I Found My Heart in
Osmosis
A gradual,
often unconscious process of absorption or learning
By SX Meagher
Part Seven
Conor carried Mia’s
bag to the front door and waited patiently while she rang the bell six times in
fifteen seconds. She had a key, but she wanted to make an entrance. She and
Conor smiled at each other when they heard quick footsteps and a shouted, “Keep
your shirt on!” booming from the house.
“Ryan’s home,” he
said. “Such a dainty girl.”
The door was flung
open and Ryan reached out and grabbed Mia, lifting her off her feet.
Instinctively, she wrapped her legs around Ryan’s hips and kissed her. “I
didn’t know you cared,” she giggled. “Don’t let Jamie catch us.”
“She’ll never
know,” Ryan said. “She called and said she’d be home soon, but we can have fun
until she gets here.” She nuzzled her face into Mia’s neck and blew a loud
raspberry against her skin. “Now that I’ve got you, I’m never letting you go.
You’re mine now.”
Mia ran her hands
over Ryan’s shoulders, then leaned back a little and pinched her cheeks. “I
might not argue. You’re lots softer than
“I’m gonna take off
before you even think about answering that,” Conor said.
“Hey, come in and
hang out,” Ryan said. “Stay for dinner. I promise I won’t gross you out.”
Conor laughed. “It
wouldn’t gross me out if you weren’t
involved. It’d be much better for me if Jamie and Mia and Jordan hooked up.”
“Not gonna happen,”
Ryan said. “Well, I can’t speak for Mia and Jordan, but Jamie’s not into
sharing.”
“There’s not enough
of
Ryan placed Mia
onto the floor. “Come on in. You too, Conor. I’ll make whatever you want for
dinner.”
“I want some of
that pizza you and Jamie are always talking about,” he said.
“Done! I love to
order out. Especially when it’s my day to cook. Pizza good for you, Mia?”
“Hell, yes! I
haven’t had pizza since I left.
“You know you’ve
lost a few pounds too,” Ryan said, looking her over. “You look good, but you’re
almost too thin.” She pulled on a few locks of Mia’s hair, smiling when the
curls sprang back into place. “Your hair looks cute. I’ve never seen it so
long.”
“Thanks. I was
gonna get it cut, but now I think I might let it grow.”
“What’s with
“You’re not,” Ryan
said, looking a little displeased. “
“What’s up with
that?” Conor asked. “She was thin before.”
“Not like she is
now,” Mia said. “She’s all bony and sharp. She’s lost her …” she shot a look at
Conor, “…some of her best parts. But she’s down to the percentage of body fat
that the trainer wants, so she’s supposed to start eating a lot more protein
and working with heavier weights.”
“I hope that guy
knows what he’s doing,” Ryan said. “How’s her energy level?”
“I don’t think it’s
as good as it was, but she doesn’t agree.” Mia shrugged helplessly. “If they
told her to eat rat poison, I think she might do it. She wants this sooooo bad.”
“You’d think the
Olympic team would have somebody competent,” Ryan said. “But maybe she should
go to the doctor and have some blood tests done. She might be hurting herself.”
“Don’t give me
anything else to worry about. Being in a relationship is a full time job!”
Ryan gave her a big
hug, holding onto her while kissing her head. “It is, but it’s a great job,
isn’t it?”
“The best I’ve ever
had,” Mia agreed. “Of course, it’s the first job I’ve ever had, so what the
hell do I know?”
***
Dinner lasted until
after ten o’clock, with Ryan having to run out to the store to buy another
bottle of red wine when they’d run out. She walked Conor out to his truck, and
gave him an enthusiastic hug when they reached the door. “I don’t know if you
were being sincere, but you acted like everything was normal between you and
Mia. Thanks for being so mature.”
“I had nowhere to
go but up,” he said, chuckling. “Besides, it’s obvious Mia’s hooked. If I keep
acting like an ass, you guys won’t want me around when she’s here. And I really
like her.”
“I do too,” Ryan
said. “And it’s a lot of fun having you here when Mia’s home. I think you guys
can be good friends.”
“Yeah. Just what I
need—more girl friends.” He kissed Ryan’s cheek and said, “You’ve gotta branch
out and get some straight friends, really
straight friends. Ones who throw up a little at the thought of kissing a
woman.”
Ryan laughed. “I’ll
look around. Maybe there’s a club at
“That’s all I ask.
My needs are simple.”
“Thanks for picking
Mia up, Con. I won’t even charge you for the pizza.”
“You’re all heart.
I might come see you play on Sunday. Any chance you’ll get in?”
“The usual. I’m
first off the bench, so you never know.”
“Okay. See ya.” He
kissed her cheek and got into his truck, the sound from the massive engine
reverberating down the quiet street.
Jamie and Mia were
still sitting at the table when Ryan went back inside. “One of you has to get
up at 7:00,” she said, looking pointedly at Jamie.
