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Detective Connie Wilks entered the women’s bathroom. “Lisa?” She twisted a strand of her long, blonde hair around her finger.
Lisa sobbed into a tissue in front of the mirror.
Connie patted her back. “Honey, what’s wrong? Why are you crying?”
She sniffled. “It’s Dee.” She wiped her nose. “She’s different. She’s changing.”
“What are you talking about?” Connie tore a piece of paper towel from the dispenser and dabbed Lisa’s face. “Calm down. Now what’s going on with you and Dee?”
“She...” She sniffled. “She was horrible to me just now. She acts like she hates me.”
“That’s silly. Dee loves you. You’re her best friend.”
“No, she’s jealous of me.” Tears fell as fast as Lisa could wipe them. “She was so nasty to me just now, Connie. I never would’ve expected that from her.”
“But I don’t get it.” Connie rubbed her back. “Why would Dee be this way to you?”
“Can you keep a secret?”
“Sure.” Connie smiled. “What’s going on?”
“I think she’s taking it out on me because she has feelings for Winston and she doesn’t know how to deal with that.”
Connie took her hand off Lisa’s back. “You mean she likes him?”
“She’s in love with him.” Lisa wiped a tear off her lips. “And she’s upset with me because he likes me.” She dabbed the corners of her eyes. “But that’s not my fault. If she likes him she should be woman enough to tell him instead of acting all evil.”
Connie bit her lip. “I had a feeling she liked Winston. I mean she’s so defensive about him all the time.”
Lisa threw the tissue into the wastebasket beside the sink. “Don’t tell, okay?”
“I won’t.” Connie smiled. “So what exactly is the deal between you and Winston?”
“Nothing.” Lisa checked her face in the mirror.
“Lisa, come on.” Connie went toward the first stall. “When I caught you two kissing in the file room it looked like more than nothing.”
“Well whatever it was is over.”
Lisa left the bathroom.
****
That Night:
Lisa’s cell rang just as she got the skinless chicken breasts into the oven. She checked the phone and struggled between accepting and rejecting the call but answered anyway. “What do you want?” She tucked the phone between her ear and shoulder and got the brown rice from the cabinet.
“You still mad at me?” Jake asked.
“You damn right I am.”
“But it’s been days.” He sighed. “I thought you’d cooled off by now.”
She grabbed a can of mixed vegetables out of the cabinet. “You must not realize how upset I am with you.”
“So you don’t miss me at all?”
’Course I miss you. I’m dying without feeling your lips on mine and melting in your touch.
But, you don’t trust me so...
“Leece, I’m so sorry for attacking Winston.”
“No you’re not.” She set the can of vegetables on the table.
“Okay, I’m not but I’m sorry I embarrassed you. I didn’t intend to do that, sweetie.”
“It’s not just the embarrassment.” She leaned on the table. “It’s the fact that you don’t trust me. I can’t keep going around in circles with this, Jake.”
“I know I was wrong but you can’t blame me for how I felt.”
“I can blame you!” She grabbed the dishrag. “You acted like a nut and it made no sense. The problem isn’t Winston. It’s not even that you don’t trust me.” She got the large mixing spoon out of the drawer and slammed it closed. “It’s you, Jake. You’ve lost your confidence.”
“Yeah,” he whispered. “Maybe I have.”
“I know it’s hard having to depend on a wheelchair all the time, but I don’t understand why now you’re finding it so hard to deal with.”
“I’m just so scared I’ll lose you.”
“Jake...” She sighed. “If you lose me it won’t be because of the wheelchair or because you’re not a real man as you seem to think.” She threw the large spoon on the counter. “It’ll be because you stopped being the man I fell in love with. I gotta go.”
“No, wait. Can I see you tonight? Can I come over?”
Her phone beeped.
She scratched her head. “I need a break from you right now.”
“Please. I love you and I will do anything...anything you say. Just please forgive me.”
“I can’t be with you when you’re acting like this, Jake.”
“Tell me what you want and I’ll do it. I’ll do anything for you.”
She tapped her fingers on the counter. “You need to sort through what’s been going on with you. I’d like you to talk to someone about it.”
“Okay.” He blew into the phone. “I think you might be right.”
Her phone beeped again.
“I gotta go.”
“I love you, Lisa.”
She closed her eyes. “I love you too.” She switched to the other call. “Hey.”
“Hey,” Winston said. “What’s up?”
“I’m cooking. What’s up with you?”
“Are you staying in?”
“Yeah.” She turned around and leaned on the counter. “Are you?”
“No, I’m going out tonight and looking mighty sharp if I say so myself.”
She grinned. “Ooh, got a hot date?”
He better not have a hot date.
“No, I’m going solo. Decided to treat myself to dinner and dancing.”
“Wow.” Her heart fluttered. “That sounds nice. I’m sure you’ll have fun.”
“I could have a lot more fun if you came with me.”
A date. Is he seriously asking me out on a date?
“Uh...” She gripped the phone. “I don’t think that’s a good idea.”
“So you mean you’d rather stay at home than have dinner at the Marian Bistro?”
“That’s my favorite restaurant.” She grew warm all over. “I’d go there every night if it
wouldn’t break the bank. Did you know Jake used to be the chef there?”
He sighed. “On second thought, maybe I’ll go somewhere else.”
She laughed. “Seriously, the Marian Bistro isn’t a place you go alone.”
“Well when I go out I go out in style, whether I’m alone or not. After dinner I might go do some salsa dancing.”
She laughed. “You salsa dance?”
“Hell yeah, woman! I got moves.” He hummed into the phone. “Come on. Wouldn’t you rather be eating out at your favorite restaurant than at home alone?”
“I’d—”
“Come on.” He moaned. “You know you wanna come.”
“Okay.” She crossed her fingers.
What am I doing?
“Great,” he said. “I’m on my way.”
“Uh...” She turned off the stove and took the chicken breasts out. “Give me about an hour to get ready.”
She hung up and ran out of the kitchen with butterflies in her stomach.