Page 79 of Kick the Candle (Knight Games 2)
"Rick's been on my mind. We had a fight and then he disappeared. I haven't seen him in over a week."
"What?"
I exhaled. "I'm sure he'll be back soon. Where could he have gone?" I laughed nervously.
"How bad of a fight did you have?"
"I said I wished I'd never met him."
"Jesus, Grateful, what brought that on?"
"Nothing I feel comfortable telling you over the phone."
"Well, that's okay because you can tell me tonight at Logan's party."
That's right. Tonight was Logan's welcome back party at Valentine's. I'd practically insisted Michelle go and I'd promised Logan I'd be there. Logan. Fuck. This was going to be our last hoorah. After tonight, I wouldn't see him regularly anymore, now that he was out of my attic for good and done with physical therapy. He'd want to know for sure what we meant to each other, and deep inside I knew he wasn't hoping for 'just friends.' But I'd committed to Rick and that was all I had to offer.
"What are you wearing?" I asked.
"Why, are you a creeper?"
"No! Tonight. What are you wearing tonight?"
"Strappy black dress and strappier heels, baby."
I pictured my voluptuous friend in that getup and smiled. She'd be lucky if her husband, Manny, let her out of the house.
"I think I'll wear my green sweater dress."
"The turtleneck?" The scowl was evident in her voice.
"It's classy."
"If you're seventy."
"You just want me to dress sexy for your entertainment."
"Why else would I be going? Gotta live vicariously through my single girlfriend."
Only I wasn't single, was I? I left Rick's empty house and started the short walk home. A snowflake landed on my eyelash and was followed by a crowd of fluffy white friends that circled me as I crossed the bridge. "I'll meet you there at seven."
"Are you really wearing the sweater dress?"
"Yes. Non-negotiable."
She sighed. "All right. See you at seven."
* * * * *
My phone rang for the twenty-fourth time that day, and for the twenty-fourth time, I did not answer it. My father's picture displayed on the screen. I wasn't ready to talk to him. I had, however, taken the time to photoshop a mustache, beard, and horns onto his photo icon. So, for the twenty-fourth time that day, I chuckled at my sophomoric behavior. Hey, whatever worked.
"You look like you're going to a funeral," Poe said from the top of my dresser.
"Actually, I wore this to my great aunt's funeral." The hunter green dress had long sleeves and a turtleneck with buttons that ran from the top of my neck on a diagonal to my armpit. The material was cableknit wool and the length stretched to my knees.
"What a sensible choice. I'm sure you will be...warm."
I pulled my straightened hair back with both hands, working it into a ponytail, then wrapping the end into a bun. "I don't want to lead anyone on."