“I know, I know.
But I wanna stay up all night and talk to my buddy!”
“Since I escaped
having to cook, I’ll clean up. You guys go get ready for bed. I assume you were
up at dawn?” she asked Mia.
“5:30, as usual.
I’m not sure what the time difference is between here and
“Her coaches sound
like … mmm…” Ryan considered her options, “… idiots.”
“That’s what I
think. But I try not to say much to
“Go get ready for
bed,” Ryan ordered. “Jamie needs her nine hours.”
A blonde eyebrow
rose. “Then why don’t I ever get more than seven?”
“’Cause you’re
always up too late yapping,” Ryan said. She ducked the spoon her lover threw at
her, eyes going wide when it almost hit a vase filled with jonquils. “Ooo …
that was close. I’ve gotta teach you better. You aim for the gut … then even if
you’re too high or too low, you still hit something. Being an only child really
screwed you up.”
“I’ll get you later,” Jamie said, squinting her
eyes menacingly.
Ryan winked at her.
“That’s the other thing that keeps you up too late.”
***
When Ryan went up
to their bedroom, she wasn’t too surprised to find that Jamie was absent. As
expected, Jamie was lying on Mia’s bed, running her fingers through her
friend’s curls. Ryan put her hands on her hips. “I want in on this.”
“Come on,” Jamie
said, patting her lap. “You can have my other thigh. But I’ll have to alternate
my hand from head to head.”
Ryan poked her head
into Mia’s bathroom and grabbed some moisture lotion. “I want some Mia.” She
sat by the foot of the bed and plopped both of Mia’s feet into her lap. “Can
you tell we missed you?”
Mia purred when
Ryan put some of the lotion on her hands and warmed it, then started to rub it
into the sole of her foot. “I never would have left if you two would’ve done
this every night.”
“We couldn’t get to
you,” Ryan complained. “
“Mmm … right. I
guess being with
Her eyes were
closed, and Jamie smiled at Ryan when it became clear that Mia was going to be
asleep in moments. “While you’re home, we’ll treat you like the princess you
are,” Ryan said. “We’ll cook for you, massage you … anything your heart
desires.”
“Bring Jordy here
to sleep with me,” Mia mumbled, curling up against a pillow and hugging it.
“Almost anything
your heart desires,” Ryan amended, sharing a sympathetic look with Jamie.
***
Ryan was loping
across campus when someone called out, “Hey! Ryan!” She stopped and turned,
seeing Gabe waving at her.
“Hey! What’s up?”
He trotted over to
her. “Did you look at the results from the Putnam?”
“No. Why?”
“I looked at the
team scores. If you’d been on the team instead of Serban,
we would have come in second. Second! And we would’ve lost to
Ryan kicked the
ground. “Damn!”
“Damn is right! If
Skadden hadn’t insisted on screwing things up, we would’ve rocked!”
“It’s over now,”
Ryan said, giving him a collegial slap on the back. “Not much we can do about
it.”
“I’m gonna send an
e-mail to the department head. Skadden shouldn’t be in charge any more. He’s a
dinosaur.”
“I agree,” Ryan
said. “But I don’t think that’s a fight I wanna get involved in. Too uphill.”
“Come on,” he said,
jumping up and down in front of her like a kid. “You’re the one who was
wronged.”
“Yeah, yeah, I
know. But I’m too busy to start a fight. Maybe after graduation.”
Gabe shoved his
hands into his pockets. “I was countin’ on you.”
“I know. But I
can’t do it. I just have other priorities right now.”
“Okay.” He turned,
waving goodbye as he walked away.
Ryan watched him
walk away. “Good luck, Gabe,” she said quietly. “You’ll need it.”
***
When Ryan got home
from her game, Jamie and Mia were sitting in the living room, drinking beer.
“Hey!” Jamie said, lifting her bottle. “Welcome home!”
Ryan smiled and
walked over to give her a kiss. “How was your tournament?”
“Good. Well, as good
as a tournament can be when you don’t get to play. I just got home about
fifteen minutes ago. I would have come over to see you, but I figured you’d be
finished. Did ya win?”
“Yep. We played
well.”
“Did you play?” Mia
asked.
“Nope.” Smiling,
Ryan explained, “I usually go in when we don’t play well.”
“And you’re okay
with that?
“I’d rather play.
But I’m enjoying this for what it is—my last time playing college sports. I
chip in when the coach thinks he needs me, and if he doesn’t—I’m cool.”
“Wow, you’ve
changed,” Mia said, looking at Ryan curiously. “You weren’t like that when you
were playing volleyball.”
Ryan sat next to
Jamie and put her feet up on the coffee table. “You’re right.” She took Jamie’s
beer and took a long gulp. “Mmm … good,” she said, waggling her eyebrows. “I’m
trying to be a little more relaxed about things. I’m not always successful, but
I’m trying.”
