Amanda's Wolves(35)
Laurie lifted one eyebrow and stared at Mary.
“Don’t even go there,” Mary spewed. “How in the hell did my sister manage to end up succumbing to your lifestyle in less than twelve hours? I didn’t send her there to get fucked by two men. I thought she was babysitting.” Her voice rose with every syllable.
Amanda jumped in her seat. “I did not get fucked by anyone, Mary. Calm down.”
Mary jerked her gaze to Amanda, taking deep breaths that clearly didn’t make her calmer.
“I just met them.”
“Then why the fanfare, huh?”
“Because it’s serious,” Amanda added.
“Serious? What’s serious?” She stood again, hands on her hips now.
“The way I feel about them.” She wanted to deny it. She wanted to tell her sister it was all a joke and ignore the last twelve hours, but she couldn’t. She needed to get this out in the open. And she needed Laurie there for support. Even if it was her fault Amanda had met Logan and Sawyer in the first place. If only her original sitter hadn’t cancelled…
“You just met them,” Mary shouted.
“And I like them both.” It was so much more than that, but she wasn’t about to elaborate. Her sex clenched at the thought of them, and she gripped the table to try and control the way her heart raced. Sweat rose on her temple as if it were hot in the room.
“How could you possibly know that in one evening? Is this why you didn’t come home?”
“Yes. I was confused. I slept in Laurie’s guest room.”
“And now you aren’t confused?”
“No. I’m still totally confused, but not about Logan and Sawyer. I’m clear on how they make me feel.”
“Jesus.” Mary turned in a complete circle. “Two men? Amanda, are you listening to yourself?”
Amanda looked at Laurie to find her chewing on her bottom lip.
Suddenly the front door flew open.
Amanda jerked her gaze that direction to see Jazmine backing into the apartment. Her hands were full, and she spoke without seeing anyone. “Baby, sorry it took me so long. The line was long and—” When she turned around, kicking the door shut, she stopped midsentence.
Baby?
Time stopped.
Amanda stared at a wide-eyed Jazmine, who held a brown bag Amanda recognized from the bagel shop around the corner. Jazmine. Her sister’s friend. The one with a cute brown bob she was constantly tucking behind her ears. She was tall and skinny, like a model. And she currently looked about the same as Mary in shorts and a camisole. At least she’d put on a bra before she apparently left the apartment to get breakfast.
Mary started crying, shocking Amanda. One huge sob escaped her mouth before she covered her face with both hands and ducked her head.
Jaz raced forward, set the brown bag on the table, and stepped in front of Mary, taking her face in her hands and lifting it until she forced their gazes to meet. She kissed her gently on the forehead and then broke the silence. “What happened?” Her voice was soft and sweet and loving. Not in the way of friends.
Amanda suddenly realized so many things at once as several recent cryptic conversations converged in her mind.
“…she could use a night without her sister in the same space just as much as anyone else would. I don’t even think she was alone when I spoke to her.”
“…I never said she was with a guy.”
“Maybe it’s not what you think.”
“Mary never leaves the apartment. She sometimes meets up with Laurie, and she often hangs with Jazmine, but that’s not a life.”
“Are you sure? Maybe that’s the life she enjoys.”
“That was fast… Did you forget something?”
Amanda jumped to her feet, her chair scraping across the floor. Mary wasn’t staying home in the evenings because she didn’t want to date. She also wasn’t shacking up last night with a secret boyfriend. She was with Jazmine.
She was with Jazmine.
“You bitch,” Amanda yelled. “How dare you judge me?”
“Amanda, calm down,” Laurie said.
Amanda twisted herself to face Laurie. “You knew. You knew my sister was…was…with a woman, and you didn’t tell me.”
Mary pulled herself from Jaz’s embrace to face Amanda. “It wasn’t her story to tell.”
“I’m sorry, Mary,” Laurie said, “I wouldn’t have said anything at all if I’d known it was a secret. I didn’t realize…”
“Not your fault.” Mary’s shoulders slumped. “I’m sorry I put you in that position.”
Jaz brushed Mary’s hair from her shoulder. “I told you this was going to happen.”