“What do you mean she’s not here?”
“I needed to drop off something to one of my students who goes to Toni’s seven o’clock. I walked in to find a room filled with students, but no teacher. I assumed you two were just running late, but I just checked her eight o’clock, and she’s not in there. She’s still staying with you, isn’t she?” Susan asked.
“Yes, but when I got up this morning, she was already gone. I just assumed she came to work.”
“Well, she’s not one to roam the hallways, and I checked the car park. Her Jeep’s not out there.”
“Shit.”
“Can you call her?”
“She doesn’t have a mobile, and she refuses to pick up my home phone,” Laura said, tossing her pen on her desk. “Susan, do me a favor. Go up and tell the women that Toni’s classes are cancelled for today. Okay?”
“Sure, but what are you going to do?”
“First, I’m going to call home and leave a very loud message telling her to call me, and after that, I have no bloody idea!”
***
Slamming the front door, Laura strode through her house. Moments before, when she drove down her street and saw Toni’s Jeep, she was relieved, but by the time Laura pulled into the driveway, she was livid. She had spent the entire day on the phone, calling hospitals and hostels in search of Toni, and as each hour passed Laura’s concern grew. Thoughts of accidents and suicide raced through her mind, and more than once tears rolled down her face when her imagination spiraled out of control. Having run out of numbers to call, and unable to keep her mind on work, at half past three, Laura filled her briefcase and stormed out of the building.
Finding the lounge and kitchen empty, Laura marched to Toni’s bedroom and rapped hard against the wood. A few seconds later, Toni opened the door a crack and Laura erupted. “Where the hell have you been?”
“What?”
“Toni, where the fuck have you been all day!” Laura yelled. “Do you have any idea what I’ve been going through? I called every hospital in London looking for you!”
“I’m sorry—”
“Sorry doesn’t cut it, Toni!” Laura said. “First and foremost, you are one of my teachers, and you have a responsibility to Calloway, which includes calling in if you’re not going to be there.” Glaring at the woman, Laura was about to utter her second argument when she realized Toni’s face had turned ashen. Letting out a long, audible breath, Laura said, “Look, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to yell, but you really scared me today.”
“I didn’t mean to,” Toni said quietly. “I’m...I’m just not used to having to answer to someone.”
“You don’t need to answer to me, Toni, but the next time you decide to disappear for the day, you need to at least call work. Okay?”
“I didn’t disappear. I went back to my flat.”
“Your flat? Oh, Toni, I had Charlie fix the lock, but it’s only temporary. You can’t stay there.”
“I know. I just went to get my books. I needed my books.”
Peering through the open door, Laura saw a stack of worn paperbacks on the nightstand with a few more lying on the floor.
“Did you get all of them?”
“No, I only grabbed a few. I didn’t like it there. It didn’t feel safe.”
“Well, how about tomorrow, I drive over and get the rest?”
“I can’t ask you to do that.”
“You didn’t ask. I volunteered,” Laura said with a small smile. “So, now that we have that settled, how about dinner? Have you eaten yet?”
“Um...no.”
“Have you eaten today?”
Thinking for a moment, Toni said, “Wasn’t hungry.”
For a split-second Laura’s smile drooped before she forced it to return. “Well, I’m starving, so why don’t I fix us some dinner. You like spaghetti?”
“I’m not really hungry, Laura. I just want to read.”
“You can read while you eat. I won’t mind.”
“Laura—”
“I’m not taking no for an answer,” Laura said, walking away. “Now go and read for a while, and I’ll call you when it’s ready.”
***
Toni was sure it wasn’t Laura’s intention, but once she sat down for dinner, she found it impossible to read while trying to twirl spaghetti on her fork. Setting her book aside, she listened as Laura rambled on about work, eating what was put in front of her...twice.
A short time later, Laura carried two cups of tea into the lounge. Placing one on the coffee table in front of Toni, she went to the opposite end of the sofa and curled up in the corner. “What are you reading?”
“Pride and Prejudice.”
“That’s one of my favorites.”
“Yeah, me too.”
Leaning back into the cushions, Laura tilted her head to the side. “Are you doing okay?”
Toni let out a sigh as she leaned over and placed her book on the coffee table. “I owe you an apology.”
“You already apologized, Toni.”
“No, I meant about yesterday.”
“Don’t worry about it.”
“I shouldn’t have yelled at you.”
“It’s okay.”
“No, it’s not. I don’t know why, but you have this way of...of—”
“Getting on your nerves?”
Toni snorted, smiling ever so slightly as she looked at the woman. “No, I mean, yeah, but not on my nerves. More like in my head.”
“What do you mean?”
“It’s been a long time since I’ve had anyone other than Kris to talk to, and I know her. I know what to expect with her, but with you...with you, it’s different. You do things and ask questions that she wouldn’t, and it does my head in.”