Jamie put her arm
around her partner and hugged her. “She’s trying real hard.”
Acknowledging that
with a kiss, Ryan said casually, “I did something good today.”
“What’s that?”
“You know Gabe, who
scored so high on the Putnam?”
“Oh!” Mia said.
“Jamie told me how great you did. That’s so cool!”
“Thanks. Well, the
guy who really kicked ass told me that if I’d been on the team instead of the
guy Skadden put in my place … we would’ve come in second.”
“No!” Jamie cried.
“Yep. And here’s
the good part: he wanted me to help him get Skadden fired as the team leader.”
Jamie blinked at
her. “And you said no?”
“Yep.” Ryan smiled
placidly. “Sure did.”
“But why? You … and
“I know. But Gabe
wasn’t throwing a fit until he saw that the team would have done better with
me. If he was so concerned with equality, he would have fought for me back when
Skadden decided not to put me on. He’s his golden boy, and Skadden probably
would have listened to him if he’d really taken a stand. It’s too late now. And
I’m too busy to bang my head against the wall. The department knows Skadden’s a jerk. They know he’s never had a woman on the
team. They don’t care. And I don’t wanna whip myself into a frenzy trying to
fight the bureaucracy.”
“Damn,” Mia said.
“That’s … mature! When did you get to be mature?”
“Don’t worry, it’s
not consistent,” Ryan assured her. “Jamie can testify to that.”
“I’m stunned,”
Jamie said, and her expression bore her out. “I can’t imagine you letting this
go.”
“It does piss me
off, and I don’t want other women to get screwed. I might write a letter after
graduation; I’m just not into it right now.”
“I’m still
stunned,” Jamie said. “Proud of you, but stunned.”
Ryan snagged the
beer from her partner. “If you’re gonna sit there with your mouth hanging open,
I’m gonna finish this little baby.”
“Go ahead.” Jamie
said, “You know everything I have is yours. Oh, Niall called and said the boys
want to look at that three-flat this weekend. I hope they can manage it without
supervision.”
“Is Brendan going?”
“Yeah, I think so.”
“They’ll be fine,”
Ryan said before draining the bottle.
***
On Saturday
morning, Ryan was just getting ready to leave for the softball field when Mia
came tottering out of her room. She walked right into Ryan and hugged her,
holding on for a long time. “It didn’t take me too long to get out of my 5:30 wake-up
call habit, did it?”
“When did you get
home? I didn’t hear you come in.”
“When do the bars
close?” Mia asked with a grimace.
“Two a.m.”
“Then probably
2:15,” she said, giggling. “But I didn’t get drunk. I just hung out and watched
my friends get drunk. Man, I hang out with some drinkers!”
Ryan chuckled.
“Yeah, you do, but that’s part of the fun of college. If you can’t get wasted
every once in a while when you’re in college, when can you?”
“I still like to
drink, but I’ve cut way, way back since I’ve been with
Ryan reached down
and tickled Mia’s lower back. “Hear that, liver? There’s still a chance you
won’t have to be replaced.”
“Funny, O’Flaherty.
Where are you off to?”
“Softball game.
Wanna come?”
“Gosh, that sounds
tempting,” Mia said, rolling her eyes. “But I’m gonna go see my parents. I
might stay down there and go to Jamie’s match tomorrow. She’s at Stanford,
right?”
“Right. I’m not
sure what she’s gonna be doing, but she can tell you if you call her here
tonight.”
“Okay. If my
parents aren’t behaving themselves, I’ll come home.”
“Call us,” Ryan
said. “And don’t forget. I promised
Mia hugged her
tighter. “I wish I had someone to watch over her. All I’ve got is somebody who
wants to get into her pants.”
“Knowing how
“I know,” Mia said.
“It still makes me … uncomfortable. Jill’s just so obvious about it. When we
left for the airport on Thursday, she made a big deal about how she’d never let
“
“What kind?”
“Fruit Loops. Your
favorite.”
Mia stood on her
tiptoes and pulled Ryan down for a kiss. “You spoil me.” She rubbed the tip of
her nose against Ryan’s. “I love that. I might have chosen you if I’d met you
before Jamie did.”
“Lucky for me,”
Ryan said, laughing. “Neither one of us would have seen thirty!”
***
Ryan had offered
the use of her car, but Mia chose Jamie’s, having driven it many times over the
years. She pulled into her parents’ drive around noon, pleased to see both cars
in the garage. She rang the bell, and smiled at the stunned look on her
father’s face when he opened the door.
“Mia!”
His hug engulfed
her and she held onto him tightly, letting the hug soothe a part of her that
had been seriously wounded.
“What a great
surprise!”
“I should have
called,” she said when he released her. “But I like surprises.”
“This one is
great!”
Her father looked
so happy to see her that she was very glad she’d decided not to go to
“I just got home
from the course. You have great timing,” he said
“Nah. I just slept
late. We usually get up really early. It was nice to be a sloth.”
