Page 42 of Truth or More Truth
So Melissa did tell Wendy the rest of the story from the previous night. Interesting.
“Once again,” Wendy says, “there’s something you’re not telling me. But we don’t have time for me to wheedle it out of you now.” She points at me and then at the door. “Out. We’ve got to get her dressed and out the door in two minutes. You don’t need to watch.” She cocks an eyebrow at me. “Unless you want to? Or maybe you’re naked as a jaybird and don’t want me to watch you climb out of that bed?”
I force my face to stay impassive and try not to imagine any of what she just suggested. Then I leap out of bed, snatch up my watch, shirt, and room key, and hustle out the door. “I’ll see you ladies later.”
When I step out into the hallway, thankfully the coast is clear of anyone I know. I give a brief nod to the curly-auburn-hairedwoman in the hall who grins widely at me. It’s only when I’m safely back in my room that I realize I’m only wearing my shorts. No wonder the woman was smiling. I might be pushing middle age, but I do some form of exercise most days, and I’ve got the body to show for it.
seventeen
. . .
“Melissa Belinda Teague, you’d better spill the beans,” Wendy demands as soon as Bobby hightails it out of my room.
“My middle name is not Belinda,” is all I say as I rush into the bathroom to wash my face and brush my teeth.
“That’s not the point,” Wendy says from the doorway, where she stands with her arms crossed. “The point is you lied to me about what happened here last night. Friends don’t lie to each other.”
“I’m sorry, Wendy. I wasn’t completely truthful, but I can’t tell you why he was here. Though I can tell you nothing romantic happened.” Unless holding him until he fell asleep is romantic, which it may well be, but I can’t let myself dwell on that.
“Why can’t you tell me?”
I sigh as I swipe the washcloth over my face and neck. “Because it’s not my story to tell, okay? There’s no point in pushing me on this, because I’m not going to give in.” And I also am not fully sure why Bobby was here, either, but I trust that he’ll tell me when he’s ready.
“Okay. But I will tell you to be careful. Bobby is … a lot.”
I catch her gaze in the mirror. “What does that mean?” I ask defensively. Wait. Since when am I defensive about Bobby Jacobs?
Wendy holds her hands up. “Bobby’s a good man. I know heis. And it seems like you know that, too. But there’s a lot about him and his life and his family that you don’t know, and until you do know, I think you need to keep some defenses up.”
“You don’t think I can handle whatever it is he’s hiding from me?” I ask around my toothbrush.
“I think you can. No, I know you can. And to be clear, he hides a lot of things from almost everyone. It’s not just you. I only know his secrets because Randall does, and Bobby gave him his blessing to tell me if he wanted to. And the things he hides aren’t things that reflect badly on him, they’re just a lot.”
“Hmm.” I spit out my toothpaste and rinse my mouth. “So we’re both hiding things about Bobby from each other, then?”
“I guess so. Because I’m not giving away his secrets, and I’m glad you’re not either.”
“Then why were you trying to drag it out of me?” I ask.
“Because I thought you were hiding that you two got it on. But now I know it’s something personal about him, so I won’t push. I’ll respect his privacy.”
“Um, ‘getting it on’ with someoneispersonal and private,” I explain, “in case you’re not aware.”
Wendy flicks her wrist. “Yeah, but it’s different. For example, I feel no violation of privacy in telling you the personal information that my husband and I got it on last night and again this morning.” She doesn’t even pause after that unnecessary declaration before changing the subject. “All right, you go get dressed, and I’ll pack up your makeup bag to take with us. No point in putting any on yet.”
I’m slipping on my shoes when Wendy comes out of the bathroom and says, “I thought it was interesting that Leslie’s mom seated you between Bobby and Shannon last night.”
She opens the door and motions for me to precede her through it.
“You think she did that on purpose?” I ask as we walk down the hall.
“I don’t know. It was entertaining, though. Bobby’s face was frownier than normal every time you talked to Shannon instead of him.”
Why does her observation make my insides flutter?
Wendy says, “Be honest here. Do you like both of them? And if so, do you have a preference for one over the other? Because I have a feeling neither of them would turn you down.”
I think about her question as we make our way out of the hotel. Shannon’s a fun guy. He’s easy to talk to, he’s full of compliments, and I have no concerns about him, other than the fact that he recently got out of a relationship. Bobby, though? Red flag city. But regardless of Shannon’s charm and extremely good looks, he doesn’t make my insides flutter like Bobby does. His touch doesn’t send sparks shooting along my skin. Shannon would be the safe choice, for sure. There’s no doubt he would treat me well, and not only because Ash and Randall would kick his tail if he didn’t. But is that all I’m looking for?
