“Ah, I don’t know. Anywhere, really. I’m just trying to blow all my cash before I croak.”
Audrey coughs, trying to hide a laugh.
“I know you girls probably wonder what cash I’m talking about, considering the state of this place,” she says, pouring three glasses of tea. “But this isn’t where I live. I live up the road a ways.” She hands each of us a glass and then joins us at the table. “I grew up in this house. This was my mama and daddy’s place. I’ve never been able to sell it. My brother lived here after his divorce until he passed away a few years back. It’s sat empty ever since.”
That’s a relief.
The tea is perfectly sweet and crisp, reminding me of my grandma’s tea from my childhood. Even the glasses remind me of her. They’re heavy-bottomed with a brownish-gold design that looks like stars.
“Did you ever get Lover Boy to bend you over the bed?” Pearl asks.
Audrey snorts, tea shooting out of her nostrils. I giggle before it turns into a full-blown belly laugh. Pearl hands her a napkin, laughing, too. Audrey’s eyes water as she tries to get herself under control.
“I apologize for her,” I say to Pearl. “Audrey is a good girl, and we love that about her.”
“Hell, yes, we do,” Pearl says. “There’s nothing wrong with that, Auddie. You are who you are. People these days are too afraid to embrace how they really feel. That’s why there are so many unhappy souls walking the earth.”
She’s probably right.
“But, back to your man,” Pearl says, turning to me. “Are you having sex yet or not?”
Audrey’s flabbergasted. Bewildered. If she had Pearl pegged to be a sweet old lady, which I think is the case, she’s understandably shocked.
“I’m having great sex,” I say. “It took some finagling, but I finally got the dick.”
“Good for you. I was remembering you in my prayers in the evenings.”
I laugh. “You were praying for my sex life? Pearl.Baby. You’re a great friend.”
“Oh, hell. God created sex,” Pearl says. “How can it be a bad thing? It’s only dirty because humans made it that way. If you’re not hurting anyone, I say enjoy it.”
We sip our tea as Audrey and Pearl get into a surprising conversation about traveling. It seems Pearl was quite the jetsetter back in her day. Audrey goes all over the place with her family. As I listen to them debate what’s the better island—Grand Cayman or St. Thomas, my thoughts float to Drake.
I imagine him in his parents’ living room, sitting across from Big Ed. I wonder if his sisters are there and if his mom is making something delicious in the kitchen. Drake said she would be doing that today. After all, it is Sunday, and Sunday dinners are a big deal in the Bennett household.
My shoulders pull forward as a hollow warmth settles in my gut. Not being with him feels like such a loss, like a bruise thatonly I can see. I should’ve gone, too. I wanted to. It just seemed ridiculous to dig myself in deeper with those sweet people. There’s no need to create a bond with Barb and Big Ed, or Evie and Elodie. The fewer complications, the better.
My throat thickens, and I try to wash it out with another drink of tea.
“Well, Pearl, we’d better get going,” I say, once her and Audrey’s travel tales end. “I have a big week coming up, and my house is a disaster.”
“Sure, honey. I understand.”
Audrey rinses our glasses out, and Pearl places them in the dishwasher. I wipe down the table and push in our chairs. Then we return to the entryway and the infamous coat tree.
“It was nice to do business with you, Pearl,” I say.
She cackles. “You know that’s a damn lie.”
I laugh, too. “Have fun on your cruise.”
“I’ll call you with a report.” She turns to Audrey. “It was nice to meet you, young lady.”
“It was nice to meet you, Pearl.”
Audrey and I lift the coat tree, which is inexplicably heavier than I would’ve imagined. We nearly trip going down the walkway. We manage to get it into the truck bed without damaging either the wood or the metal, then climb into the cab.
Pearl waves as we back out of the driveway.