“Come on in, honey.
Your mom’s outside. She’s putting in some plants.”
Mia walked through
the living room, feeling comforted and safe among the familiar furniture and
knick-knacks. The kitchen smelled like bacon and pancakes, and her stomach
grumbled, even though she’d had a huge bowl of Fruit Loops just an hour ago.
She opened the back door and her mother looked up—and her face brightened like
she’d seen Santa Claus. “Mia!” She jumped to her feet and ripped off her
gardening gloves, but didn’t have time to take a step before Mia wrapped her in
a hug.
“Hi, Mom. I thought
I’d surprise you.”
“Surprise me! I’m
stunned! I was expecting a call telling me when you were leaving for
“
“This is your
home,” Anna Lisa said, hugging her for a long time. “This will always be
your home.”
Mia didn’t say what
she was thinking because she didn’t want her hurt her mother, but she didn’t
think of Hillsborough as home any longer. She knew that
“Can I help you
plant?” Mia asked. “It’s so nice to be outside.” She looked around the large,
well-tended yard. “I miss having any outside space.”
“Sure. I’ll get you
some gloves.”
“No thanks. I like
the dirt.”
Anna Lisa bumped
her with her shoulder. “You were always a little dirt-devil.”
Mia was wearing
jeans, and she knelt down next to her mother and started digging holes for the
bedding plants. “I’ll dig and you can plant. How deep do you want the holes?”
“About three
inches. We’ll be done in no time if we work together.” They put a few plants in
and Anna Lisa said, “Could I convince you to take a drive over to Nonna’s?”
“Sure. I don’t have
any plans.”
“Great! Adam, would
you call my mom and see if she’s home?”
“All right,” he
said, heading for the house with a resigned slump to his shoulders.
Anna Lisa giggled.
“Twenty-five years and he still hates to call her. Men are such babies.”
“He’s not so bad.
You’ve trained him pretty well.”
“It’s not easy!”
Anna Lisa worked quietly for a few minutes, then asked, “Everything’s all
right, isn’t it?”
“Yeah. Why wouldn’t
it be?”
“I don’t know. I
was just worried that maybe you’d had a fight with
“I was. Now, I
don’t want you to think you have any influence over me,” she said, laughing,
“but you do. I thought about what you said and I started to really think about
whether or not I wanted to go.”
“Did
“Yeah … she kinda
did. But she wanted me to go if I was gonna have a great time. And it just
didn’t seem like fun to sit around and wait for her to finish playing. It also
seemed like an awful lot of money for us to be spending almost no time
together. And, to be honest, I don’t have much interest in that part of
“
“If
“Oh, my God! Is she
going to do that?”
“I doubt it. But
it’s an option. They have a good professional league there, and some of her
teammates go there every winter.”
“Are you sure you
know what you’ve gotten yourself into, honey?”
“Nope.” Mia sat
back on her haunches. “Do you ever really know what’s gonna happen when you
love someone? You just kinda see what happens.”
“But she seems to
put this sports thing first in her life!”
Mia shook her head.
“She does, Mom. I’ve told you that. This is one of her life goals. She’s not
gonna do it her whole life, but being on the Olympic squad is the highest level
of competition she’ll ever have. This means the world to her.”
“But what does it
mean to you? Are you just along for the ride?”
Staring at her
mother for a while, she finally said, “Yes.
“How do you know?
If you give in to everything she wants now, won’t she expect that?”
Trying not to roll
her eyes, Mia said, “She’s not like that. She’s not bossy or pushy or anything
like that. If I asked her to, she’d quit the team right now. But I wouldn’t.
I’d never ask her to stop doing something that really means everything to her.”
“Honey, I’m not … I
don’t want you to set things up in a way that always puts her first. That’s
all.”
It wasn’t easy to
keep her cool, but Mia was determined not to fight. “I don’t think you
understand, or maybe you don’t believe me when I say I’m in love with her.
We’re partners. Right now, she has a goal. Later on, I’ll have one, too. We
share. Isn’t that the point of being in love?”
Anna Lisa sat
perfectly still for a minute, then she nodded. “Yes. That’s the point of being
in love. I … suppose I’m not really used to the whole thing yet.”
“You’ll get there,
if you want to,” Mia said.
“Well, you know this isn’t what I want for you, but you do seem happy, and that’s very important to me.” She leaned over and kissed Mia’s cheek. “Even though you might not believe me, I really want you to be happy.”
“I believe that. I just know that you’d rather I was happy the way you want me to be.” She gave her mother a teasing smile.
“Oh, everyone’s
like that. So … what’s your goal?”
“Mmm … I think I’ll
go to law school. Maybe not in a year, but as soon as I can. But my real goal
is to have kids.”
“Kids?”
“Yeah. You know —
small humans.”
