I faced Heather, my finger jabbing her in the chest, and narrowed my gaze. If I could have shot steam from my ears, I would have added that for effect.
“You’re mad,” she said.
“Wow. She’s smart.” I practically hissed the words. “Disappear. Freak me out. Then show up acting like life’s great and no, I’m not going to be mad. Where have you been?”
She sighed and dropped her purse in the floor. “You wouldn’t believe me if I told you.”
“Try me.”
Heather glanced from me to Beverly and back, her expression saying, Does she have to hear this?
“Talk.” No way was I letting her out of spilling the beans, and Beverly was going to listen in. She’d stayed with me all night to keep me from falling apart.
“I had a situation come up.”
I glared at her and curled my fingers into fists. That was lame, and she knew it.
“All right, already. I’ll tell you.” Pulling out the desk stool, she seated herself and crossed her ankles. “I’ve been seeing this guy. Levi Roth.”
“I know him,” Beverly said. “Cute Jewish kid.”
“Not a ‘kid’,” Heather said. “He’s twenty-two, but yes, he’s Jewish.”
“And?” I snapped my fingers.
“And I’ve decided to convert.”
I had one of those moments, one of those speechless, nothing-but-crickets moments. I was seriously floored. I mean, here I’d thought she was sleeping around, and the whole time she was simply thinking about her faith?
“Don’t look so shocked,” she said. “I know how I’ve always been, but Levi, he’s … perfect.”
She gave me this lovesick look then, and I wasn’t sure whether to cheer or barf.
“I’m happy for you,” I said at last. “But that doesn’t explain why you disappeared without telling anyone. I am your best friend, and we have been friends since middle school. Didn’t you think I’d worry? And your mom didn’t know where you were. And you didn’t answer your phone. Where did you go anyhow?”
“One answer at a time,” she said. “First, mom didn’t know because I haven’t told her. She’ll be against it. Second, I should have told you, but I didn’t have time. He said we had to go right then or we wouldn’t make it there.”
“Make it where?”
Her face had flushed. She was excited about whatever it was she’d done.
“Classes. I attended classes to help me decide if this is what I want to do. He barely got me in. The class was full, but then they had someone drop out.”
So that made some sense, but raised another question. “Couldn’t you take it later? He’s not pressuring you is he?”
I guess I was thinking about Ichabod in asking her that. After all, he’d said the same thing to me, and so it seemed important.
“Not pressuring.” She glanced down at her feet. “But … see … he … he asked me to marry him.”
Revelation number two made me jump in place. Marriage? Here I was thinking she was loose as a goose, and she wasn’t at all. It was like those murder stories in a funny way. At least in the sense of me thinking I knew her and I didn’t all along.
“Be happy for me,” Heather said.
“I am.” I let the words sit between us. “I’m also wondering why you gave me such a hard time about Ichabod.”
“Ichabod, or whoever he actually is, is different because you don’t know who he is. I know Levi. I’ve met his family. I stayed at their house. I attended their synagogue.” She paused, seemingly to think. “Okay, say I give you the benefit of the doubt, and Ichabod’s the best guy ever. What if he’s not a Christian, then what are you going to do?”
Great. Pile on the guilt. I was starting to wish Heather would go back to her boyfriend’s family.
“See? You haven’t given that any thought, and I can see it. You’re hung up on him. You’ve been thinking about him all week, imagining how it’ll be, but then you’ll get there and he’ll have a weird habit or something.”
I shot to my feet. “For your information, he called me yesterday and asked if I wanted to call it off. I said no. I have no interest in calling it off.”
“Gees, Georgia, relax,” she snapped.
“You relax. The least you could have done was answer your stinkin’ phone.”
“My phone died, and I didn’t have a charger. It seemed stupid to buy one for one day’s use. I thought about asking to use their house phone, but how to say, ‘I need to call my roommate so she won’t worry,’ and them think I’m not irresponsible for not telling you sooner. I was trying to make a good impression.”
I looked away from her and up the wall where she’d hung several band posters. I could see her side of it, but I could also see mine. And feel the pain she’d caused and the mounting frustration over my date.
v “How ‘bout you let up and walk me to the gates?” I asked. She and I had, after all, made a deal about that. “But you have to promise not to tell me if you know him.”
“Not a word,” she said. “And for what it’s worth, I’m sorry for making you worry.”
I nodded. I was still angry with her, but too tired to argue further. “Fine. No making faces either,” I added.
She smiled. “Not a one.”
Somehow I didn’t believe her.
“You’re mad,” she said.
“Wow. She’s smart.” I practically hissed the words. “Disappear. Freak me out. Then show up acting like life’s great and no, I’m not going to be mad. Where have you been?”
She sighed and dropped her purse in the floor. “You wouldn’t believe me if I told you.”
“Try me.”
