Chapter Three

“That’s my peach,” Yvonne Li called out, a perfect imitation of Sarah Paulson in Ratched.

Sally crossed to Yvonne, leaned down, and kissed her. Yvonne lifted her hand and slid it up Sally’s arm, cupped her elbow, and drew her closer. Thalia looked away from the subtly sexy scene. She failed to ignore the low tones of their conversation or stifle the edge of jealousy that flared like lemon juice in a paper cut.

The affection and sexual tension between the pair was palpable. Thalia stepped away from the couple and turned her back to them. The warm scent of roses filled the space as red and white late fall blooms spilled over an arch and graced the side tables along both sides of the room. Thalia fiddled with the beads on her clutch as she swept her gaze over the wedding venue, searching for anyone else she knew.

“Thalia, stop sulking and come over here.” Sally’s chiding tone would have annoyed her if not for their history.

Thalia turned to the pair. “I didn’t want to cramp your style.”

“Thalia, you are a vision. Is that Dragon Blossom? It looks lovely on you. Come here and let me get a good look.” Yvonne held on to Sally’s hand as she spoke and lifted her hand toward Thalia, an invitation to join them. Sally leaned against Yvonne, her arm draped around her shoulders.

“Thank you, Yvonne. And yes, it is.”

“Thank you for agreeing to be conscripted into being an usher. Morgan was the second usher, but she twisted her knee on Thursday. Eun was worried working as an usher would make it worse. There are few things in this world that scare me, but facing off with Eun Park over Morgan is not anything I want to take on.”

Thalia laughed. “I don’t blame you. She’s a hard-ass. The last party we were at, some young drunk fool tried to kiss Morgan. The fireworks were epic.”

Yvonne released Sally’s hand before she lifted a clipboard from the basket on the front of her mobility scooter. She unclipped a pen from the papers attached to it and held it poised above the paper. “Have you worked as a wedding usher before?”

“No. But I’m good at following directions.” Thalia met Yvonne’s gaze.

Yvonne tilted her head and shifted her attention to Sally. “How charming. At least someone is.”

“Oh, for fuck’s sake. Tell me you didn’t like it?” Sally raised an eyebrow and stared at Yvonne.

Yvonne shifted on the seat of the scooter. She captured Sally’s hand, lifted it to her lips, and pressed a quick kiss over her knuckles. “I did. And we’ll work out the consequences for your behavior later.” A sly smile spread over Yvonne’s face.

Yvonne’s words and the way she gazed at Sally enthralled Thalia. She stared at the flirtatious pair, unable to look away. She fanned her face with her hands. “Look, you two, I’m going to need to find a cold shower if you don’t stop that.”

Yvonne released Sally’s hand. “Sorry. Now, where were we? Ushering, right, so I want to make sure the sides are balanced. We aren’t really going with family seating. Mai’s side is the left and Dale’s side is on the right, but if it looks like it’s going to be uneven, shift people around. Got it?”

“Got it, Ma’am.” Thalia held out her clutch. “Is there somewhere I can leave my purse?”

“There’s room in the basket.” Yvonne shifted her large bag to the side of the basket on the front of her scooter. Thalia placed her clutch next to it.

Yvonne inclined her head toward the front entry of the hall. “Stay here and greet people. I’ll be back with the programs.”

“No problem.”

“My love, will you come with me? I’m going to need your help with the box.” Yvonne backed the scooter away from them.

“Of course.” Sally turned to follow. “Back in a minute,” she called over her shoulder.

Thalia’s heart twisted as she watched the pair leave. Joy for her best friend twined with envy over their easy way with each other. Their laughter filtered back to her as she followed their exit with her eyes. Loneliness settled in her soul and she turned away from the scene.

★

“Hey, Brianna.” Yvonne held up her hand for a fist bump. “Have you met Thalia?”

“Are we going to have spring rolls?” Brianna eyed Thalia warily and ignored Yvonne’s gesture.

“After the wedding, yes. Where’s your mom?” Yvonne lowered her hand to the handlebars of her mobility scooter.

“Bathroom. She had to pee.” Brianna ran her hand over Yvonne’s dress. “You look like a princess.” She stepped back and spun in a circle so her dress flared out. “I like to twirl in my dress. I like how it feels on my legs.” Her face screwed up as she stared at Yvonne’s mobility scooter. “You can’t twirl, can you?”

“No. But if I drive really fast, my dress flutters like that.”

Thalia laughed. “Now, I know why you’re always in a hurry on that thing.”

Brianna turned to her. “Are you Yvonne’s girlfriend? How old are you? I’m going to be ten on my birthday. I’m Brianna.”

“Nice to meet you, Brianna, and no, not that lucky. And old enough.” Thalia tapped the edges of the wedding programs against her palm. “Do you go by Brianna? Or Bri?”

Brianna wrinkled her nose. “I am not a cheese.”

“Got it. Brianna it is.”

“Brianna, we talked about those kinds of questions.”

A shiver rolled through Thalia as the woman walked toward to them. Thalia rested her hand on Yvonne’s shoulder. Her body responded to the broad-shouldered woman whose devilish smile and rumbling deep voice had seared itself into Thalia’s brain. Amari was walking toward them, her gaze fixed on Brianna.

