“Kristine keeps giving me these looks. What’s with her today?” Grace asked, joining Gloria in the kitchen. She had excused herself from the living room to get crackers and cheese, yet she stood leaning against the counter with nothing in her hands.
“What’s with me?” Kristine said, following her into the kitchen. “How would you look if your wife’s ex-girlfriend was in there holding your baby and looking like she’s Rumpelstiltskin here to collect on some old promise.” She turned to Gloria. “Tell me that you didn’t promise her your first-born daughter.”
Gloria stepped across the kitchen and slid her arms around Kristine. “You know I’d never do such a thing.”
“Whoa, whoa, whoa,” Grace said, waving her hands, catching up with the couple. “Megan’s your ex? I’ve been seeing her for weeks. How can you not have told me!”
“I didn’t put it together. Gloria always called her Meg.”
“How long did you two date?”
“A couple of years,” Gloria admitted sheepishly.
“Years!”
“I always knew it wasn’t serious. She wasn’t quite as clear on that.”
“Clingon,” Kristine coughed into her hand.
“Hey, what if I liked her?” Grace snapped.
Kristine’s eyes widened. “Do you?”
Grace slumped onto a barstool. “She’s okay company, but she’s quick to jealousy.”
“Very possessive,” Gloria agreed.
“Is she always so bossy?” Grace asked.
“Always,” Gloria said. “Everything has to be her way unless she sees it’s a deal breaker. Then she’ll backpedal and pretend like she doesn’t care.”
“What was your deal breaker?”
“I wasn’t the marrying kind,” Gloria answered.
“Hey,” Kristine yelped. “Have you forgotten I’m right here?”
“Of course you changed my ways, honey.”
“I can’t believe this. You two are the ones responsible for her. Can’t you do something?” Kristine looked at the two of them, guiltily rooted where they stood.
“We really shouldn’t leave her out there alone,” Gloria said, still not moving.
“I’m not going out there,” Kristine said firmly. “She still looks at me like I’m a thief. You go. You’re the one with the most experience.”
“You say that like she’s a rabid bear,” Gloria said.
“Precisely! Here’s your chance to save the day again.”
“You so owe me,” Gloria huffed, ignoring her wife’s radiant smile as she trudged toward the living room.
“Happy to make it up to you,” Kristine said, running her hand over Gloria’s ass as she passed, earning her a smack.
“You’re not scared to send her back out there alone? The way she looked at me once she got her hands on Eliza…” Grace said, shivering.
“She’ll be okay. What about you?”
“Time to be upfront about how I don’t see a U-Haul in our future.”
“Blame it on me if you like. She already hates me.”
“Aren’t you coming back?” Grace asked, paused at the doorway.
“Are you kidding? Somebody’s got to get the snacks and food.”
“Coward.” Grace returned to the living room, relieved to see the baby back in Gloria’s arms.
“Think we’ve got a stinky,” Gloria said, standing to leave the room as soon as Grace entered.
Grace wished she could follow, her thoughts on how painful the rest of the evening was bound to be now that she knew Gloria and Megan’s history.
Megan took Grace’s hand as she sat down, threading their fingers together.
“I’m sorry,” Grace offered, aware that Megan had to be feeling awkward too.
She shrugged. “Small town. You didn’t know.” She looked away from Grace. “Do you…Would it be too terribly strange to bail? I thought it would be okay, but I don’t think I can sit through a whole dinner.”
Relief washed over Grace. She squeezed Megan’s hand. “I’m sure they’ll understand.”
“I’ll just wait in the car.”
Megan ducked out the door without waiting for an answer. Grace turned to see Kristine standing with a bowl in each hand. “Chips and salsa?”
“We’re going to go. The baby’s still here. Gloria’s either changing her diaper or hiding out in the bedroom. Tell her I’m sorry?”
“Forget about it. You just have to promise to come back soon with a report.”
“PowerPoint?” Grace jested, delaying her departure.
“Gloria insists on it.” Kristine set down her snacks and crossed the room to give Grace a quick hug. “Good luck.”
“Thanks. Hope your evening isn’t ruined.”
“On the contrary. I see an early bedtime and some penance sex on the menu now.”
“So didn’t need to hear that,” Grace called as she shut the door and jogged to her car.
She slipped into the driver’s side and found Megan sobbing in the passenger seat. She glanced back at the house feeling stuck. Tentatively, she reached across the console and rubbed Megan’s shoulders.
“I’m so sorry,” Megan sobbed, her face buried in her hands. “I just couldn’t sit through a whole night seeing the two of them and their family. It’s all I ever wanted. She’s all I ever wanted.”
She sobbed again, sending Grace looking for a tissue. All she could find were crumpled napkins. She offered these to Megan who took them and blew her nose and mopped her face. “She’s my white whale, you know?”
“White whale?”
“The one that gets away and keeps messing with your head.”
“Never was a big fan of Moby Dick,” Grace said, emphasizing dick in an attempt at humor. The look Megan flashed sobered her. “Sorry. That was uncalled for.”
“No. I’m sorry. I thought…You’re so beautiful, so successful. I really thought that we had a chance, but I can see that I have a lot more work to do with my therapist.”
Grace bit her lip, trying to absorb the quick shift the evening had taken. Of course she was relieved to be off the hook when it came to the breakup. But she hardly thought it was appropriate to simply drive Megan home and leave her in such a state, even if she was slightly stung by being dumped when Megan didn’t even know her well enough to realize what she’d be missing. “Do you need anything? Ice cream?”
Megan wiped her face again, sniffing. Finally, she nodded. “That would be nice.”
Grace stopped at the store, leaving Megan to a new round of tears. She went inside to find Megan’s request: mint chip. For a moment, she thought about grabbing two tubs but realized that was excessive.
She walked Megan to the door, holding her while she continued to cry, thankful that she accepted only the ice cream and not the offer to sit with her for a while. Back in her car, Grace rested her head on the steering wheel. With nowhere to go but her own empty house, she realized how missing dinner disappointed her even more than Meg’s dumping her did. She found herself thinking about the meal Robyn had made for them and the dinner invitation she had declined the other night. If not for Robyn’s stubbornness, she would very much have liked to spend an evening in her company.