him kissing me, me kissing him, or him being aware of my nocturnal verbal emissions.
“Um, Simon has Too Short on his iPod,” I mumbled, which was met with hmms, but I knew my dish wasn’t as good.
“Music is important. Who was that guy you were dating who had his own album out?” Mimi asked.
“No, no. He didn’t have an album out. He was trying to sel his own CDs out of the back of his car. Not the same thing.” I laughed.
“You dated another singer too—Coffee House Joe, remember him?” Sophia snorted into her breakfast.
“Yes, he was about fifteen years too late for the flannel, but he got an A for angst. And was more than decent in bed.” I sighed, thinking back.
“When is this self-imposed dating hiatus going to be over?” Mimi asked.
“Not sure. I kinda like not dating anyone.”
“Please, who are you kidding?” Sophia snorted again.
“You need a tissue over there, Miss Piggy? Seriously, there have been too many Coffee House Joes and Machine Gun Corys. I’m not
interested in just dating any more. It’s too much of a merry go round. I’m not investing any more time and effort until I know it’s going somewhere.
And besides, O’s off in no-man’s land. I might as wel join her,” I added, trying some coffee again and avoiding their eyes.
They had their Os, and now they had new boys. I didn’t expect anyone to join me on my dating sabbatical. But now their faces just looked so
sad. I needed to turn this back to them.
“So last night was good for you guys, huh? Any kisses at the door? Any spit swapping?” I asked, smiling cheerful y.
“Yes! I mean, Neil kissed me.” Mimi sighed.
“Oooh, I bet he’s a good kisser. Did he wrap you up tight and run his hands up and down your back? He has great hands. Did you notice his
hands? Damn fine hands,” Sophia rambled, face in her pancake stack. Mimi and I exchanged a glance and waited for her to come up for air. When
she saw us staring, she blushed a little.
“What? I noticed his hands? They’re huge. How could you not?” she stammered and crammed her mouth ful so we would move on.
I giggled and turned my attention back to Mimi. “So, did Mr. Great Hands use his great hands?”
It was Mimi’s turn to blush. “Actual y, he was very sweet. Just a little peck on the lips and a nice hug at my door,” she answered with a giant
smile.
“And you, Miss Thing? Was the computer genius charitable with his goodnight kiss?” I giggled.
“Um…yes, he was. He gave me a great goodnight kiss,” she replied, licking syrup off the back of her hand. She didn’t seem to notice the way
Mimi’s eyes burned a little when she mentioned the goodnight she’d received, but I did.
“So, you escaped last night unscathed, I take it?” Mimi asked me, sipping her coffee. I was stil nursing the sore tongue, so I chose to stick with
juice.
“I did. We came to a truce and wil try to be more neighborly.”
“What exactly does that mean?” she asked.
“That means he’l try to curtail his activities to earlier in the evening, and I’l try to be more understanding about his sex life, as lively as it is,” I
answered, digging into my purse for some money.
“One week,” Sophia muttered.
“Come again?”
“You wish. One week. That’s how long I give this truce. You can’t keep your opinions to yourself, and he can’t keep that Giggler quiet. One
week,” she said again as Mimi smiled away.
Huh, we’ll see…
Monday morning, bright and early, Jil ian came waltzing in to my office.
“Knock knock,” she cal ed. She was the picture of casual chic: hair swept back into a loose bun, little black dress on her little tan body, legs that
went on for miles ending in red pumps. Pumps that would probably constitute almost a week’s pay for me. She was my mentor in every way, and I
made a mental note to make sure I someday obtained the quiet confidence she carried with her.
She smiled when she saw the new flowers in the vase on my desk. This week I’d chosen orange tulips, three dozen.
“Morning! Did you see that the Nicholsons have added a home theater? I knew they’d come around.” I smiled as I sat back in my chair. Jil ian
settled herself in the chair across from me and just smiled back.
“Oh, and Mimi is coming over for dinner tonight. We’re hoping to finalize the plans for the new closet system she’s designing. She wants to add
carpet now.” I shook my head and sipped coffee from the mug on my desk. My tongue had almost healed.
Jil ian just continued to smile. I began to wonder if I had a Cheerio stuck to my face. “Did I tel you I got the glass company in Murano to give me