Thalia wiped her damp palms on her dress. She had sent three messages to Amari since their tryst, asking for a repeat meeting, and not received any response. And now here she was, so focused on the little girl standing in front of them, and she had not seemed to notice Thalia.

Thalia took advantage of Amari’s distraction and studied her. From her sharp low-cut fade with a hard part and fresh edges, down to her polished wingtips, everything about her screamed stud. Thalia’s fingers itched to touch her again.

Her neatly tailored suit coat accentuated her broad athlete’s frame. Thalia’s mouth watered as she remembered tracing every curve of the woman’s body with her tongue. She had feigned sleep when Amari had snuck out of the room, wary of soulful talk after their morning of hot-as-fuck sex. But after her messages were unreturned, she had regretted her decision to not ask for a repeat before Amari had left the hotel room.

Amari’s jaunty yellow bow tie contrasted sharply with her stern expression as she turned to Yvonne. “Sorry about that, Yvonne.”

“Nothing to apologize for, Amari.” Yvonne lifted her chin. “Thalia is my good friend, Brianna. Ms. Sally is my girlfriend.”

Thalia straightened her posture and smoothed her palms over her dress. She lifted her chin and smiled at Amari.

Amari’s eyes widened. A flare of fear crossed her features before she smoothed her expression. Thalia lifted her chin and met Amari’s gaze. Her reaction to seeing Thalia was all she needed to know about how open Amari was to acknowledging their previous acquaintance.

Yvonne gestured to Amari. “Thalia, have you met Amari?”

“I’ve not had the pleasure.” Thalia shifted her body to face Amari squarely.

“Amari Foster. Brianna’s mother.” Amari held out her hand. A grimace that might have passed for a smile twisted her mouth.

“Thalia Makris.” Thalia clasped Amari’s hand. Her palm was soft and her grip as firm as Thalia remembered. A flush rose in Thalia’s face and spread across her chest as she held Amari’s gaze a long moment. A kaleidoscope of lurid memories flooded her mind and a flame of desire ignited in her belly.

Amari’s smile morphed into a genuine one. Her warm brown eyes flecked with gold sparkled with humor as if she could see every thirsty thought in Thalia’s head. “Nice to meet you.”

Brianna tugged her mother’s suit coat as she scanned the room. “Where is Ms. Mai? Is she making the spring rolls?”

Amari let go of Thalia’s hand slowly, giving the back of her knuckles a brief rub before she released her.

Thalia gripped the edge of her skirt, willing herself not to fidget under Amari’s gaze.

Yvonne laughed. “Not today. We didn’t let her cook today because she’s getting married.”

“How did you manage that?” Amari raised her eyebrow. “Do you have her tied up somewhere?”

“We put Eli in charge of distracting her.”

“Eli Miller could convince a hungry dog to leave a meat wagon.”

Yvonne backed her scooter up. “I have to go check in with Noah. And make sure that Eli has not plied my sister with any of his home brew before the ceremony. I’ll leave you to it, Thalia.” She called over her shoulder as drove away from them.

Amari glanced around them and then leaned closer to Thalia. “Thank you.”

“For what?”

“Maintaining appearances.” Amari wiped her hand over her face, and the light caught a thin gold band around her ring finger.

The sting of Amari’s desire to not admit knowing Thalia rankled, but not as much as the glare flashing off the wedding ring on her hand. Thalia’s profile on Hit Me Up was very clear she was only interested in single people. Bile surged in Thalia’s throat as she thought of their morning together. A measure of painful gratitude her requests for another scene and messages had been ignored wedged itself firmly in her chest.

“How many in your party?” Thalia inhaled sharply and forced herself to use a neutral tone as anger swirled in her gut.

“Just the two of us.” Amari held Thalia’s gaze.

“Which side?” Thalia shifted her gaze to Brianna as she passed a program to Amari.

Brianna clasped her mother’s hand. “Which side what? Can I have one?”

Amari passed her program to Brianna. “She wants to know if we are sitting on Ms. Dale’s side of the aisle, or Ms. Mai’s side of the aisle.”

“Can we sit on Ms. Mai’s side, Mom?” Brianna clasped her mom’s hand.

“Sure.”

Thalia tapped Amari’s shoulder to draw her attention and gestured to the left side of the church. “That’s Mai’s side.” She held out another program. Their fingers brushed as Amari took the folded paper. A frisson of energy flowed from her touch. Another unwanted memory rose up and took root alongside anger. A flush heated Thalia’s cheeks and she jerked her hand away. Amari’s brows drew down, and she tilted her head to the side as she met Thalia’s gaze.

“Mama, let’s go. I want to sit up front.” Brianna clasped her mother’s hand and started down the aisle.

Amari looked over her shoulder as Brianna tugged her down the aisle. “See you at the reception? Look for us wherever they set up the spring rolls.” She faced forward and let her daughter lead them down the aisle. Thalia pressed her lips together and forced a smile.

Thalia watched the pair until they took their seats.

