“Maybe. And the whole thing’s got me in a bit of a spin.”
The stitch of her eyebrows was nearly comical. “You? In a spin? I don’t . . . I don’t think I can even picture that.”
“Shut up.”
“I swear, I’m not teasing you about this. I mean . . . what the hell, Kit? Does she have a magic pussy or something?”
I let out an aggravated sigh. I could get away with using gender neutral language around some people, but not Cynthia.
“Well, it might help you to know thatsheis ahe.”
I walked a few more feet before realizing she stopped dead in the middle of the sidewalk between our houses.
“Cyn?”
“You’re seeing a man?”
I adjusted my hat. “Seeingmight be overselling it.Got intimate with. . . now that’s a different story.”
“Holy.Shit.”
“Cynthia, please. I beg you. I don’t . . .” I ran my hand through my hair, hating how vulnerable this all felt. “I don’t need this right now.”
She held up her hands, genuine kindness and concern in her eyes. “I’m not making fun of you, I promise. It’s just . . . we’ve talked about how guilty I felt about coming out to you and finding someone to love.”
“I know. I never?—”
“I know you never,” she said, talking over me. “You have always been the perfect ex-husband. But I knew you were hurting. And I am so fucking beyond ecstatic that you’re interested in someone. Truly.” She gave me her most mischievous smile. “I may need a second to process that you’re interested in aguy,though.”
I laughed through my nose. “You and me both.”
She took my arm again, and we strolled down the sidewalk.
“It’s that pretty ortho, isn’t it?” she asked.
“Yep,” I answered, not one wit surprised she’d guessed correctly. “Skylar.”
“Did you ever suspect you . . .”
I took off my hat, running my arm across my forehead. “Never. Not even once. Never kissed another man before. Never had time for that.”
She peered into my eyes, reading my soul like she always could. “But you liked it?”
“Yes.” I tapped my hat against my chest. “A lot.”
“Then why do you sound like you’re about to go to a funeral?”
“Well . . .” I smoothed my hair back and replaced the hat on top of my head. “I guess I’m having what you’d call an existential crisis.”
“Like when you have sex with someone of the same sex for the first time and then don’t know who the fuck you are afterward?” she asked, gently reminding me she’d experienced something similar.
“Yeah.” I scratched my brow, laughing at myself. “Sky helped me through it, though.”
“That’s good, right?”
“Woulda been better if Rowdy hadn’t walked in thirty seconds later.”
She made heroh, shitface. Which . . . yeah.
