I considered telling Beth about what happened with Claire last night but decided against it. I loved Claire and wanted Beth to like her. I had the feeling Beth wasn’t crazy about her, and this information would have made her like her even less.
I forced a smile, but it turned genuine as soon as Beth opened the door.
“Hey.”
“Hey yourself,” I answered. “I brought you a present.” I handed her the bag of fire starters.
She put her hand to her chest. “Oh my. You shouldn’t have.” She feigned a southern accent. “Why, you are just so kind.”
“My pleasure.”
“Come on in.” She stepped out of the way so I could pass. She smelled like vanilla and cinnamon. “What do I owe you?”
“Nothing. They were free.”
She set them on the coffee table as we passed through the living room. “Yeah, right.”
“All right, they weren’t free. But I stole them so they didn’t cost me anything.”
“You’re just too funny.”
“Feed me lunch and we’ll call it even.”
“Deal.” She led the way to the dining room. The table was set for two.
“Where’s Maddie?”
“Out with friends, of course. Sit.” She pointed at the chair across from her.
It shouldn’t have made a difference, but I was glad it was just her and me. I told her about the kids leaving and how I felt about it.
“Gives you and Claire some alone time. That must be nice.”
I nodded. Against my will, the details of last night and the lack of sex in my relationship came flooding out of my mouth as tears spilled from my eyes. Beth was on her feet in seconds with her arms around me. Her hug was warm and comforting.
“I’m sorry,” I said.
“For what? For having feelings?”
“For ruining lunch.”
“Stop it. You didn’t ruin anything. As soon as I saw the tears, I moved the sandwiches out of the way.” She sat back down and held up a plate. “See, all dry.”
“Good reflexes.” I wiped my eyes with a napkin.
“Reflexes extraordinaire you might say.”
A giggle bubbled out of me. “Thank you.”
“For what?”
“For making me laugh.”
“Anytime,” she said. “Anytime.”