“No.” Sally’s sharp tone broke into Thalia’s thoughts. “Not her.”

“What? Who says I’m interested? I’m not into married people. You know that.” Thalia avoided her friend’s eyes, unwilling to betray Amari’s secret, or her own. A wave of embarrassment swept over her. Thalia was not perfect, but in all her years of dating she had managed to never be the other woman. Until now. Anger and guilt settled in her stomach. She gripped the programs tighter in her hands.

“She’s not a player.” Sally’s shoulder brushed against Thalia.

“She’s wearing a ring. And I’m not interested in playing with married folks,” Thalia murmured.

“She’s single. And you’re not fooling me. I saw the way you were stripping her with your eyes before she noticed you,” Sally whispered fiercely.

Thalia’s mind tumbled over itself, trying to make sense of Sally’s revelation, her gaze fixed on Amari’s handsome profile. “How do you know so much about her?” She turned to Sally and rested her hand on her hip. A tendril of jealousy wove its way up from Thalia’s belly. Had her best friend had an encounter with Amari? Sally’s profile was similar to her own, and she suspected it would have popped up as a possible match in Amari’s feed.

“Yvonne. Amari’s a librarian at the college. She and Yvonne serve on the fundraising committee for Audrey’s therapeutic riding center.”

Thalia chewed her lip and shifted her gaze over to Amari.

Sally stepped in front of Thalia, blocking her view of Amari. “Trust me. I’m telling you to step away from her. She doesn’t deserve the heartache.” Sally’s expression softened. She clasped Thalia’s shoulder and squeezed gently. “Neither do you.”

“I’m not looking to break anyone’s heart. If she’s single, why is she wearing a wedding band? Is she one of those folks who tries to entice women by wearing a ring?” Thalia turned away from Sally and took two steps to the right to keep Amari in her line of sight.

The image didn’t fit with the integrity and honest nature that rolled off Amari. But Thalia had been fooled before. She stared at Amari as she leaned down to speak to Brianna, their heads so close together they touched as they talked. The image of a doting parent bumped up hard against the exquisitely dominant lover Amari had been.

Sally tapped her on the shoulder. “Look at me.”

Thalia huffed out a breath and turned toward her friend.

“She’s widowed.” Sally pursed her lips.

“Oh.” Thalia looked away from Sally’s eyes and studied the carpet. “How long?”

“Since Brianna was a toddler. You need to find someone less complicated.”

Thalia lifted her gaze to Sally’s face. “What’s complicated? I’ve dated women with kids before. And why is she still single? I can’t believe she hasn’t dated anyone.”

“Not everyone is looking to date. It’s tricky with kids. I didn’t date until mine were older.” Sally glanced over Thalia’s shoulder and then brought her gaze back to Thalia’s face. “Don’t turn around. She’s looking at us.”

Thalia fanned the edges of the programs with her hand as she nibbled the inside of her lip.

Sally fidgeted next to her before she peeked over Thalia’s shoulder again. “Brianna’s coming this way.” She glanced at the reception hall clock. “I have to go help Yvonne. Here.” She handed her stack of programs to Thalia.

“Ms. Thalia.” Brianna pushed in between Thalia and Sally. “My mom said it was okay I ask you to sit with us.”

“She did? Well, I need to wait until the rest of the people show up. I can sit with you after that.”

Brianna shrugged her shoulders and scuffed her shoe over the floor. “That’s a long time.”

Thalia recognized the disappointment on Brianna’s face. “Hey, do you want to help me seat people?”

“Can I hand out the programs?” Brianna’s eyes brightened as she shifted back and forth on the balls of her feet.

Thalia handed her half of the stack of programs. “Sure.” She glanced over the chairs and into Amari’s eyes. “Go ask your mom if it’s okay.”

Brianna charged down the aisle to her mother, programs fluttering in her tight grasp. She gestured excitedly toward Thalia. Amari lifted her gaze to Thalia’s face, and a genuine smile lit her face. Thalia stilled as she bathed in the appreciation reflected in Amari’s eyes. A flicker of hope rose in her chest. Complicated or not, Amari Foster was here, and Thalia was not going to let the chance to see her again slip away.

Brianna ran toward her and stopped abruptly a foot away. “Mama said it’s okay.” Her eyes sparkled. “What do I do?”

Thalia explained the seating procedure to Brianna who listened raptly. Brianna took her place across from Thalia at the end of the aisle between the white chairs. Amari twisted around in her seat, her gaze fixed on Brianna. A couple approached. Brianna greeted them formally before she led them to their seats.

“She’s doing a good job.” Sally nudged Thalia from behind.

“She is.” Thalia turned to Sally. “Are they ready?”

“Yes. Minister had a flat, but she’s here now. Give me the programs you have left. I’ll put them over by the registry book so folks can pick them up if they’re late.”

Thalia gave her stack of programs to Sally. Brianna skipped back up the aisle toward them.

“Hey, Brianna, thank you. Let me have those programs. It’s time for the wedding to start.”

Brianna handed her programs to Sally. “Come on, Ms. Thalia. Mama saved us seats.” She turned and walked toward her mother. Thalia followed close behind.