Page 73 of Marriage (Red, White &) Blues

“I—”

“I’m Lorelei.” She held out her hand for me to shake. “You’re Gloria Parker. I’ve seen you on the news.”

“I’m sorry. I don’t give interviews.”

“Interviews? Do I look like I want an interview? You just look a little sad. I have an incurable habit of trying to cheer people up when they look sad.”

“I like working with people.” She told me something, so it seemed apropos for the situation.

“Have you been here before?” she asked.

“No. It’s my first time. But my husband works and I get bored.”

“I work for St. Martins furniture.” —she pointed out the window in a direction down the street— “We cater to theestablishedVermonters, if you get my drift. It’s a pretty sweet gig.”

A pretty sweet gig? “I bet.”

“They need furnishings and we broker the deals to make it happen.”

“You’re a furniture fairy, granting the wishes of all the good little girls and boys.”

“If by good you mean can pay, thenyes.”

“Well, you’re honest… I’ll give you that.”

“No other way to be,” she replied and I wholeheartedly agreed. “How long have you been married?”

“We’re still newlyweds. How about you? Married?”

She just about choked on her latte. “Not even close. I’m single and ready to mingle.”

Good for her. Single and ready to mingle had never been my scene. Birds and crackers were more my speed.

She never once mentioned Brock or the Parkers. Bonus.

“Listen,” Lorelei said, “I’ve got to get back to work, but I like you. What do you think about hanging out sometime?”

Hanging out? I liked her but enough to ‘hang out?’ I mean, the facts were facts. My friends lived in Michigan. My husband worked and Jupiter—well, I had no idea how Jupiter spent herdays but she didn’t spend them hanging out with me. “Okay. I’d like that.”

We exchanged numbers and then went our separate ways.

I rolled into the driveway right before my husband. But Gloria, where’d you get the car? Blake surprised me with it a couple of days ago. I liked the Cayenne that we’d rented so well that he picked one out for me in Carmine red—a deep ruby color. I waited on the front stoop for him to reach me. His eyes, when they found me, twinkled like stars winking in the sky.

“Just getting home?” he asked right before pressing his lips to mine.

Slowly, I nodded. “I went to Miracle Brew.”

“Long way to go for coffee,” he replied through lips still lingering on mine and then he kissed me again.

“Went for a job.”

His body tensed.

“I know your family would run me down for taking a job at a coffee house, but I did it in college. I enjoyed it.”

“Did you get it?” he asked, trying to sound enthusiastic.

I shook my head. “The manager recognized me right away. She wouldn’t even consider me as an applicant.”

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