Page 84 of Suddenly Dating
Jesus, what was happening? Lola couldn’t handle Mallory’s mood with all the somersaults her thoughts were doing about Harry and Melissa at the other end of the table. Her imagination was running wild now—she’d already written their love story. They were beautiful people, lovers reunited who had realized, just tonight, that they never should have been apart. Harry was with the woman who, by his own admission, he wasn’t quite over, and Melissa... well, Lola knew exactly what she wanted.
Lola was already pining for Harry, mourning her loss.
She should never have let her infatuation take root and sink deep into her. She should have kept her distance instead of allowing the last couple of weeks to set up shop in her heart and happily wing visions of blissful futures to her brain. Now, the evening of a lifetime was ruined by her own wants and insecurities, and worse, the inevitable end of her fantasy.
She was startled by the faint sound of her phone buzzing and dug it out of her purse. It was a text from Kennedy:Call me.Thank God.
“Excuse me,” she said as people devoured their dessert. “I have to take this.” She walked outside onto the deck, into quiet, away from the laughing voices, and called her sister.
“Lola! You are never going to believe it,” Kennedy squealed when she answered.
“What?”
“I got a paid internship! It’s only part-time, but it’s going to pay me something, and it’s with this really prestigious doctor,” she bubbled. “Do you know what this means?”
“No.”
“Everything!”Kennedy shouted, and launched into a long and winding tale of how she’d landed the post, talking without a breath. As Lola listened to her over-the-moon sister, she heard people coming out behind her and walked down some steps to the dock for privacy. But once on the dock, she made the mistake of looking back, and as Kennedy nattered on, Lola’s heart dropped. Harry and Melissa were standing at the railing, side by side, talking in low voices as they gazed out at the lake. Harry didn’t see Lola. How could he? He was looking at Melissa with an expression of longing, of regret... and desire. As if Melissa were diamonds and whipped cream and sex all in one frothy confection.
It sucked. Itsucked.
“Why aren’t you more excited?” Kennedy demanded.
“I am excited, Kennedy. I’m just having a weird night.”
“How come?”
“I don’t know. I’m at this party, and I guess I just miss home.” Lola turned away from Harry. She did miss home just then. She missed her quiet life, where her emotions were kept at bay. She missed checking on Mr.Bagatti, picking up nieces and nephews, and joining her siblings on Sundays at Ben’s apartment. She missed it terribly just then.
“Then come home, Lola. You can write here, too, you know,” Kennedy said. “You can stay with me.”
Lola smiled. “You live in a room, Kennedy. One room. I’m not staying with you because I’d probably have to kill you.”
Kennedy laughed. “If I didn’t kill you first. Well okay, if you won’t come home, you’re going to have to gut out your homesickness. But you can do it. If anyone can, you can.”
“Right,” Lola agreed. She was always gutting things out, wasn’t she? “Thanks, kid. I’m really proud of you, but I need to go,” she said.
They said their good-byes and ended the call. Lola made herself look up; Harry and Melissa weren’t at the railing anymore, but as Lola started back up the steps, a pair of shapely legs moved into view.
Lola glanced up into Melissa’s smiling face. “Hi, Lola,” she said.
“Ah... hi.” Well, this was a pickle. Melissa was blocking her way—there was no stepping around her. Lola would have to address her.
Melissa was holding a drink, and absently combing her silky, long dark hair back with her fingers. “Is there another level down there?” she asked, looking past Lola.
“Just the dock.”
Melissa nodded. “Nice evening, isn’t it?”
“Very.”
Melissa breathed in deeply. “This is weird, isn’t it? Meeting each other again?” She bounced back a step so that Lola could step up onto the deck.
“Yeah. Weird,” Lola agreed.
Melissa’s smile was warm, and even a twinge sympathetic. “So you came with Harry,” she said.
Lola stared at her, uncertain how to answer.