“With
“Yep.” Mia didn’t
say another word. She just watched the conflicting emotions whirl across her
mother’s face. She saw everything pass by in a matter of seconds, but she
didn’t try to intervene. She knew this wouldn’t be an easy sell, and she was
prepared for a long fight.
“Well. I hope
you’re going to wait for a while to do that.” Anna Lisa wasn’t giving away
much, but the look on her face was less than enthusiastic.
“Jordan and I
haven’t even talked about it seriously, but my life goal is to be a good
mother. Everything else is just a job.”
She looked like she
was fighting with herself, but Anna Lisa couldn’t help but smile. “You’re
always full of surprises, my sweet girl. I can never guess what’s gonna pop out
of your mouth next.”
“Stay tuned, Mom.
It’s always something.”
***
After they were
finished in the garden, they went upstairs to clean up. Mia had some clothes in
her closet that still fit her, and they were a little bit dressier than the
jeans she was wearing—always a good thing for a visit to her grandparents. Her
mother was ready before her father, and she came downstairs looking edgy. She
walked up behind Mia, who was sitting at the kitchen table, and started to play
with her hair. “I like your hair this length,” she said. “It’s such a pretty
color.”
“Thanks. It’s the
same color as yours, you know.”
“It’s the same as mine
used to be,” Anna Lisa corrected. “I’ve had to start dying mine.”
“Really?” Mia
turned around and looked carefully. “You can’t tell.”
“For what those
thieves charge me, you shouldn’t be able to tell. I don’t have a lot of gray,
but I’m not giving in gracefully. I’m not going to be gray before Nonna is!”
“She’s only
sixty-five, Mom,” Mia teased.
“Thank God she
started lightening it up. She was starting to look like a vampire with that
dark hair and pale skin.”
“Who talked her
into that?”
“God knows. I’d
never have the nerve.”
“It cracks me up
that you’re afraid to tell her something like that,” Mia said.
“It’s not worth it,
honey. There are some things you talk about, and some things you don’t. Uhm …
that … uhm … that’s something I wanted to talk to you about.”
“I won’t talk about
“I hate to make you
feel bad, but it’s too soon. After you’ve been together for a while and know
that you’re stable … then it’ll be easier.”
“No, it won’t.
She’ll still have a fit. But I’m not really in the mood to have her go nuclear
on me, so I wasn’t gonna talk about
Anna Lisa leaned
down and kissed her cheek. “You’re being so mature about all of this. You
really are growing up.”
“I am,” Mia agreed.
“And part of the reason I’m growing up is because of
“I wish she were a
man, but, for a woman, she seems like a good … What do you call her?”
“You can call her
my partner. I call her my luscious lesbian lover.”
Anna Lisa put her
hands around Mia’s throat and playfully choked her. “Forget what I said about
being mature, you little devil!”
“Help! Dad! Mom’s
trying to kill me!”
***
Brendan rang Ryan
that evening. “Hi,” he said. “I think we need another pow-wow.”
“How come?”
“Everybody saw the
building, and we all agree that it’s got potential. But it costs a lot more
than we discussed, and it’s not a house. Knowing Jamie, she’s got something in
mind, but we’re stumped.”
“Huh.” Ryan looked
at her partner, peacefully curled up on the sofa, reading a book. “You’re
right. She’s always got a hidden agenda.”
Jamie looked up and
pointed at herself ostentatiously. Ryan wrinkled up her nose and nodded.
Chuckling, Brendan
said, “Wanna ask her, or should we just do as she says?”
“It’s easier if you
just do as she says.” Jamie nodded energetically. “But we should probably chat.
How about tomorrow night? We’re planning on coming home for dinner.”
“Okay. I’ll set up
a poker game. That’ll attract a crowd.”
“Sounds good. Will
I see you and Maggie at dinner?”
“Don’t think so.
She’s got a cocktail party for work that she’s dragging me to. We’ll probably
have dinner with some of her co-workers.”
“Sounds like fun,”
Ryan teased, knowing he hated to socialize with strangers.
“Yeah. Being in
love stinks sometimes, but it’s worth it in the long run.” He laughed softly.
“At least that’s what I keep telling myself.”
***
On Saturday
evening, Conor pressed the bell at Catherine’s
“You don’t need to
go to any trouble for me, Marta. I’m fine.”
“I’d enjoy making
you a drink. I’m a good bartender.” Her dark eyes were twinkling and Conor
found himself unable to resist her offer. “Okay. Just a little whiskey and
water.”
She nodded and went
to a bar hidden in an antique armoire. After naming six brands of whiskey and
two kinds of bottled water, Conor made his choices, hoping he didn’t have to
specify a type of ice. Marta handed him the drink and put out a coaster, then
left the room. Conor wished she would have stayed and chatted, but he assumed
that wasn’t done.
Catherine appeared
relatively soon and he stood to greet her. “As usual … you look fantastic,” he
said. He studied her, looking at her hair, her jewelry, her clothing and her
shoes. “Flawless. Just flawless.”