Heather glanced from me to Beverly and back, her expression saying, Does she have to hear this?
“Talk.” No way was I letting her out of spilling the beans, and Beverly was going to listen in. She’d stayed with me all night to keep me from falling apart.
“I had a situation come up.”
I glared at her and curled my fingers into fists. That was lame, and she knew it.
“All right, already. I’ll tell you.” Pulling out the desk stool, she seated herself and crossed her ankles. “I’ve been seeing this guy. Levi Roth.”
“I know him,” Beverly said. “Cute Jewish kid.”
“Not a ‘kid’,” Heather said. “He’s twenty-two, but yes, he’s Jewish.”
“And?” I snapped my fingers.
“And I’ve decided to convert.”
I had one of those moments, one of those speechless, nothing-but-crickets moments. I was seriously floored. I mean, here I’d thought she was sleeping around, and the whole time she was simply thinking about her faith?
“Don’t look so shocked,” she said. “I know how I’ve always been, but Levi, he’s … perfect.”
She gave me this lovesick look then, and I wasn’t sure whether to cheer or barf.
“I’m happy for you,” I said at last. “But that doesn’t explain why you disappeared without telling anyone. I am your best friend, and we have been friends since middle school. Didn’t you think I’d worry? And your mom didn’t know where you were. And you didn’t answer your phone. Where did you go anyhow?”
“One answer at a time,” she said. “First, mom didn’t know because I haven’t told her. She’ll be against it. Second, I should have told you, but I didn’t have time. He said we had to go right then or we wouldn’t make it there.”
“Make it where?”
Her face had flushed. She was excited about whatever it was she’d done.
“Classes. I attended classes to help me decide if this is what I want to do. He barely got me in. The class was full, but then they had someone drop out.”
So that made some sense, but raised another question. “Couldn’t you take it later? He’s not pressuring you is he?”
I guess I was thinking about Ichabod in asking her that. After all, he’d said the same thing to me, and so it seemed important.
“Not pressuring.” She glanced down at her feet. “But … see … he … he asked me to marry him.”
Revelation number two made me jump in place. Marriage? Here I was thinking she was loose as a goose, and she wasn’t at all. It was like those murder stories in a funny way. At least in the sense of me thinking I knew her and I didn’t all along.
“Be happy for me,” Heather said.
“I am.” I let the words sit between us. “I’m also wondering why you gave me such a hard time about Ichabod.”
“Ichabod, or whoever he actually is, is different because you don’t know who he is. I know Levi. I’ve met his family. I stayed at their house. I attended their synagogue.” She paused, seemingly to think. “Okay, say I give you the benefit of the doubt, and Ichabod’s the best guy ever. What if he’s not a Christian, then what are you going to do?”
Great. Pile on the guilt. I was starting to wish Heather would go back to her boyfriend’s family.
“See? You haven’t given that any thought, and I can see it. You’re hung up on him. You’ve been thinking about him all week, imagining how it’ll be, but then you’ll get there and he’ll have a weird habit or something.”
I shot to my feet. “For your information, he called me yesterday and asked if I wanted to call it off. I said no. I have no interest in calling it off.”
“Gees, Georgia, relax,” she snapped.
“You relax. The least you could have done was answer your stinkin’ phone.”
“My phone died, and I didn’t have a charger. It seemed stupid to buy one for one day’s use. I thought about asking to use their house phone, but how to say, ‘I need to call my roommate so she won’t worry,’ and them think I’m not irresponsible for not telling you sooner. I was trying to make a good impression.”
I looked away from her and up the wall where she’d hung several band posters. I could see her side of it, but I could also see mine. And feel the pain she’d caused and the mounting frustration over my date.
v “How ‘bout you let up and walk me to the gates?” I asked. She and I had, after all, made a deal about that. “But you have to promise not to tell me if you know him.”
“Not a word,” she said. “And for what it’s worth, I’m sorry for making you worry.”
I nodded. I was still angry with her, but too tired to argue further. “Fine. No making faces either,” I added.
She smiled. “Not a one.”
Somehow I didn’t believe her.
♥
Georgia Davis didn’t know the boy standing there, or why moments later when he asked to kiss her she said yes. Kiss a complete stranger? Who does that? Yet the most amazing kiss she’s ever had then becomes a first date with an agreement to forget their real names. Really it makes no sense. Except somewhere deep inside, for one evening, it just has to be this way. He’s Ichabod, and she’s Penelope.
*Other ebook retailers includes: Barnes & Noble, Kobo, Apple, Tolino, Vivlio, Smashwords, Gardners, Fable, Everand, Overdrive, Odilio, cloudLibrary, Hooplan, BorrowBox, Bookshop
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Suzanne D. Williams, Author
www.suzannedwilliams.com
www.feelgoodromance.com
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