Page 144 of Lavender Lake
Finally, Wyn broke the silence. “How?”
“What do you meanhow?” Poet glared at her.
“I mean,how,” Wyn repeated. “You date.”
Poet nodded. “Yeah.”
“And you’ve had relationships,” Hadley said.
“Not long ones,” Poet muttered. “Look, I’m not trying to stay a virgin. I mean, it’s not like I have some sort of attachment to my hymen.”
I raised my eyebrows and my lips quivered. “Tipsy Poet is funny.”
Poet glared at me.
“Sorry, continue,” I said.
“I’ve tried losing it,” Poet said. “Several times. But when it gets down to the wire and the clothes are off, I don’t know, I justcan’t.What’s wrong with me?”
“Nothing,” Hadley said. “Nothing is wrong with you.”
“Everything is wrong with me,” Poet wailed. “The three of you have had sex. Lots of sex. Lots ofgreatsex and I’ve been pretending for years that I know what that’s like. But I don’t and Iwantto!”
I took her free hand and gave it a squeeze.
“Have you ever considered that you just haven’t met the right man yet?” I asked softly.
“I’m doomed,” she mumbled.
“Why didn’t you tell us sooner?” Wyn asked. “And how did you not even tellme?We’ve known each other since we met at Camp Eaglewood when we were eleven.”
“Camp Eaglewood?” Hadley asked.
“It’s in upstate New York,” Wyn explained. “We were in the same cabin and she was the only one who’d talk to me because I was the weird, tall blonde girl who cursed in Norwegian.”
“You were exotic,” Poet said. “You’re still exotic.”
“This isn’t about me,” Wyn said. “Except for the fact that evenIdidn’t know.”
“I didn’t know how to tell you,” Poet said. “I’m twenty-three years old and a virgin.”
“I’m twenty-three years old and got pregnant after I thought I was infertile,” Hadley said.
“I’m twenty-three years old and get into bitch fights at bars,” I added.
“And I’m twenty-three years old and my habitual sleeping partner is a mini dachshund that hogs the bed,” Wyn said.
“The point of all that is what?” Poet asked.
Hadley grinned. “We’ve all got shit.”
“Yeah, but your shit turned into a love story and a wedding,” Poet said to Hadley.
“Alls well that ends well,” I said with a grin.
“I haven’t endedwell,” Poet said bluntly. “That’s my entire point!”
Wyn let out a giggle, and then that got Hadley started. I couldn’t help it either and burst into laughter. Finally, Poet joined in.
