“Yeah,” I said.“I just.They both make me feel so.Wanted.Accepted.Needed, even.”
“Weekend boo and weekday boo,” Tamara said.“Which to choose.”
“That’s the thing, I love them both,” I said.“Which is weird.You know how I am.”
“I know, girl.But there’s nothing there—no tensions, no upset or unrest between either of them?”
I paused.
“Well,” I started.
“Well, what?”
“It’s just a little thing.Eddie scheduled us a date on a Tuesday.Which is fine.That’s no big deal.The only issue is.Vic and I were supposed to go out and see a movie the same day.”
“So talk to them about it,” Tamara said.
“That’s the thing,” I said.“I think Eddie did it on purpose.I must have told him at least five times about the movie we were going to see.And then he goes and gets hockey tickets for the same night.I know he could have forgotten about it, but I don’t want to accuse him of anything.”
“Sounds like he’s testing your boundaries,” Tamara said.“Or Vic’s boundaries.”
“It’s just such a little thing,” I said.“And I mean.Hockey only plays on certain days.Maybe it was the only time he could get tickets.”
“It could be a little thing, right enough.But you know, the iceberg that sank the Titanic wasn’t such a little thing.It just looked like it because all the sharp shit was hidden under the surface.”
“I need to have a come to Jesus meeting with them before this gets worse, huh?”
Tamara nodded.
“Look, one relationship is difficult enough, let alone two.I applaud you living in the moment, but I still think that’s too much for anyone to handle.”
“I gotta make up for how Dad raised me, don’t I?”
“Don’t I know it,” Tamara said.“What time do you have to be in?”
I looked at my watch.Five minutes ago.Shit.
“I’m late!I gotta go,” I said.
“You better haul ass!”
“I’m trying!”I said and ran out the door.Then I ran back inside and grabbed my purse and my coffee.Then ran again.
Chapter2
“Stacey,” Bradford Dowellers said.“So glad you could join us today.”
“Hey,” I said.“Traffic was really bad.”
“Still enough time to grab a coffee, I see,” Bradford Dowellers said.
“I figured I could be late and useful or early and useless,” I said.
“And the coffee in the breakroom…?”
“I’m trying to support local businesses,” I said.
“Right,” Bradford said, nostrils flaring.
