“Great!” Bart stood and handed Celia the flowers. “I’m glad we got things fixed.”
“Me too,” Celia said. “These are beautiful, thank you.”
Bart walked toward the door, and Celia followed. “The gala starts at 8:00, so I’ll pick you up at 7:30.”
“Sounds good,” Celia said, keeping a bit of space between her and Bart. “I’m looking forward to it.”
After Bart left, Celia went to the kitchen and looked through her cabinets until she found a vase. After filling it with water, she took the flowers, ready to cut them. Then, instead, Celia opened the cabinet under the sink, pulled out the garbage can, and dropped them inside.
Chapter 10
On Friday night, Celia and Marlene met at Zahav, an Israeli restaurant they both enjoyed. It was a bit crowded, but because the owner knew them both, they managed to get seated quickly. After ordering drinks and hummus, Marlene pinned Celia with a serious look.
“So tell me more about this Bart.”
“Well, I think he’s fine. I was still pissed off when we talked before.”
“What does that mean? What happened?”
“We went out a few times. He’s pretty charming. Then I met him at a bar one night and we had a fight, parted ways. We were both drunk.”
“Okay, following,” Marlene nodded.
“Well, I went out the next night to a pool place. You know I love to play pool.”
“I know you love hustling,” Marlene laughed.
“True. Well, I played a few games with a guy. He was funny and hot. We ended up back at my townhouse. Let’s just say we were both exhausted and fell asleep.”
Marlene sighed dramatically and pretended to pout. “Ah. Memories of wild sex.”
Laughing, Celia continued. “Well, we were both still asleep, and someone knocked at my door.”
“Oh, I know where this is going. It was Bart, coming to grovel.”
“I don’t know why he was there, but he heard Tom in the background, and he blew up. I get why it bugged him. But we never said we were exclusive, and we’d had that fight and ended things.”
“Yeah,” Marlene shook her head. “That isn’t how they think. You were both drunk. He thought it was just a fight. And I assume you’d been sleeping with Bart, right?”
“I had been.”
“Sorry, hon. You two were a couple. At least in his mind. But still, he didn’t have to act like a jerk.”
“Well, he tried to apologize and I ignored his calls. Then he showed up again.”
“Wow. What did he say?”
“He apologized. He apologized for the fight and for making assumptions. He fell on his sword.”
“Okay...” Marlene sounded surprised. “Is that all?”
“Well, he said he wanted to be friends. He invited me to that gala tomorrow night.”
“You didn’t say yes, did you?”
“I wasn’t going to, but Norah Jones is singing.”
“Oh Celia,” Marlene scolded. “You know he wants to be more than friends.”
“Probably, but it’s a public venue. I will not let him come back to my place. And it’s Norah Jones.”
“For someone so brilliant, you don’t always understand nuances, do you?”
Celia was a little miffed. “Look, I’m a big girl. I can handle an evening with a man who said he only wanted to be friends.”
“I know you can. But don’t go out with him after this. Something about him seems off.”
“Yes, Mom,” Celia teased. “Boy, those maternal hormones are kicking in, aren’t they? Do I have a curfew?”
“Bitch,” Marlene teased. “I am getting hungry, though. Don’t they know they can’t keep a pregnant woman waiting for food?”
After dinner, the two of them walked in and out of random shops, catching up and gossiping. Marlene was an expert gossip. She told Celia more backstories about the staff at The Journal than she’d ever wanted to know, including stories about John’s antics before Celia began working there. Celia talked about some of her travels, and Marlene expressed jealousy. Celia laughed at Marlene for needing to pee at every place they visited. But she felt herself relax for the first time in a while. She’d been so busy traveling, interviewing killers, and navigating Bart’s ego, she hadn’t realized how much she needed a mindless night with a female friend.
“So, are you thinking of names yet?” Celia asked.
“Well, we’re talking about it. Dave wants a family name if it’s a boy. I would like to use my Nona’s name if it’s a girl.”
“What was your Nona’s name again?”
“Olivia.”
“Oh, I like that. I can’t stand these strange new names people choose. Especially celebrities. What are they thinking? Can you imagine the news in twenty years? Senator Astral took the floor today to champion a new gun control bill. This is Plum Johnson-Evanovich reporting.”
Marlene giggled. “Hmmm, I kind of like Astral.”
“Don’t you dare! I will adopt that child myself.”
By 10:00, Celia could tell Marlene was about to fall asleep standing on the sidewalk. They said their goodbyes, and Celia drove home. Predictably, Lucille was in her front yard calling for Jerry when she got home.
“Oh, hello dear,” Lucille asked. “Have a nice evening?”
“I did. Dinner with an old friend.”
“Oh, I see. Your young man was here earlier. I thought you might have been out with him.” Jerry walked out from behind Celia’s bushes and rubbed himself on her legs before allowing Lucille to pick him up.
“Not tonight. Just the girls. Goodnight, Lucille.”
Celia was a little irritated as she unlocked her door and walked inside her townhouse. They were going to the gala tomorrow night. Why would Bart just drop by like that? Marlene was right. He probably hoped he could convince her to be more than friends. She would have to make that clear at the gala, and that would be the end of it. Nora Jones or no Norah Jones.
The light was blinking again. Celia almost deleted the message without listening, but she couldn’t quite do it.
“Celia, I’m going to be in the Philadelphia area for business next week. I figure you live somewhere near The Journal office. Please call