Laughing softly,
Catherine said, “Your sister does the same thing. She looks me over like she’s
my dresser. Did you two learn that from your father?”
“Ha! You’ve gotta
be kidding! Da tells every woman she looks nice. He’s completely
untrustworthy.”
“I’ll have to
remember that.”
“Don’t trust Rory
or Brendan either. They don’t have a clue.”
“You’re always a
surprise,” Catherine said. “And may I sincerely tell you that you look fabulous
in your suit. That’s a very nice tie,” she said admiring the navy blue
background with multi-colored dots.
“Thanks. I wanted
something to give the suit some pop. Polka dots won’t be stylish for long, but
they’re in right now.”
“You really do care
about how you look, don’t you?”
Conor smiled.
“Sure. I get so dirty at work that I love to get cleaned up.”
“You certainly
don’t look like your average carpenter.”
“It’s harder for me
than for a guy who sits at a desk. I have to get a manicure to get the grime
from my fingernails, and I need a facial every few weeks to get the dirt out of
my pores.”
Catherine blinked.
“You go to a salon?”
“Yeah. Unless I’m
dating someone. I had a girlfriend for a long time and she used to love to give
me facials and things like that. She said I was the only guy she’d ever gotten
to play with like that.”
“I … I’d guess so.
I’ve certainly never done that for a man.”
“I don’t think I’d
do it if I lived in Moose Nose,
Catherine laughed.
“You’re full of as many contradictions as your sister. You two are most
definitely interesting companions.”
“Then let’s go.
Your car or mine?”
“Mine, if you don’t
mind. Will you drive?” Catherine held out the keys.
“Twist my arm!”
***
The event was being
held at Davies Symphony Hall, a place Conor had never entered. But he conducted
himself well, managing to be at Catherine’s side when she looked for him and
absent when she was having a serious conversation. He made a little small talk
on his own, but primarily acted as a very proper, discreet companion.
Waiters carried hot
and cold appetizers on trays, and Conor had a few of each, not wanting to
appear too ravenous. He also didn’t want to risk dripping on his new tie, which
had cost him a day’s labor. Waiters also circulated with flutes of champagne,
and he availed himself of two of those. A large table in the corner held
various kinds of cheese and later in the evening a second table was revealed;
this one filled with tiers of desserts.
“Would you like
something sweet?” Catherine asked.
“Uhm … is there …
more food? Real food?”
Her eyes widened.
“Didn’t you have enough canapés?”
“No, not if that’s
all we get.”
He looked so
disappointed that she nearly laughed. “Oh, Conor, I’m sorry I didn’t make it
clear that this wasn’t a formal dinner. The hall isn’t big enough to seat all
of these people, so they just serve heavy hors d’oeuvres.”
“Those were heavy?
A piece of mango stuck to a shrimp isn’t heavy … it’s light … it’s
ultra-light.”
“Did you have some
of that
“Yes, but it was
cut with a plane. Wood shavings are thicker than that. I’m gonna have to stand
at that dessert table and make some sparks fly.”
He grinned at
Catherine, but she could see that he was serious. “You don’t have much of a
sweet tooth, do you?”
“No, not really. I
like pie and a chocolate malt once in a while, but I’m
an entrée kinda guy.”
“Then we’ll go get
you an entrée.” She started to walk away, but Conor touched her arm.
“No, we don’t have
to leave. I can stop and get a burger on my way home. You need to be here.”
“I’ve spoken to
everyone,” she said. “I’ve done my duty and we can go … unless you’re not
ready.”
“Oh, I could
probably force myself to take off. Especially since there’s no dancing. I had
my eye on that woman over there who’s tapping her foot to the music.”
Catherine looked
over and saw a woman who was likely a nonagenarian, tapping her foot and
shifting her shoulders while her ancient husband leaned against a wall to avoid
falling over.
“Her husband
doesn’t look like he can lead her around the dance floor any more. I bet she
misses dancing.”
He looked entirely
serious, and Catherine once again marveled at the playful/serious,
thoughtful/impetuous O’Flaherty clan.
***
A short time later
they were ensconced at a small table at an equally small bistro in
“Mmm …” She
swallowed and considered his comment. “I am. I don’t feel as lonely, and that’s
always a plus. And I …” She thought just a few seconds before she decided to be
honest with him. “I feel desirable again.”
“The guy who showed
up at your house during the party?”
“Why … yes. Was it
that obvious?”
“No, no.” He shook
his head decisively. “But he didn’t look like an old family friend. Jamie
didn’t know him, so … I just guessed.”
She colored
slightly. “I don’t know why I’m a little embarrassed to have Giacomo in my
life.” She shifted in her seat. “Yes, I do. He’s married.”
“Ooo … unhappily?”
“No, on the
contrary. He’s happily married, but both he and his wife have outside …
interests.”
