Page 30 of Carnal Desire

I was just teasing her, given that I still had at least six containers of Sadie’s ice cream in the freezer. The thought made me want to cry.

“Please, do you think we’re amateurs?” Maeve asked. “We brought vanilla bean from that place you like so we can make Whiskey Floats.”

“Great, let me put on my pajamas.”

I came back a few minutes later to find my coffee table covered with a variety of snacks, and three large tumblers of icy cold goodness. I grabbed one as I fell onto the couch, sighing happily as I tasted the mixture of Coke, whiskey, and vanilla ice cream.

“Fuck, this is just what I needed.”

My friends sat quietly, waiting for me to give them the details. But I needed a distraction first.

“What’s up with you two?” I asked. “It feels like I haven’t seen you in a while.”

“Because you’ve been moping about fucking things up with Sadie,” Maeve reminded me with her usual tact.

I waved at them, gesturing for them to talk. They knew me well enough to know I couldn’t spill my guts until the alcohol hit my bloodstream. Grace started first.

“My parents want me to partner with Nicole Lowenthal on a development deal.”

For reasons that Maeve and I didn’t understand, Grace continued to work part-time at her parents’ development company in addition to her work with AGM. Her parents specialized in residential projects, so it wasn’t really a conflict of interest since we didn’t compete with them. But there was more than enough work at AGM to keep her busy.

My eyes widened. “Your archenemy since grade school Nicole?” I asked. “Why?”

“Our parents have decided that our company partnering with Nicole’s is the only way to get the Grant Park College deal,” she said. “She was at the joint board meeting with her parents, although I could tell Nicole didn’t know about the partnership idea until I did. She was clearly blindsided by our parents’ edict, the same as I was.”

Grant Park College was an abandoned school campus that the city wanted to turn into a new neighborhood that included everything from affordable housing to condos, along with businesses and community amenities. Every large housing developer in the country was vying for the deal.

“Damn. Are you going to do it?”

Grace leaned back against the cushions and took a huge sip of her drink.

“Nicole and I are meeting next week to discuss it.”

“Better bring your body armor,” Maeve said drily, no doubt remembering all the battles those two had back when we were in school.

“What about you Maeve?” I asked, taking another gulp of my drink. “What’s new?”

“Absolutely nothing. Now quit stalling and tell us everything that happened with Sadie.”

My friends had gotten to know Sadie when she was living here, and they seemed to really like her. Grace and Maeve listened intently while I told them about my meeting with Sadie and our tour of the remodeled shelter.

“What are you going to do now?” Maeve asked, shoving someCheetosinto her mouth. It left an orange ring around her lips.

“Nothing,” I said. “I promised her that I’d leave her alone, so I guess I’ll leave her alone and let her live her life.”

“I guess I understand her feeling weird about your money,” Maeve started. “And frankly I’d feel weird about dating someone super poor…”

She held up her hand as Grace and I started to protest.

“Not because I think I’m better than them or something, just that our lifestyles are so different, it feels like the money would always be an issue somehow. It’s like if you dated someone whose native language wasn’t English, there’s always going to be at least some minor misunderstandings.”

“I don’t know that I agree with that logic,” I told my friend. “But I get what you’re trying to say. The thing is, what am I supposed to do? Go live in a shack because I fell in love with someone who comes from a lower socio-economic class than me?”

Grace looked thoughtful. “Do you think this is really about the money?”

“She’s been pretty clear that it is,” I said..

I grabbed a handful of chips.

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