one of those hot and heavy ‘walks.’ The kind that don’t require any actual walking, if you know what I mean.”
“Gee, no,” Lawrence says. “You’re just too subtle, that’s your problem.”
Harry and Marie return first—complaining that the tub was more tepid than hot—and are already dressed and eating cookies by the time Isabella and Alex show up.
“It’s such a beautiful night!” Isabella says, her eyes shining. Her cheeks and chin are pink, the way they get when you’ve been kissing a guy who hasn’t shaved since that morning.
“And the cookies are done!” Alex gloats. “We timed this perfectly.”
“I hope you don’t mind that we skipped out on the baking,” Isabella says to the rest of us. “Too many cooks and all that.”
“You okay?” Alex asks Julia, who’s focusing a little too intently on transferring the last batch of cookies to a plate.
“Fine.”
Harry looks up at that and comes over to her. “You don’t sound okay,” he says. “You want to tell Uncle Harry about it?”
She shoots him a venomous look. “Thanks but no thanks.”
He leans toward her and whispers something in her ear. She doesn’t respond. He whispers some more. She smiles reluctantly. He whispers again, and this time she laughs out loud.
They giggle a lot more together while we clean up. Marie glances at them from time to time, her face growing tighter and angrier with every additional minute that she’s left out of their private joke.
We wrap up the cookies to go, and then I usher everyone downstairs—I want them safely out before Amelia returns so I have time to clean up the kitchen.
In front of the building complex, Marie grabs Harry by the arm. “Let’s run some lines together as we walk,” she says, and he lets her pull him ahead of the others.
After everyone else has moved off, Julia lingers behind to say to me miserably, “One second he’s all over me, the next he’s all over her.”
“She won’t leave him alone.”
“I know, but then he goes along with it.”
“That’s the kind of guy he is.”
“Whatever. I’m so done with this.” She runs to catch up with the others. I’m not sure if she means the conversation or the Harry-Marie thing, but either way I’m glad she’s moving on.
It’s not until I turn around and reach into my pocket that I realize I don’t have my key. I gave it to Harry but he never gave it back. And I don’t have my cell phone with me.
I lean against the door, annoyed at myself. All I can do is wait for someone else to come along who lives in our building. Amelia should be back soon, but I hope one of our neighbors shows up first, because if she sees that I locked myself out, she’ll give me a lecture I really don’t want to get.
But then Harry is suddenly racing toward me from across the street.
“I’m an idiot,” he calls out as soon as he’s close enough. He tosses me the keys as he comes to a stop in front of me. “I have no memory of even putting these in my pocket.”
I snatch the keys eagerly. “No problem—you came back just in time.”
“Okay, then,” he says with a nod. “Good night.”
He’s turning when I say, “Harry?”
He instantly swivels back. “Yeah?”
“Can I ask you a question?”
“Of course. Anything.”
“I was just wondering if you knew that you kind of hurtJulia’s feelings tonight.”
His face falls—this clearly wasn’t the topic he was hoping for. “Did I?”
“You really didn’t know?”
He glances off to the side uncomfortably. “I guess I kind of knew,” he says after a moment. “But it seemed sort of stupid. If she wanted to go to the hot tub, she should have just said so.”
“Face it: there’s some kind of weird triangle thing going on with her and you and Marie.”
“Weird triangle thing?” he repeats, his lips twitching.
“You know what I mean.”
“If there is, it’s not my fault.” He holds his hands out. “I’m just being friendly.”
“But if
“Gee, no,” Lawrence says. “You’re just too subtle, that’s your problem.”
Harry and Marie return first—complaining that the tub was more tepid than hot—and are already dressed and eating cookies by the time Isabella and Alex show up.
“It’s such a beautiful night!” Isabella says, her eyes shining. Her cheeks and chin are pink, the way they get when you’ve been kissing a guy who hasn’t shaved since that morning.
“And the cookies are done!” Alex gloats. “We timed this perfectly.”
“I hope you don’t mind that we skipped out on the baking,” Isabella says to the rest of us. “Too many cooks and all that.”
“You okay?” Alex asks Julia, who’s focusing a little too intently on transferring the last batch of cookies to a plate.
“Fine.”
Harry looks up at that and comes over to her. “You don’t sound okay,” he says. “You want to tell Uncle Harry about it?”
She shoots him a venomous look. “Thanks but no thanks.”
He leans toward her and whispers something in her ear. She doesn’t respond. He whispers some more. She smiles reluctantly. He whispers again, and this time she laughs out loud.
They giggle a lot more together while we clean up. Marie glances at them from time to time, her face growing tighter and angrier with every additional minute that she’s left out of their private joke.
We wrap up the cookies to go, and then I usher everyone downstairs—I want them safely out before Amelia returns so I have time to clean up the kitchen.
In front of the building complex, Marie grabs Harry by the arm. “Let’s run some lines together as we walk,” she says, and he lets her pull him ahead of the others.
After everyone else has moved off, Julia lingers behind to say to me miserably, “One second he’s all over me, the next he’s all over her.”
“She won’t leave him alone.”
“I know, but then he goes along with it.”
“That’s the kind of guy he is.”
“Whatever. I’m so done with this.” She runs to catch up with the others. I’m not sure if she means the conversation or the Harry-Marie thing, but either way I’m glad she’s moving on.
It’s not until I turn around and reach into my pocket that I realize I don’t have my key. I gave it to Harry but he never gave it back. And I don’t have my cell phone with me.
I lean against the door, annoyed at myself. All I can do is wait for someone else to come along who lives in our building. Amelia should be back soon, but I hope one of our neighbors shows up first, because if she sees that I locked myself out, she’ll give me a lecture I really don’t want to get.
But then Harry is suddenly racing toward me from across the street.
“I’m an idiot,” he calls out as soon as he’s close enough. He tosses me the keys as he comes to a stop in front of me. “I have no memory of even putting these in my pocket.”
I snatch the keys eagerly. “No problem—you came back just in time.”
“Okay, then,” he says with a nod. “Good night.”
He’s turning when I say, “Harry?”
He instantly swivels back. “Yeah?”
“Can I ask you a question?”
“Of course. Anything.”
“I was just wondering if you knew that you kind of hurtJulia’s feelings tonight.”
His face falls—this clearly wasn’t the topic he was hoping for. “Did I?”
“You really didn’t know?”
He glances off to the side uncomfortably. “I guess I kind of knew,” he says after a moment. “But it seemed sort of stupid. If she wanted to go to the hot tub, she should have just said so.”
“Face it: there’s some kind of weird triangle thing going on with her and you and Marie.”
“Weird triangle thing?” he repeats, his lips twitching.
“You know what I mean.”
“If there is, it’s not my fault.” He holds his hands out. “I’m just being friendly.”
“But if
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