Conor’s blue eyes
widened. “Now that’s a marriage I
could get into!”
“I couldn’t,” she
said immediately. “And that’s one of my problems. I put myself in his wife’s
position and know how much I’d hate having my husband being intimate with
another woman.” She didn’t reveal she’d been in such a position many times, her
decision to keep her marital troubles private holding firm. “I hate doing
something to a woman that I’d hate to have done to me.”
“But she doesn’t
hate it? You know that?”
“Do I know that?”
She frowned. “I know that’s what Giacomo has told me from the beginning. He
says she has a lover … the same person for many years.”
“Maybe you’d feel
better if you talked to her. If she really doesn’t care …”
“Giacomo has
offered,” she said. “They’ve always kept things an open secret, but he told her
about me and asked if she’d talk to me.”
“Then he must be
telling the truth. That’s a whopper to get out of if you’re bluffing.”
“I don’t think he’s
the type to lie. I really don’t.”
“You’re sure he’s
on … the up and up? He’s trustworthy?” Conor didn’t have the heart to ask if
Giacomo could be after Catherine’s money, and he hoped she’d see behind his
question.
“Yes. I’m sure of
that. He doesn’t need anything from me. He has children, a wife much younger
than me, money, connections. There’s not a reason in the world he cares for
me—except me.”
“Like that’s not
enough!”
She reached out and
rubbed the back of his hand. “You’re so good for my ego.”
“Your ego isn’t big
enough. Neither is your appetite.” Their server set his steak and her six
oysters on the table. Conor looked at the heaping mound of ultra-thin, crispy
fries on his plate and said, “I won’t rest until you help me finish these off.”
She grinned at him
and snagged one, blowing on it to cool it. Taking a delicate bite, she closed
her eyes for a moment then said, “Divine. The worse food is for you, the better
it tastes.”
That’s true for men, too, Conor thought, hoping that such wasn’t the
case with Giacomo.
***
They almost
finished the fries, but Conor had to take care of two of Catherine’s oysters.
“How can you not have room for two oysters?” he asked, patting his mouth clean.
“I could have two dozen as a light
appetizer.”
She laughed at his
use of the term. “How many for a heavy one?”
“One of those
numbers Ryan talks about. The ones so big they have to guess at how many zeroes
there are.”
“Your sister has
been such a wonderful addition to our family, Conor. I hope you all know how
much I love her.”
“I do. She does
too. Believe me, we wouldn’t ask you over all the time if you weren’t nice to
her. You don’t see Jim dropping by when he’s in town, do you?”
“No, I suppose I
don’t. But he’s coming around.”
“I like him. But he
could cure cancer and Da wouldn’t … throw water on him if he were on fire.”
He’d barely caught himself before he’d said “piss.” “He doesn’t forgive or
forget, especially where my little sister is concerned.”
“But he’s always
been polite.”
“Oh, sure, he’s
polite. But it’s a very chilly polite.” He chuckled, his expression adorably
demonic to Catherine’s eyes.
“How about you,
Conor? Anyone special in your life?”
“No. But I wouldn’t
mind finding someone. I’m ready to settle down a little.”
“It shouldn’t be
hard for you to find a nice woman. I’d guess you could have your pick.”
“No, that’s not
true.” He didn’t feel comfortable talking about Mia, so he just smiled. “Uhm …
are you … exclusive with Giacomo?”
“Hmm. Good
question.” She tilted her head and thought for a moment. “I thought I wanted to
meet a man and either get married or have another marriage-like relationship.
But now I’m not so sure.”
“Really? Why?”
“Oh, I think it’s
hard to find love. I certainly don’t know anyone I’d like to date, and I
probably know everyone in my economic class in
“That can’t be your
only reason to give up on marriage.” His expression showed just how little he
believed her.
“No, I suppose not.
The real reason is that I’m at the age where all of the men have been married
once or twice or three times.” She smiled wryly. “I don’t really want to have
step-children or vengeful ex-wives or all of the turmoil that entails. Having a
… whatever Giacomo is to me … is easy. I know where I stand, I know what he
wants, and I know neither of us expects anything to change. That makes things …
tidy.”
He gazed at her for
a few moments, looking into her eyes. “Is that enough?”
“It is for now.”
She took a long sip of water, but Conor’s eyes were still trained on her when
she looked up. “But I’d like more. Maybe not now, but one day I’d like to have
someone I don’t have to share.”
“How often do you
see each other?”
“Not very often. He
lives in
“Full time?”
“Sadly, yes. It
certainly increases the price of a date. Luckily, I can afford it.”
***
Conor waited
patiently while Catherine opened the door of her home. It was late, so he
assumed he’d just walk her to the door. But she turned and said, “Come in, if
you’re not too tired.”
He checked his
watch. “It’s almost midnight ...”
“Oh, you don’t have
to come in. I just wanted to see how you felt about tonight.”