“I don’t mean to, but I haven’t known you for as long as Kris. I don’t know the boundaries until I’ve already crossed over them, and then it’s too late. I’m sorry about Sunday—”
“That wasn’t you. I just...I just did something stupid, and my head started filling with all this shit.”
“I’m sorry,” Laura said in a whisper.
“It’s not your fault.”
“It’s not yours either.”
“How do you figure that?”
“All you did was read the paper. Most of us do it every day.”
Toni’s head jerked up, her eyes turning to slits as she studied the woman sitting a few feet away. “You’re surprisingly intuitive tonight.”
“Oh...um...I have a friend. Her name’s Abby, and when you did what you did on Sunday, I went and talked to her. She’s a psychologist.” Noticing that Toni seemed to stiffen, Laura said, “Please don’t get angry. I just needed someone else’s opinion—”
“And since she’s a bloody shrink—”
“She’s my friend, Toni. My best friend, and whenever there’s something bothering me, just like you talk to Kris, I talk to Abby.”
“Maybe I should find another place to stay.”
“Why? Because my best friend’s a psychologist?
“No, because the next thing you’re going to suggest is that I should go talk to her!”
“Don’t put words in my mouth.”
“Are you saying I’m wrong?”
“Yes, I am.”
“Bollocks.”
“I don’t appreciate you calling me a liar,” Laura said, sitting up and placing her cup on the table. “I’ve never once lied to you or done anything that wasn’t in your best interest. I talked to Abby because I was worried about you. You’re not exactly the easiest person to read sometimes, Toni, and up until Sunday morning, we were doing great. Then, all of a sudden...bam...you fly off the bloody handle, and I had no idea why or what to do about it.”
“Who asked you to do anything about it? People have moods, you know?”
“Yes, they do, but Jesus Christ, Toni, you have bloody tidal waves!”
As Laura shouted, Toni found herself listening more to the woman’s rapidly thickening accent than to the words actually being said, but when Laura’s tidal wave analogy hit Toni’s ears, her eyes creased at the corners. “And I suppose what you’re doing right now doesn’t fall under the heading of tsunami?”
Whatever Laura was planning to say got trapped when her jaw snapped shut. Staring back at Toni for a moment, the corners of Laura’s mouth turned up ever so slightly. “If I didn’t know better, Miss Vaughn, I’d think you just made a joke.”
Toni returned the smile for a few seconds, but then it disappeared. “I shouldn’t have called you a liar, but Kris has tried more than once to get me to talk to a doctor and I just assumed you wanted me to do the same thing, and I can’t. I won’t.”
“Okay.”
“That’s it?”
“What else would you like me to say?”
“I don’t know. I just...I guess I thought you’d argue a bit more. Kris always has.”
“I’m not Krista,” Laura said, picking up the empty cups. “I’m going to get another. Would you like one?”
Toni glanced at the book on the coffee table and then back at Laura. The idea of locking herself in her room to read all night long suddenly lost its appeal. “Yeah, that would be great.”
***
“You can’t be serious.”
“Why not?”
“Because…because it just wouldn’t work!”
“It’s working now, isn’t it?”
“Laura, there’s no way I’m going to live with you.”
“Give me one reason why you can’t?”
“I can give you plenty!” Toni shouted. Instantly regretting that she had raised her voice when the noise level in the coffee shop plummeted drastically, Toni leaned in Laura’s direction and said quietly, “First, I don’t need a babysitter.”
“When, over the past two weeks, have I babysat you?”
“You know what I mean.”
“No, I don’t. You have your own key, and you come and go as you please. I haven’t once tried to coddle you or protect you or...or even shop for you.”
“That’s because you make me go with you,” Toni said with a playful pout.
“Exactly! Toni, you’re not a child, and I haven’t treated you like one. I’m just suggesting that since this is working, why change it?”
“You won’t have any privacy.”
“That’s a bunch of crap, and you know it.”
“Do I? Laura, what happens when Mr. Right comes along? What happens when you bring him home and cook him a meal and…and he stays.”
“What do you mean?”
“Don’t be coy. You know exactly what I mean. What happens when you meet a man…when you meet a man who you want to sleep with?”
“I don’t see that happening anytime soon, Toni, and when it does, I’ll go to his place.”
“Are you cancelling dates because of me?”
“What?”
“You heard me, Laura. Are you cancelling dates because of me?”
“No, I’m not. I did that once and have no intention of doing it again.”
“I don’t believe you.”
“Why not?”
“Because you’re gor—”
Toni stopped, retracting the last syllable before it escaped. Surprised that the word had even entered her mind, Toni regrouped, or at least she tried to regroup. “I...I mean you’re an...an attractive woman, Laura, and I can’t believe that men aren’t...well, they aren’t...they aren’t knocking down your door to...uh...what I mean to say is, is that I...I find it hard to believe that—”
“Are you going to make a sentence anytime soon or should I order us some more coffee?” Laura said, her eyes twinkling with mirth.
