“Well, that’s really all I had to say,” he says. “Now, why don’t I let you two lovely ladies enjoy your time together.”
Ava turns her cheek for him to kiss, wishes him a warm goodbye, and then directs her attention on me.
“I’m sure you still feel pretty shaken,” she says.
“I do, but last night I had a conversation with my friend Meg that provided a lot of insight.”
The waitress arrives to take our order and after she departs, I recap what Megan told me about erotomania and the delusions that might have been going on in Percy’s mind.
Ava shakes her head. “I didn’t like her from the moment I set eyes on her that night. There was just something so unpleasant, even hostile, about the woman.”
“I know. Not that I’d ever blame Jamie for what happened, but I’m still having a hard time understanding how he was drawn to her to begin with, even if she did misrepresent herself.”
“A lot of us make stupid choices on the rebound,” she says, lifting a shoulder. “I know I certainly did over the years. I remember Vic saying that after Jamie broke up with that girlfriend who moved to Hong Kong—and before he met you—he went through a period of dating women who just seemed too young or too silly or all wrong in some other way.”
The comment perplexes me.
“Really? I know he was only dating casually then, but I never heard him categorize it that way.”
Our cappuccinos and croissants arrive, and after taking a sip of my coffee, I smile sheepishly at Ava. “Speaking of rebound dating, I probably should address the elephant in the room. You must be wondering what Sam was doing at my house in the middle of the night.”
She smiles back. “I’d be lying to say I wasn’t, and I’m all ears if you want to talk. But I would also understand if you wanted to keep it private.”
I tell her that for a brief period I thought something was blossoming between us, but there’s no there there after all.
“I have to admit, it hurts,” I add. “But I’m headed back to New York tomorrow and I intend to put it behind me.”
“Tomorrow? Oh, Kiki, I’ll miss you.”
“Same here, Ava. As horrible as this has been, I’ve loved getting to see so much of you.”
“What are your plans for your last night?”
“Packing.”
“No, no, Kiki, you shouldn’t be alone tonight. Why don’t you come with Vic and me to the Foxton County Fair. We’re not big on carnival rides—I get dizzy even looking at them—but it’s so much fun just to wander around the fairgrounds.”
I’m two seconds away from declining her invitation. I’m not up for a big night, especially given the fair’s associations with the young woman who died there four years ago. But on the other hand, it would be good for me to be out in public, people-watching and eating funnel cake for dinner instead of wandering the house in a funk, picturing those pretty bare feet in Sam’s lap.
“I’d love that, actually,” I say. “I tried to get Jamie to go last year but he wanted no part of it.”
“Good, I’ll text you the details later.”
After we finish our drinks and croissants, we accompany each other to the parking lot and hug goodbye. I’m glad we’ll be seeing each other again tonight.
I’m just about to start the car when my phone rings, and I’m shocked to see Tori’s name on the screen. Though I guess the call shouldn’t be a surprise—she’s clearly heard the news about Percy.
“Kiki,” she says after I answer. “We were so upset to learn what happened at your house. Are you okay?”
“Yes, doing better today, thanks.”
“I’m so glad. I also want to apologize for the meeting at Drew’s. Everyone came on very strong with you. And in hindsight, I see you were just looking for the truth.”
I’m gratified to hear this from her. “As I said the other day, I’m sorry, too—for jumping to conclusions about Liam. But I’ve been sure for a while that Jamie was murdered, and I’ve been trying to figure out who was responsible.”
“Had you suspected Percy before the other night?”
“At times, yes,” I tell her. “But mainly I’d come to see that something must have happened at the party to make one of the guests feel angry with Jamie or threatened by him. I just didn’t know who or what it was until Percy showed how upset she was about being rebuffed.” I sigh. “I’m relieved that I can finally go home now.”