“Felt?” He looked
puzzled. “I had fun. Is that what you mean?”
“Yes. I … I’d love
to ask you to some other events, but I want to make sure you’d really enjoy
yourself.”
“Catherine, if I
hadn’t gone with you tonight I’d either be at a pub with my cousins or playing
cards, or lying on my bed watching TV. My life isn’t very exciting. Hanging out
with you shows me a whole new world. One I like, a lot!”
She smiled at his
exuberance. “What do you like about it?”
“I like getting
dressed up and going places I’ve never been. It’s kinda like getting a day pass
to a really cool club that you could never join.”
Puzzled, she asked,
“Are you certain? Because there are other people I could go with. You just
seemed to enjoy going to the opera benefit …”
“I’m positive.
Really. I’ll go any time you need an escort. But I wish you would have let me
pay for dinner. You really didn’t have to buy.”
“It’s my fault you
left the party hungry. Next time I’ll warn you if we’re not going to get a
proper dinner.”
“Cool. I hope next
time is soon.”
“How about next
Friday? I’m going to a cocktail party at Stanford Law to raise funds for
scholarships. It’s just cocktails, so we can have dinner afterward—my treat.”
He pursed his lips,
scowling slightly. “Only if I pay.”
“We’ll have dinner
at my house.” She playfully stuck her tongue out at him. “No charge.”
He didn’t think it
appropriate to reply with his usual, “Don’t stick that out if you’re not gonna
use it,” so he just smiled at her. “Next Friday it is. When and where do you
want me?”
***
Looking glum, Mia
walked downstairs on Saturday night. Noting her lethargic shuffle, Jamie asked,
“What’s up?”
“Jordy finally
found an Internet café in
“Ooo … is she
bummed?”
Mia sat down and
thought for a moment. “Seemed so. She didn’t have much to say, really. Just
told me they were playing at about the level they usually do, but they couldn’t
keep up. Then she said she loved me and that I’d made a good decision not to
come. But she didn’t say why.”
“Maybe the hotels
aren’t very good,” Ryan suggested.
“Or maybe they
don’t have much free time,” Jamie added.
“Kinda hard to tell
when she writes about ten lines.” She put her feet on the chair and rested her
head on her knees. “She must be depressed and grouchy.”
“Or tired,” Ryan
said. “It’s draining to play at that level, and even though they’ve been
practicing hard, playing real matches is very different. Much more intense.”
Mia nodded. “She
does get quiet when she’s tired.”
“She’s quiet when
she’s wide awake,” Ryan teased. “Don’t read too much into this.” She stood and
yawned. “Time for bed.” Holding a hand out to Jamie, Ryan helped her to her
feet. “Want anything rubbed, Mia?”
She smiled and
narrowed her eyes, thinking. “Mini-backrub?”
“You got it. I’ll
even make it a maxi if the mini doesn’t knock you out.”
***
On Sunday
afternoon, Mia walked up behind a beautifully attired blonde woman and
whispered, “Rumor has it that the Evans kid faked the broken arm because she
flunked a drug test.”
Catherine whirled
around and stared at Mia. “My God, I was about to slap you! Nobody talks about
my baby like that.” She gave Mia an enthusiastic hug. “It’s so good to see
you!”
Slightly stunned at
the enthusiasm of the greeting, Mia gathered herself and managed to say,
“Thanks, Catherine. It’s good to see you, too. How’s Jamie doing?”
“Good. It’s silly
for me to come out to watch her team when she’s not playing, but I’ve followed
them all year. I hate to stop now.”
“Where is she?”
“Oh, she rides
around in a cart and takes drinks to the players. She seems to enjoy it.”
As they started to
walk to the next hole, Catherine said, “Jamie told me a little bit about
“Oh. Well, they
play the Russian national team tomorrow. The Russians are probably the best
team in the world right now—well, either them or the Cubans. I’m afraid the
“Is
“Oh, yeah.” Mia was
smiling so brightly that Catherine unconsciously mimicked her. “She loves it,
Catherine. The only bad thing is that she’s worried she won’t make the final
cut. They have to get rid of seven or eight players before the Olympics, and
she’s afraid she might be one of ’em.”
“Oh, dear, that
would be awful! Especially after all she’s given up!” She reached out and
grasped Mia’s arm. “Not to mention what you’ve sacrificed.”
“Yeah. It would
suck royally. I don’t really wanna think about it, ’cause I know she won’t be
able to walk away. If she gets cut, she’ll wanna play in
Catherine looked at
Mia for a moment. “But you would, wouldn’t you?”
“Yep. I’m hooked,
Catherine. I’d do just about anything to make her happy.”
“Being in love can
be hard, can’t it?”
“Sure can be. But
it’s worth it. At least
“You look happy and
healthy and very content. I think
“That’s what I keep
telling her.” Mia laughed. “So far—she’s bought it!”
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