Page 45 of Liquid Courage
Chapter 13
“Do you really believe that shit?” Vivian asked, head propped up on her hand and blouse so wrinkled that she looked like the most haggard – yet the prettiest – office worker to ever stroll into Kat’s place of work. “Who the fuck has ever heard of a disease like that?”
“Couldn’t have happened to a nicer person, huh?” Kat finished making someone’s drink and handed it to them between talking to Vivian and cleaning up a smudge on the bar. “And I have no idea, Vivi. I looked it up, and I guess it’s real, but there’s only about four people in the whole world who have been officially diagnosed. For what it’s worth, though…” she shrugged. “I saw her name show up a couple of times in medical journals. So maybe it’s legit.”
Vivian was on her second drink of the evening. Too bad Kat couldn’t give her a discount beyond the occasional freebie.Bev will only let my favors last so long.“Like you said, it couldn’t have happened to a nicer person.”
“I’ll drink to that,” Harriet said at the other end of the bar.
While the place wasn’t packed, there were enough patrons milling about to keep Kat busy for most of the evening. Vivian admitted she thought about going home, but had agreed to stay if it meant seeing Kat when she finished work.Like we aren’t going home together, hon.Kat had plans. Most of those plans included cuddling and kissing, but as long as Vivian was up for it, damnit, the plans were happening. Kat didn’t work that late on Wednesdays, anyway.
Vivian passed time on her phone and writing down something in her spiral-bound journal she carried around in her bag. She once told Kat that it was a diary of sorts. Nothing earth-shattering, but a convenient way for her to purge thoughts.Bet she’s purging Shari right now.Every time Kat thought about it, she started laughing. Odds were Shari would be back in there that weekend with a date on her arm. Or, as Kat had suggested she try doing, coming by the bar to find a date in the flesh. Less likely to get her hopes dashed that way.She’s the last person who should be doing online dating.
Kat finished her shift by nine. She gestured for Vivian to follow her out the door and take the short walk back to her apartment. They immediately took to holding hands in the chilly night.
“Did you invite me to the bar tonight because Shari wanted to see me?” That was the question Kat had been dreading, so of course it was the question Vivian asked first. “Because that was so eerie.”
“Yeah. She stalked me to my place the other day and said a lot of the same stuff.” Kat squeezed Vivian’s hand. “I suggested she apologize to you next. Our shit was ancient history.”
“Aboutthat.” Vivian stopped at the bottom of Kat’s steps and gave her alook.“You never told me that you used to date her.”
“Like I said… ancient history.”
“You should’ve told me.”
“Let’s finish this conversation upstairs. My toes are starting to freeze.”
Vivian agreed. They hustled up the stairs and entered Kat’s apartment with shaking lips and rustling jackets. But as soon as they were settled on Kat’s couch and perusing Netflix for something to watch – and hopefully chill to – Vivian brought the topic up again. “So tell me about you and Shari.”
Kat let the remote dangle between her spread knees.I was just about to heat something up for dinner, but okay.Did Vivian have something against leftover Chinese food? Because that’s what she was missing out on by asking these questions. “There’s nothing to tell, besides the fact that we dated for a couple of months a few years back.”
“So… you used to sleep with her.”
“I guess that’s what it implies.”
“What wasthatlike?”
Kat’s eyes widened. “You really wanna know that?”
“Considering I would’ve totally slept with her because I don’t love myself, yeah. Was I missing anything?”
“Not really.” Kat clicked on the romantic comedy category. “She’s hot. That’s what she’s got going for her. A hot body and a pretty face. Woohoo.”
“This sounds like code for she made you do all the work.”
“Pretty much, yeah, but I was dumb enough to do all the work because she was hot.”
Vivian laughed. “I don’t make you do all the work, do I?”
“Baby,” Kat said, “you make me wanna do all the work. There’s a difference.”
“Because I appreciate it?”
“Because I know you’ll give back if I ask.”
They stared into each other’s eyes before Kat went back to the TV.Chinese food soon, right?Her stomach grumbled. Her half-assed lunch of a tiny sandwich in between jobs hadn’t lasted long.
“It really must be a small town if we’ve dated the same woman. The same nasty, self-absorbed, asshole of a woman with a degenerative brain disease.”
