I detected desperation behind her rudeness. “I’ve got your mixture ready, but what I was trying to say is, you need a cup now. And a cookie. Sit down in the reading nook and I’ll bring both over.”
My smugness level rose to a new height as she tottered off as instructed and I brewed her beverage. For myself, I poured a coffee. A tiny voice in my head whispered that I was showing off, because I was due a dose of my Midlife Magic brew myself, but I didn’t want to show Linda that I, too, needed the occasional leg up in the battle against perimenopause. I ignored the voice. I’d never said I was perfect.
The tea and cookie were, though. One of each should be enough to relax Linda for the rest of the day.
She eyed the cranberry and pecan cookie as if it might jump up and bite her. “That’s a lot of calories.”
“It’ll do you good.”
“That’s easy for you to say, with your extra padding.” She patted her hips which were jutting out more than they had a few months ago.
Suddenly, I no longer cared about self-control, or Cosmo’s approval.
“You’re calling me fat.”
“I didn’t say that.”
I whisked away her tea and cookie. “One tip for the future, if you want anyone to do you a favor, it’s smart not to insult or belittle them whenever you open your filler-enhanced mouth.”
She gasped.
“You may not like me, heck, you’ve never liked me since I started high school and you took so much trouble to make me miserable.”
“I did no such thing.” She lowered her lashes to avoid my angry gaze.
“The worst thing is, I have no idea what you’re getting out of this. It’s not as if being mean makes you happy.”
“Stop it.” Her lip wobbled. “And can I please have the tea?”
“Only if you apologize.”
“I’m sorry, Bex. I was only teasing.”
“Hmm.” Nevertheless, I returned the tea and cookie to her.
She took a nibble, to appease me. “It’s just – everybody thought you were so wonderful. Such a good student, always helpful, a real trooper, that’s what my dad called you. You beat me to the glee club, the debating team, everything he wanted me to try out for, you got in.”
“That’s your beef with me? You were two years above me, you could have tried out ages before.”
“Well, I didn’t. Even my first boyfriend kept on telling me how funny and cute you were.”
“Who was that?”
“Raymond.”
“I don’t remember anyone of that name.”
She shrugged but continued nibbling.
“Drink your tea,” I said.
She did. Her lip stopped wobbling.
“Do you have any idea why I was such a good student and a real trooper, as your dad called it? The girl you were bullying had already lost her mom, her dad had left her, and all she had left was her aunt and the niggling fear that one day, she too would decide that Bex Merriweather wasn’t worth keeping around.”
“That’s ridiculous. Violet thought the sun shone out of your backside. And your friends did too.”
“That still didn’t stop the nightmares, or the insecurities.”
