Page 61 of Unfiltered
Abby groaned at the memory. The well-meaning Madeline had been mortified that Abby had spent a second weekend with Blythe without having sex. All week, Madeline gave Abby pointers, culminating in a pep talk as Abby was trying tofinish her work. Thank god nobody had walked in on their conversation.
Abby blamed herself for how last weekend turned out. After her overwrought arrival on Friday, no way would Blythe have initiated sex that night. All week, Abby worried her high-strung energy had turned Blythe off, which explained why nothing had happened on Saturday, either.
Granted, Blythe had packed their Saturday even tighter than the weekend before. They’d left the house at nine a.m. and didn’t return until after midnight. They’d even taken clothes with them, so they could change before they saw& Juliet.
A smile spread across Abby’s face as she recalled the fiasco of changing their clothes in Ricki’s car. What started out embarrassing turned into a laugh fest. With Ricki and Blythe in the backseat, Ricki accidentally poked Blythe in the eye with her toe. It went downhill from there, ending with Abby in the front seat inadvertently flashing her boobs at a well-dressed older woman who didn’t find it as amusing as Blythe and Ricki did.
Next time, she’d leave on her sweaty undergarment. She hoped Blythe and Ricki hadn’t seen anything, either. Ricki because, well, because it was Ricki. And Blythe because if she had, it hadn’t inspired her to make a move that night.
They’d kissed for a while, but when they’d crawled into bed that night, they were too exhausted for anything else and soon fell asleep. Abby squeezed the steering wheel. She’d left Berwyn sexually frustrated two weekends in a row, but it wouldn’t happen a third. This weekend would be different. She’d not packed her bedtime shorts and T-shirt this weekend. The only sleep outfit she had was her negligee or nothing at all.
She giggled at her boldness. Like she’d ever crawl into bed with no clothes on. Maybe after she and Blythe had been having sex for a while but certainly not yet.
Her GPS alerted her to use exit 285 for Central Avenue, so she gripped the steering wheel tighter and switched lanes, readying herself to exit.
“Here we go, Cora,” she said to her Corolla. “No more being a mousy librarian. Nope. I am librarian, hear me roar!”
She glanced over at the car next to her, hoping they hadn’t noticed her talking to herself.
Right.She was going to roar but was self-conscious another driver might notice her lips moving at sixty-five miles an hour. Maybe she had more work to do on herself, but she’d get there.
She reached back and pulled on the hair ties securing her bun. Why hadn’t she done this sooner instead of while exiting the highway? Her timid self would have put both hands back on the steering wheel, but her brazen self continued to loosen her hair as she careened onto the exit. Careen might have been too strong of a description since she’d braked hard, causing the car behind her to lay on its horn. She sped up but continued to let down her hair.
Her hair was down, and she was feeling a mixture of apprehension and excitement as she turned down the street to Ricki and Blythe’s bungalow. As she neared the house, she spotted Ricki standing in the yard looking up at the roof. The baseball cap she wore was on backward. Though Abby had never seen her wearing a hat before, it suited Ricki, giving her an impish teenager vibe, especially coupled with her Air Jordans.
When Ricki saw Abby, she waved and motioned for her to pull into the driveway. Abby glanced at the porch, searching for Blythe, but Ricki was the only one here to greet her.
Before Abby could pull to a stop, Ricki motioned for her to lower the window. Wouldn’t it be sensible for Ricki to wait for Abby to park? Abby complied, and her window slid down.
“What’s going on?” Abby didn’t hide the apprehension in her voice.
“It’s Blythe.”
Panic rose in Abby. “Oh, god, is she okay?” Why hadn’t she thought of that sooner?
Ricki laughed. “She’s fine. Or at least she is for now.”
Abby tilted her head. “For now?”
“Sorry. Just roll with it.” Ricki held up her cellphone.
Abby groaned. Blythe must be planning another video, and Abby needed to be a sport and play along. “Am I going to hate this?”
Ricki grinned and shook her head. “Nah, I don’t think so. You’ll just get more confirmation that Blythe is unbalanced.”
Ricki’s reassurance was a relief. While Abby humored Blythe, she hated the videos, which put too much emphasis on her. The ones where Blythe took center stage were much easier to swallow.
“What do you need me to do?” Abby asked.
“Stay right there.” Ricki pointed toward the sidewalk in front of the house. “I’m going to record back there. I’ll signal when to get out of the car.” Ricki backpedaled toward the street with her gaze still on Abby.
“Then what?” Abby called.
“Just act natural, but remember, I’ll be recording everything.” Ricki stopped walking backward and moved toward Abby. “But please, react well because I donotwant to reshoot this one.”
“Oh, great. No pressure.” Abby flashed Ricki a smile.
Ricki winked. “You’ve got this.” She backpedaled again, moving faster, and arrived at the sidewalk before Abby had time to fret. “All right, are you ready?”
