“Hi, Samantha.”
“Hey. Your guests aren’t here yet.”
“No problem.”
“Harlow running late or something?” Samantha asked.
“No, she’s not coming to this one. She had something to take care of.”
“Oh, okay. I was going to see if she wanted to go bowling again. I guess I can just text her.”
Well, this was interesting. First, Larissa felt her smile disappear. Then, she felt the jealousy kick in. After that, she felt the rational part of her brain turn on and tell her that she had nothing to be jealous of. Finally, she smiled at Samantha and hoped she hadn’t noticed any of what had just happened.
“Are you okay?” Samantha asked. “Your face just did a whole thing.”
“I’m good. If you want me to ask her tonight when I get home, I can. About the bowling, I mean.”
“Sure. Not a big deal. We’re going again next Tuesday, and we usually have eight, but one of my friends is pregnant, and her doctor just told her that she shouldn’t be bowling anymore,so she’s just going to hang out with us, but not play. I thought maybe Harlow would be interested.”
“I’ll ask her when I get home… where she’ll be because she’s living with me… at my house.”
“O-k-a-y,” Samantha replied, lengthening the word and looking at Larissa like she was acting strange. “You seem different today.”
“What do you mean?”
“I don’t know. You just… You seem different. Happier, maybe?”
“Ido?” she asked.
Samantha nodded and said, “Wait. Why do you seem happier?”
“Oh. Well, no reason,” she lied, unsure if Harlow would want Samantha to know that they had gone on a date. “Just excited for this interview. I’m working on a book, you know?”
“I know. Harlow told me all about it. That’s pretty cool.”
The door opened then, and two women walked in.
“Not members, so I’m guessing they’re here for you,” Samantha said.
“Beth? Theresa?” Larissa asked.
“Yes, that’s us,” one of the women replied.
“I’m Larissa Hanson.”
She held out her hand for them to shake one at a time.
“I’m Beth,” the one with short blonde hair said.
“And I’m Theresa,” the brunette added.
“Nice to meet you both. Shall we go to the conference room I reserved? Do you need to use the bathroom or grab water or coffee first?”
“I think we’re okay,” Theresa said.
“Okay. Great.”
She walked them back through the members-only door and then into the conference room, where she sat down and gotherself ready while the women sat in the usual chairs for the interviewees.
