Page 43 of Suddenly Dating
“Oh, please,” Mallory scoffed. “You have lovebug written all over you.”
Lola could feel her face burning. “We’refriends. He’s just passing through—”
“We’d love to come,” Harry said, and stretched back, put his arm across the back of Lola’s chair, his hand on her shoulder, and gave her something that felt like the Vulcan death grip.
She turned her body around to face him. “I’msureyou don’t have time for a party. Don’t you have to be in the city? You said you’d be goneall weekend.”
“No,” he said breezily, and playfully tweaked her nose, like a boyfriend. “Whatever gave you that idea? And why do you keep trying to convince poor Mallory here that I’m only passing through?”
“Iknewit,” Mallory said, slapping her hand against the table and rattling all the cups.
Lola didn’t know what game he was playing, but she was having none of it. She narrowed her gaze. So did Harry.
“Why didn’t you tell me, Lola?” Mallory gushed.
She was going to kill him. She was going to kill him Sherri-style, with a claw hammer or something like it. Cut him into pieces and feed him to some fish at the bottom of Lake Haven.
“She’s shy,” Harry said. “And it just sort of happened. Lola can be very cautious when it comes to her heart,” he said, and smiled devilishly as he reached for his coffee. He did not seem the least bit bothered by the heat-seeking missiles Lola was launching at him with her eyes.
“Well of course! That’s totally understandable,” Mallory said. “I would be, too, if I were divorced.”
Harry choked on his sip of coffee.
“Be careful!” Mallory warned him. “It’s super hot coffee around here.”
Harry looked at Lola, his gaze even narrower.
“I’m not that shy,” Lola said. “It’s just really complicated. Isn’t it?” she said to Harry, and kicked him under the table.
He jumped a little. “It does seem to be getting more complicated by the second,” he agreed.
“These things have a way of working themselves out,” Mallory said sagely. “Lola, you have to get back in the game. You can’t let that divorce hold you back. So will you come to the party?”
“You bet,” Harry said at the exact same moment Lola said, “No.”
He grabbed Lola’s hand and squeezed tight. “Absolutely. Thanks for the coffee, Mallory. I hope you won’t mind if I steal Lola away. We have a trip planned to the big supermarket in Black Springs today.”
“No we don’t,” Lola said.
“Sure—oh, God, look at the time!” Mallory suddenly blurted. “I promised Albert I would open the candy shop on time today. He went on and on about having to make sure that shops on prime Main Street real estate are open every day in the summer months andblaaaah,” she said, fluttering her hands. “The party starts at seven! We’re the big white house on Hackberry Road,” she said. She stood up, and so did Harry. Mallory impulsively hugged him. “So nice to meet you, Harry!” She gathered her things.
“Pleasure to meet you too, Mallory.”
“See you two tonight!” Mallory sang out as she headed for the door.
“Wait! Which white house?” Lola called after her.
“There’s only one house on Hackberry Road,” Mallory said, and called a good-bye to Stephen behind the counter as she exited the shop. Stephen sighed wearily.
Lola slowly turned her gaze from the door through which Mallory had disappeared and glared at Harry.
Surprisingly, given the mess he’d just made of things, he was glaring at her, too. “Are you crazy?” he asked.
“Me?”she exclaimed, astonished. “What do you think you’re doing, Harry? You can’t go to that party!”
“Oh yes I can, and so can you. Why did you tell her you were a friend of Zach’s for Chrissakes?” he asked, holding out his hand to pull her to her feet.
“Obviously,given my promise to Sara, I thought it best not to mention her name,” she snapped, and bent down to pick up her tote. “A better question is why did you make it sound like we’re together?” she demanded as he presumptuously put his hand on her elbow and steered her through the labyrinth of tables.
