Chapter 3 #2
I nodded. “I hope it does. People like that don’t face consequences nearly enough, but sometimes they do.”
She gave me a small smile. “You know something that might be weird to say?”
“Tell me?”
“I always appreciated that you took me seriously. Everybody else would automatically take my male colleagues more seriously, even the other women. Not you, though. I suspected you wouldn’t try any of the…
well, what had you been doing with him before, had you been leading him on, what were you wearing sort of tactics. ”
I softened a little, but I didn’t get to say anything before a figure came up towards the table, and Victoria’s pupils dilated at the sight, going marble-white, and I didn’t get to ask before the man put a hand on her shoulder.
“Well, look who’s here,” he said, and I moved instinctively in the stupidest possible way, which was that I lunged across the table and snatched him by the wrist, tugging his hand off her.
“Hey—I don’t know where you were raised, jackass, but here on earth we don’t grab random women!” I said, and Victoria looked at me mortified, about half the restaurant turning to look at me, and the man looked stunned at me for a second before he broke out into a big laugh, eyes sparkling.
“I’m—I’m so sorry,” Victoria said, speaking quickly as she gestured for me to let go. “Bridget, this is my brother Kevin. Kevin… hi.”
“Oh,” I said, letting go, feeling cold in my face, briefly considering walking out into the snow and dying. “I’m… so sorry.”
Kevin laughed, and the rest of the patrons around us relaxed, settling slowly back down. “Not even mad,” he said. “She’s pretty decent. Never thought I’d see you back in town, Vicky. Mom told me about you and Miss Bridget.”
“I just got back today,” Victoria said, settling back into her seat.
I barely heard anything, just steeping in mortified embarrassment.
“Bridget helped me move my things in and everything, and so once I finished unpacking, I figured the least I could do was treat her to some dinner, but… the last thing I expected was to see you here.”
“Ah, you know how it is. Seasoned rice. Well, welcome back. When are you coming around to visit? Sam and I are on our way out, so we can’t really stay and chat, but… we’ll want to see you and catch up. It’s, uh… it’s been a long time.”
Victoria looked down at the table. “It has… yeah. Who’s Sam?”
Kevin flashed a secretive smile. “I know, I know. Said I’d never go dating someone. Best-laid plans and all that.”
Victoria shot him a wide-eyed look. “You, have a girlfriend now? How are you seeing someone?”
He chuckled. “Dunno. Things happen. Hopefully you two will be able to meet back at the family house soon. See you, Vicky,” he said, and he stepped in to give her a hug. I felt like melting through the seat and puddling on the floor and dying, but somehow, I didn’t, not this time at least.
“I am so sorry about that,” I mumbled once Kevin was gone, and she gave me the sweetest smile in the world.
“Don’t apologize for that,” she laughed. “I’m glad I can rest assured I’ll be safe around you.”
Well, yeah. I might have been thirsting over her more than anyone right now, but at least I knew what consent was, dammit. I folded my hands on the table. “So your brother’s okay?”
She pushed out a heavy breath, picking at her food. “I didn’t intend to get you wrapped up in my family drama, too. God knows I’m already putting enough things on you. We can just pretend that didn’t happen, if you prefer.”
“I don’t know if you think I just ask questions to hear my own voice, but it’s actually that I want to know.”
She laughed, catching herself off-guard with it.
“Touché.” She shrugged. “I don’t know. Honestly.
That didn’t feel like any of the interactions I’ve had with him before.
My family’s… they’re not terrible. They never treated me badly.
It just always felt… strange… uncomfortable.
They’re so formal, stiff, like any show of emotion is tantamount to murder. ”
“Oh.”
She scrunched up her face at me. “I know what you’re thinking.”
I put my hands up. “I didn’t say it out loud!”
“Mm-hm. I can read your thoughts.”
Thank god she couldn’t, or she’d be horrified. “But you talked to your mom before coming here?”
“Ah… I should have taken your advice and just let you handle it. After I first called you, I reached out to some old family friends too, to see if anyone had leads. It got back to my mother from there, and she called me to tell me they were converting the home office to a bedroom that would be suitable for the duration of my stay. You actually called in the middle of that call and gave me a miraculous out.”
I chewed my lip. “You don’t have to go back to see them if it makes you uncomfortable. They don’t own you.”
“No,” she sighed, “but I should face it. They know I live in Merrimount now, and if I ignore them, they’ll probably send… I don’t know, spies, to watch the neighborhood, see where I go, track me back to you, and then I’ll be getting you in trouble, too, won’t I?”
“Your mother commands an army of spies, then, does she?”
“Mm. Otherwise known as neighborhood busybodies.”
“Oh, even worse. This old guy across from my complex just stops whatever he’s doing to stare at me when I go out and he’s there too. I swear, he’s never seen a le… a lady before.” I needed to make it more than eight hours before I nearly let the word lesbian slip. “He’d rat on me for sure.”
She smiled wider. “So, I should probably face it.”
“Anything I can do to help?”
She frowned sharply. “You don’t need to fix every problem in my life, Bridget.”
“No, I know, just—sorry. I’m being nosy.”
She shook her head. “It’s not that. I just don’t want you to feel like you’re responsible for this mess.” She reached across the table, and I had a heart attack when she put her hand on top of mine. “This is more than enough. It means a lot. Thanks, Bridget. Now, let’s eat.”