As soon as she left, Owen poured four glasses of sangria.
Scarlet picked up her glass. “To good friends.”
“To oblivion,” Owen said.
“To my liver,” Luna said.
Griff laughed and said, “To Luna’s liver.”
Scarlet chugged her sangria and locked eyes with Luna. “Let’s go outside for a minute,” she said.
Owen and Griff watched the two women step out onto the deck and close the door behind them. Words were being exchanged, but nothing that could be discerned through the glass.
“What’s going on here?” Griff said.
“I don’t know,” Owen said. “But she shouldn’t be here with Luna.”
“Why not? Your best friend and your girlfriend should get along, especially if they’re both girls,” said Griff.
Owen forced himself to turn away from the glass door. He took his drink over to the fireplace, fed the fire, and stoked the kindling.
“I just don’t trust it,” said Owen.
“Trust what?”
“Forget it.”
“Do you even like Scarlet?” said Griff. “If you have a girlfriend, you’re supposed to like her, not just think she’s hot.”
“She’s not my girlfriend. I have made that clear on numerous occasions. And I do like her. Sometimes. Then, other times, she seems desperate and a little pathetic.”
“Having feelings doesn’t make someone pathetic,” Griff said.
“No, that’s not what I’m saying,” said Owen. “I don’t have a clue who Scarlet is.”
“Maybe you should try to get to know her, since you’re sleeping together.”
“Let me clarify,” Owen said, keeping the volume down. “I think that Luna coaches Scarlet about how to be around me. She’s telling her what to do and what not to do, so that I like her more.”
Griff laughed uproariously. “Are you suggesting that Luna is Scarlet’s Cyrano?”
“It sounds crazy when you phrase it like that, but kinda.”
Griff turned and watched the women outside. They sat right next to each other, backs to the men, on the steps of the deck. Luna’s face was turned in profile and she was speaking. Scarlet was nodding slowly, like someone gathering and processing information. The scene certainly fit with Owen’s claims.
When Luna and Scarlet reentered the house, Owen tried to catch Luna’s eye, to silently gather some intelligence. Luna refused to meet his gaze.
“Everything cool?” Owen said, overtly fishing.
“Yes,” said Scarlet. “Everything is cool.”
“What were you talking about?” Owen asked.
“Girl stuff,” said Scarlet.
“Why don’t you give Scarlet a tour of the house,” Luna said to Owen.
“I’d like that,” Scarlet said.
Scarlet wanted to seem grateful, but sometimes she thought Luna was helping her just to look better in Owen’s eyes. The night of the party, when Scarlet and Owen first hooked up, Scarlet thought she had Owen. Really had him. Every day since, she was convinced that Luna was stealing more and more of him away from her.
“This way,” Owen said, walking up the stairs.
The tour was quite brief. One flight of stairs and straight into Owen’s bedroom.
When Owen shut his door, Griff turned to Luna and said, “Interesting. I always start in the kitchen.”
* * *
—
While Owen and Scarlet were presumably having sex, Griff suggested that he and Luna take a walk. To be clear, it was a hike, not a walk, which Luna figured out within half a mile. Her legs were burning and her lungs had taken a beating. It wasn’t that Luna was particularly out of shape. Griff’s pace was relentless.
“Can you slow the fuck down?” Luna finally said.
“Sorry,” Griff said, slowing down and then stopping for a water break. “I’m not used to company.”
“Ever?”
“On hikes.”
Griff offered Luna his water bottle.
“Thanks,” Luna said.
She sat on a fallen tree trunk and caught her breath. When she finally had a moment to look around, she almost smiled. The cold woods were stark and stunning. The trail never lost view of the lake, with the bright and blinding water. Luna’s nose was running from the temperature and exertion. She wiped it with her sleeve.
Griff took a seat next to her and riffled through his pockets. He handed her a tissue.
“Be civilized,” he said, teasing.
“What a gentleman,” Luna said. She blew her nose, balled up the used tissue, and shoved it back in Griff’s pocket.
“That’s disgusting,” Griff said, laughing.
“Thank you,” Luna said.
“So, you and Owen…?” Griff said, trailing off.
Luna knew what he was getting at. “Never,” she said. “What was he like as a kid?”
“Popular and…maybe a little lonely. So, the same, I guess.”
An unusual combination, but it made sense to Luna. She had noticed that Owen was slow to warm to people. Not with her, but that could have been more about the circumstances of their first real encounter.
“Were you guys close growing up?”
“I’m five years older. That’s a big gap when you’re kids.”
“Yeah,” Luna said.
She braced herself for a reciprocal question, composing in her head an answer that would preclude any follow-up questions. All that wasted anxiety for naught. Griff remained silent, watched the sun duck behind a mob of nimbus clouds. Luna could feel the temperature dip.
“We should go. It’s getting cold,” Griff said.
They still had a mile to cover before they reached the house. By the time Griff and Luna reached the back deck, the tips of Luna’s fingers were numb.
Vera, Tom, Owen, and Scarlet were sitting in the living room with drinks in hand. Griff waved at the cozy foursome as he and Luna kicked off their muddy shoes. Owen marched over to the sliding door and opened it.
“Oh, good,” Tom said lightly. “We were just debating whether to call search and rescue.”
“Lost track of time,” Griff said.