Setting her jaw, Toni blurted, “Damn it, Laura, you’re a beautiful woman, and I can’t believe there isn’t a man in this bloody city who wouldn’t want to date you! What are they, blind?”
The fact that Toni found her attractive made Laura’s heart skip a beat, but quickly shaking off the feeling, Laura said, “Thanks for the compliment, but since John’s been out, I’ve been putting in some long hours, so I haven’t really had a lot of time to socialize. Now have I?”
Thinking for a moment, Toni said, “No, I suppose not.”
“If it makes you feel any better, I do have a date on Saturday.”
“You do?”
“Yes. My ex called me the other day, and we’re going to meet for drinks.”
“Your ex?”
“His name’s Duane. We were together for a couple of years, but when he asked me to marry him, and I said no, things started going downhill.”
“Wait. He proposed?”
“Do you find that surprising?” Laura said, cocking her head to the side.
“No. No, of course not, it’s just that you never mentioned it.”
“That’s because it wasn’t worth mentioning.”
“Oh.”
“Anyway, we tried to make it work for a while, but then everything went to shit.”
“Then why see him again?”
“Because I really like him, and we have two years of history together. The fight was as much my fault as it was his. I was working some really long hours, and I knew Duane was having problems at his job, but I wasn’t giving him the time he needed. So, one night I came home a bit grumpy. He was there, also a bit grumpy, and we ended up having a grumpy explosion.”
“Sounds messy.”
“It was,” Laura said with a laugh. “We both said things we didn’t mean, and when he called on Monday, he apologized for everything and said he’d like to try again.”
“And I’m assuming you do, too?”
Laura shrugged. “It depends on the day, but we were so good together once. I’d love to get that back.”
“Well, I hope it works out then,” Toni said, picking up her coffee. After drinking what remained, she placed the cup on the table. “So, you ready to go?”
“Not so fast, Miss Vaughn.”
“Huh?”
“You never answered the question.”
“What question?”
“Now who’s being coy?”
“Laura—”
“Give me one reason, Toni. One reason and I’ll shut up.”
Toni took a deep breath and ran her fingers through her hair. Whether she cared to admit it or not, Laura was right…it was working.
***
Finishing off her dinner, Toni pushed the plate away and turned back to her book. It was the second she had read that day. After spending a few hours of the morning helping to tidy up the house, while Laura ran errands and prepared for her date, Toni had spent the day in her room until her stomach made itself known.
“There you are,” Laura said, walking into the kitchen.
Toni looked up, and her eyes widened. Gone was the normal business suit she was used to seeing Laura wear, and in its place was a pale blue summer dress. The skirt was loose and flowing, but the halter bodice fit Laura like a second skin, accentuating her upper half as it plunged low between her breasts. It had been years since Toni found herself admiring a woman, allowing her eyes to wander and her imagination to soar, and when she realized what she was doing, she became annoyed. She didn’t have the right to look. She didn’t have the right to even imagine. That part of her had died, and she wanted it to remain that way. Burying her head in her book, she said, “I assumed your date included supper, so I didn’t make you anything.”
“Yes, it does,” Laura said, looking at the empty plate on the table. “Did you get enough to eat?”
“Two servings,” Toni muttered as she turned the page of her book.
Deciding that Toni was just having a rough day, Laura tried to lighten the mood. Twirling around, she said, “Well, you could at least tell me if I look okay?”
“You look fine.”
“I was going for something more than fine.”
With a sigh, Toni closed her book and looked up. “I don’t see why it matters what I think. It’s him you’re trying to impress.”
“Do you have a problem with that?”
“No. It’s none of my business.”
“You’re right, it’s not, but I thought since Duane made the effort to apologize, I could at least make the effort to look nice. Do you have a problem with me going out tonight or have I done something that deserves your attitude?”
Realizing she was now directing her own annoyance toward Laura, Toni leaned back in her chair. “I’m sorry. You look great, and you haven’t done anything wrong. I’m just having a bit of a bad spot today. I hope you have a great time.”
“Are you sure?”
“Positive. You and I are fine.”
Grinning, Laura said, “Well, he’s going to be here in a few minutes, but I don’t know where we’re going, so if you need anything, you have my mobile number. All right?”
Tilting her head to one side, Toni asked, “Is this the part where you don’t treat me like a child?”
Chuckling, Laura’s cheeks darkened. “Touché.”
Toni smiled as she returned to her book, but when she heard a car horn beep, she jerked up her head. “What? He can’t walk up to the door and knock?”
“It’s a joke,” Laura said, grabbing her handbag. “I always run late and he thinks if he keeps the car running, it’ll make me move faster.”
“Does it?”
“Do I look like I’m moving fast?” Laura said, casually sauntering to the door.