Sam mumbles what I take to be acquiescence around a huge mouthful of food. A chunk of burger falls out of her mouth as she speaks. She picks it up off her plate and puts it back into her mouth.
“Gross, Sam!” Olivia squeals.
Forcing a swallow, Sam grins at Olivia. “Glad to be of service.”
“You’re a pig.”
“A proud pig.” Sam says.
“Pig in a poke,” I add.
“Porky pokey pig,” Sam responds.
“Pork chop,” I answer.
“Enough,” Susannah cuts us off as Sam opens her mouth. “You two really are mental teenagers.”
“At least we’re improving,” I say. “We were called twelve a few minutes ago.”
Sam has crammed the rest of her food in her mouth and signaled for the check.
“Are you in a hurry?” Olivia asks.
“I have to get back to work for a while after I take Dana home.”
“Well, we can take Dana home,” Susannah says.
“No, it’s fine. Sam and I need to stop at the store before we head up the hill,” I say, waving in the general direction of my house.
Thomas squares his shoulders. “I still think we should come back up with you, just in case she comes back around.”
“Don’t worry about it. We crammed her stuff into her car. I’m sure she won’t be back.”
I hand Sam some money and she goes up to the bar to pay our bill while I suck down the rest of my food. Susannah gives me a hug as I stand up and offers to come up tomorrow morning for breakfast. I decline politely, insisting that I haven’t had a moment to write in what seems like weeks.
“Good idea. How else can you keep your refrigerator stocked for me if you aren’t bringing in any royalties?”
“Exactly.”
I shake hands with Thomas and say goodbye to Olivia. Sam is waiting for me by the exit. Olivia sniffs. “Apparently she isn’t going to come back to say goodbye.”
“She’s thinking it,” I say, grinning.
Jumping into the truck, Sam smiles at me across the seat. “That went well.”
“You have ketchup on your chin.”
She pulls down the rear view mirror and scrubs at her chin with a finger. “Still, it was worth it to get out of there without having to talk to Olivia.” Backing out of the parking space, she winds around the beach front road before turning off into the woods toward my hill.
“You’re kind of a jerk to her.”
Throwing her head back against the seat, she clutches at her heart with one hand. “I’m sorry. Who the hell are you?”
“Come on. She’s annoying, but she’s Susannah’s friend. Maybe she just needs some compassion.”
“Who are you and what have you done with my friend?”
“Hey,” I counter, affronted. “I’ve always been a compassionate person.”
“Not to Olivia.”
“Well, she does kind of irritate me. But I’ve started to wonder lately if maybe there’s a story there that we just don’t know.”
Sam looks doubtful. “Maybe.”
When we get to the top of the hill, I scour the yard, but it doesn’t look as if she’s moved back in. Sam puts the truck in gear and looks at me.
“Want me to come in with you just in case?”
“Forget it. Her car isn’t here. Her stuff isn’t here. Her ugly mug isn’t here. I think I’m safe.”
“Okay. Thanks for letting me take you to the doctor.”
“Thanks for taking me.” I reach over to give her a half hug before getting out of the car. “Want to have a club meeting tomorrow?”
“Yeah, four o’clock at the Pit?”
“Sounds good. I’ll text Roxanne and make sure she’s available.”
She waves as she turns around. I unlock my front door and walk inside. There’s no dramatic tension, so I’m relatively sure that I’m alone–at least as far as human beings go. Frank gives a blert to me from his exalted position on my counter. Scratching between his ears, I lean down and give him a kiss right on his big brown and beige face. He scrunches his nose up at my kiss, but he tolerates it because somewhere deep down in his kitty heart, he does love me. Tossing down a couple of kitty treats, I wander into the front room to check my email.
I know I need to get some writing done today. I’ve been such a wastoid lately. I pull my cell out of my pocket and text Roxanne to let her know about the meeting tomorrow. She writes back almost instantly to ask if I need company. It would be nice to have her here and there’s a good chance that we will make love if I invite her over for the evening. I could use a little intimacy right now. On the other hand, bringing another woman into my life right now is probably not the best idea in the world. Roxanne is a lot older than I am, too. Maybe at forty and sixty that doesn’t matter, but it will at fifty and seventy. She’s in great shape, though. Maybe better shape than I am. She’s a great friend. It just doesn’t make sense for us to be a couple. I text her back that my ex is gone and the place is secure. Let her know that I’ll see her tomorrow at The Pit. It’s the right decision, but I still feel like shit. I want her to be here with me. I’m feeling so lonely all of a sudden.