope. California.” She must have seen the surprise on my face because she said, “You weren’t expecting that, were you?”

Something about Robyn inspired me to be truthful. “No, I wasn’t. You seem to, uh, fit in here well.”

The waiter delivered our salads. I picked up my fork and stabbed a piece of lettuce, so I wouldn’t have to continue looking at her.

“What do you think it takes to fit in here?” Robyn’s smile showed her amusement without a trace of offense.

Still, I felt as if I’d been offensive. “I’m coming off like a real jerk, aren’t I?”

Robyn patted my leg. “No. I arrived with the same preconceived notion. But you’d be surprised. Madison is a rather progressive city with the college and all.”

“How long have you been here?”

“Just shy of eight years. Right after my fortieth birthday.”

That made her forty-eight.I’d figured she was a few years older than me, but this put her six years older.

“What brought you here?”

“That story’s too long to tell over a salad.” She speared a tomato and put it into her mouth.

“How about over an entire dinner?”

She shook her head. “I don’t want to monopolize the conversation. Besides, I talked to Vera this morning, and she told me about your talk.”

My face fell. I’d thought my confession to Vera had been private.

“What’s wrong?” Robyn asked.

“I just didn’t think Vera would go around blabbing about Terrence.”

Robyn’s eyes narrowed. “Who’s Terrence?”

From her response, I recognized my mistake. Vera hadn’t betrayed my confidence. “Uh, just my former employer.”

“Ah, like I’ve suspected, there’s more to that story.”

To my surprise, for the second time today, I found myself telling about Terrence’s betrayal. When I finished, the waiter had removed our salad plates. “Now you know of my humiliation, too.”

“No. There’s no cause for humiliation. You were done wrong, which isn’t so unusual, is it?”

I sighed. “I suppose not, but I thought I was bulletproof.”

“Don’t we all?” Robyn’s voice was full of sadness. “Did you enjoy Mary Lou’s talk?”

“Ugh, I walked into that, didn’t I? That’s such a loaded question.”