Page 97 of Meant to Be

A second later, a cute brunette burst into the room.

“Hello! Hello! Hello!” Wendy said, giving Jan a big hug.

She was definitely the cheerleader personality that Cate had described, peppy and bubbly, bouncing on her toes as she made her way over to us. Cate and I both stood, and Wendy embraced her for an unusually long time.

“I’ve missed you so much!” she said.

It seemed a little over the top given how close they lived to each other—but genuine.

The second they separated, Wendy turned to face me, giving me a toothy grin. “Hi! You must be Joe!” she said, extending her arm to shake my hand. “I’m Wendy! It’s so wonderful to finally meet you. Cate’s been hiding you. For too long. From herbestfriend.”

“I haven’t beenhidinghim,” Cate said. “We’ve just been laying low.”

“Well, better late than never!” Wendy said. She flipped her dark hair behind her shoulders, then turned and bounced back over to the chair next to Jan, sitting, smoothing her short skirt and crossing her very tanned legs.

“So, tell me. What’s new with you guys?” Cate looked at Jan first, then Wendy.

They both shrugged in response and Cate asked about Gabby.

Wendy’s eyes lit up as she talked about her young daughter at length. Her stories were a little dull, but her chattiness alleviatedany pressure on me to make small talk. It also seemed to lighten Cate’s mood, Wendy’s cheerfulness feeling like an antidote to the brown shag carpet.

About a half hour of mostly Wendy talking later, Jan asked if we were hungry. “I made some onion dip,” she said. “It’s in the fridge. I could bring it out?”

“Well, sadly, I have to get going soon,” Wendy said.

“Already?” Jan said.

“I know. I wish I didn’t have to! But Matt is incapable of putting Gabby down for a nap, let alone bedtime.” She turned to me and told me how wonderful it was to meet me.

“Thank you for coming,” Cate said.

“Of course! I had to meet your new beau!” she said, beaming at me.

I smiled and said, “Let’s get together again soon.”

Before Wendy could answer, we heard footsteps in the foyer. A second later, Chip appeared. I stood up to shake his hand, but he refused to look at me, issuing a blanket hello instead.

Jan announced that she was going to get him a beer, then scurried off to the kitchen.

Wendy broke the silence. “How have you been, Mr. Toledano?” she asked. “Fighting the good fight out there?”

It was the right thing to say, apparently, because Chip smiled, nodded, and said, “Trying to!…How have you been, Wendy?”

“Great, thanks!” she said, then filled him in on her husband and daughter as Jan returned and handed him his beer.

I watched the whole thing unfold, marveling that someone could be in a room this long without acknowledging two of the four people in it. It was awkward and weird and rude as hell, and I felt myself getting angry on Cate’s behalf.

Wendy obviously picked up on the vibe, too, because she said, “So, Mr. Toledano, have you met Joe?”

Chip said no, then looked over at me and nodded. “Hello.”

“Hi,” I said back. “Thanks for having me.”

“No problem.”

“Well, I better go,” Wendy said, finally looking a little uncomfortable, too.

Jan and Cate both started to stand, but Wendy shook her head and said, “Nobody get up! I know my way!…Cate, call me soon! Love you!”

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