“Oh my God!” Lisa gave Sarah a speculative look. “Well, it all finally makes sense.”
Sarah’s hands went to her hips. “Does someone want to fill me in here? What exactly does ‘our Chris’ mean?”
Interesting. She sounded jealous. Maybe his persistence was paying off. “I meant to tell you a while ago, but it slipped my mind. Chris and Hayden work together at Inked Armor.”
“Excuse me?”
“Oh! You didn’t know?” Lisa asked. “This just keeps getting better and better!”
“How did it slip your mind? It didn’t strike you as vital information to pass on?” Sarah looked flustered. She rushed across the room and peered out the window at the backlit sign across the street. “He works right across from where I live? I can’t believe you didn’t tell me until now!”
“I’ve been preoccupied.” The morning I put things together, I’d been overwhelmed by more stressful revelations. Since then, Chris hadn’t come up in conversation, and I hadn’t thought to unveil that little tidbit.
“Right, of course.” She sashayed back to the counter and grabbed her wine, downing half the glass in one gulp. “Wait. So this party he invited me to—” She rooted around in her purse and pulled out the postcard-sized invitation. “This is for you? He invited me to an engagement party? What the hell?”
“You have to come. Please?” Lisa begged. “Chris will totally expect you to blow him off. I would pay to see his face when you show up. He’ll cream his pants.”
Sarah crinkled her nose. “Ew. I hope not. That wouldn’t say much about his stamina.”
“There’s nothing wrong with Chris’s stamina,” Lisa said dryly.
“How do you know?” Sarah asked.
“Word of mouth.”
“The rumors must be true then.” Sarah looked upset by the possibility.
The oven timer went off, so I checked on the cupcakes.
“So, where is it you work?” Lisa asked.
“The Dollhouse.”
There was a beat of heavy silence as I took the tray out of the oven.
“I worked there before it changed hands,” Lisa said. “From what I hear, it’s still a pretty loosely run establishment, and management isn’t any better now than it was then.”
“You used to bartend at the same nightclub Sarah works at?”
Sarah cough-choked on her wine. “The Dollhouse isn’t—”
“That was part of my job detail, but it was a long time ago.” Lisa switched off the mixer and turned to me. “Let’s check out your closet and plan your outfit for tomorrow.”
*
Lisa picked me up early Saturday afternoon. Together we loaded six dozen cupcakes into the trunk of her car. Before we headed to her place, I stopped at Inked Armor to let Hayden know he should meet me there. He hadn’t slept at my place since Wednesday. He was in a foul mood.
“I’m staying over tonight,” he said testily.
I was looking forward to a peaceful sleep. I stretched up on my tiptoes and kissed his chin. “That sounds good. I’ll see you in a few hours?”
“You’re really excited about this shit, aren’t you?”
“I guess. It’s nice to have girlfriends, to be involved in something normal.”
He leaned down and kissed me. “I love that Lisa fits into your idea of normal.”
“Everything is relative, isn’t it?”
Lisa poked her head in the door. “Hands off, Hayden, she’s mine today.”
“She’s been yours for the past two days. I want her back.”
“You can have her tonight. I’m double-parked, so we have to go.”
Lisa hauled me out of the shop before I could steal another kiss. Hayden watched me through the window as I got into her car and we pulled away.
Lisa’s house was magnificent. It was clear both she and Jamie were artists in the strictest sense of the word. Her 1950s-era décor blew me away. Everything appeared to be original and in pristine condition.
It was very different from my own jumble of mismatched furniture. It dawned on me that Hayden only ever came to my place, which I guess made sense because of TK. She was still just a tiny thing; as silly as it might be, I didn’t like the idea of leaving her alone overnight. He always stocked my fridge with various snacks and drinks, but the only personal item he left behind was a toothbrush and body wash so he didn’t end up smelling “girly” after a shower. I wondered what his place would look like. I imagined it would have a distinct absence of clutter; stark, neat, organized. It stung that in all the time we spent together, he never invited me to stay over. Not once.