“Yeah. Tell us what Lewis-the-dick did now,” grumbles Keely.
Hearing her say that makes me a little sad. Keely and Lewis used to be close. I’m pretty sure he liked her better than me, but I won’t get into that. Her heart was broken the night she ran into him at The Male Box, a club in Flagstaff that caters to the LGBTQ community. She was there with her bestie, Michael, celebrating his birthday that night. Unfortunately, so was Lewis and one of hisfriends. When she spotted him making out with said friend in one of the plush VIP booths, I think part of her heart broke––for me and for herself. Poor Keels.
I should have told her. I should have told the rest of them but there was never a right time to say, “Oh, hey, by the way, my husband is gay. Don’t tell anyone.” So, when she saw him, she was shocked and hurt and part of that is my fault. A small part.
“Alright, changing the subject. Let me tell you what happened this morning and then you can tell me your response to my email.” So, I do. I tell them about Lewis’ enraged phone call to the shop and Keeton’s theory about the phone app. I also hold up my old phone. “I charged this up for a while before I came out tonight and look,” I swipe my finger over the home page a few times until I get to the second to last screen. Amongst the apps I rarely use sits the same app Keeton discovered on my current phone. “See? It was on my old phone too.”
Sadie clicks away on her phone. “Whoa. That’s some app. I’d call it more of a surveillance tool than anything else.”
“I know. It’s creepy as heck.”
Reading over Sadie’s shoulder, Violet adds, “Even though they market it to parents it seems over-the-top intrusive.”
What’s gotten into her tonight? She’s more talkative than I’ve ever seen her in a group. “I agree.” Turning back to the girls, I ask, “Can you think of anything?”
Sadie speaks first, “It always seemed strange how often he’d pop into the bakery when you were there.”
“Right.” I forgot about that.
“Remember you tried to plan his thirtieth surprise birthday party? He knew about that.”
“And I thought I was so clandestine.”
“You were,” Keely pipes up. “And also, too nice. Why would you throw him a surprise party? The guy’s a douche.”
“Because I was his wife.”
Keely snorts in disgust. “Whatever.”
Ignoring her, I look at Violet. “Can you think of anything?”
“Not specifically. I’m just thinking about all the emails and text messages we’ve sent to each other over the years. Personal stuff. He must have read those.”
There’s nothing Violet said in emails and text messages that needs to concern her; I just think it’s the fact that her thoughts and feelings could have been read by someone other than me that bothers her.
“I’m sure, if he was doing this, he didn’t read everything, sweetie.” But who knows?
Agatha speaks up next, “He probably knows about your degree.”
“Oh,” I gasp. I did my darndest to keep that a secret. I figured he’d blow a gasket if he knew I was working on a college degree. “And my investments.” I pretty much tell my sisters everything and not always to their faces. We text and email each other a lot. “Crap. I bet he knows everything.”
“Can he get access to your money?”
“No. His name’s not on any of that. He can’t touch that.”
“Don’t be so sure,” Aggie grumbles. “He’s got money and friends in high places; anything is possible.”
I’m not worried. My broker is well thought of and not from our hometown of Page, Arizona, so he’d have no reason to trust an inquiry from Lewis about my investments. I checked him out thoroughly before I hired him. But, it doesn’t hurt to check. I’ll do that first thing in the morning. “I’ll double check. Just to be sure.”
“Hey ladies.” We all turn to the deep male voice standing next to Violet. The male voice is attached to a very attractive guy. Not as hot as Keeton, but who is? The cute guy turns to Violet, “Nice to see you again. It’s been a while.”
We all stare at her. Waiting. Does she know this guy? Sitting stock still, Violet’s face turns practically cherry red. Speaking softly, she says, “Kyle.”
Kyle? Who the heck is Kyle?My sister’s been holding back on me. Pfft, what’d I expect? She keeps her secrets like a vault holds gold.
We all watch in stunned silence as this Kyle character leans in an inch closer to Violet. Matching her quiet tone, he says, “You look pretty, Vi.”
“Can you all excuse me?” Standing abruptly, Violet pushes away from the table and makes a beeline for the bathroom.
