***Reagan***
“You’vebeenspendinga lot of time with Megan lately.” Lisa’s back was to me as she filled the girls’ cups with water. “Like a lot of time.”
I looked around the Stovalls’ massive kitchen and nodded. Lisa had brought Piper and Posie over to play with Iris while she and Mary talked about a Girl Scout troop they were thinking of starting. While Mary was taking a phone call, Lisa had cornered me.
“Yeah, it’s been really great reconnecting with her and getting to know Kara.” I looked up from the meat I was seasoning for dinner. “You and Russ told me nothing about anyone when I was gone. I was always grateful to not have to get a play-by-play about what was happening in everyone’s lives, but I feel like I get a new surprise daily.”
“It wasn’t easy to not gush about things. I wasn’t even raised with these people and I still want to gossip like I was. When Megan and Kara got married, it was the talk of the town for a while. Lunar was forced to move into the twenty-first century finally.”
I set the meat back in the fridge to marinate and washed my hands before shifting back to the cake I was making. The two cakes I was making, technically, because I couldn’t make Pearl a cake and not leave one for Mary and Jim.
“Why two cakes?”
I looked up from my Swiss buttercream and just stared blankly while trying to come up with a reason I’d be making two cakes. Contrary to what I was doing, sneaking around with the guys, I wasn’t great at lying.
“I knew it! You’re seeing someone. You’ve been baking things at home and then slipping out with them, without sharing them, might I add. You’ve been sneaking around, staying out all night. Don’t think I can’t tell that you’re walking like you’ve been horseback riding for three weeks.” Lisa moved closer and narrowed her eyes. “Who is it?”
My heart sank to my feet while my stomach threatened to evacuate itself everywhere. I shook my head too fast and got dizzy. Gripping the island for stability, I started muttering words that my brain didn’t approve of, by my mouth was in panic mode. “No. Dating? Never. Cake for me. Dating? Who? Hilarious. God!”
Lisa’s eyes widened and she moved even closer. “You sneaky little minx. Who are you messing around with that is making you so secretive?”
I wielded my spatula of buttercream between us and forced her back with it. Thankfully, Mary strolled back into the kitchen at that moment, looking graceful and like she’d never threaten anyone with a spatula full of buttercream.
“What in the world?”
Lisa planted her hands on her hips. “Reagan is seeing someone and won’t tell me who, so we’re in a battle.”
I choked and dropped my weapon in the sink. “We’re not in a battle because I’m not seeing anyone.”
“I thought you were seeing Theo. The way that boy looks at you and the way he keeps hanging around here? It’s clear that he’s got the hots for you.” Mary shrugged and looked at the cakes. “You’re going to make me gain fifty pounds if you keep making these delicious sweets. Don’t ever stop.”
“You’re seeing Theo?” Lisa’s unshakeable attitude seemed to take a hit as she moved back to sit on one of the barstools across from me. “Oh, no.”
“What? Is that a bad thing? Theo’s an amazing man. He’s got some baggage, but seeing how that baggage is my daughter, I can’t say anything too bad about it.” Mary moved over to me and wrapped her arm around me. “Jenny is a terror at times, I know, but she’ll get over it when Theo shows up with a new woman.”
“I’m, um, not seeing Theo. I’m not seeing anyone.” My face was bright red, and I knew how I sounded. I sounded like a liar and I knew both women could read straight through me. “Shit.”
Lisa groaned and dropped her head to the island. “Yeah, shit. Russ is going to lose his mind.”
Mary swiped a finger of buttercream and patted my hand. “I’m going to go check on the girls. Your secret is safe with me, Reagan.”
I turned desperate eyes to Lisa. “Russ can’t know.”
She groaned even louder. “I’m going to sneak into the basement and murder you. You really are asking me to keep this huge secret from my husband?”
I rushed around the island and grabbed her hands. “Please, Lisa. I’m so sorry that you found out and that I have to ask you not to say anything, but I don’t want to ruin Russ’ relationships with his friends.”
Her eyes narrowed. “Reagan. You said friends. Plural.”
Tears filled my eyes and I quickly wiped them away. I needed to get a grip on myself before I accidentally revealed anything else. “I just meant it would cause…”
“You’re sleeping with more than one of them. The rumors from way back when? They were true?”
I nodded and wiped away more tears. “I’m sorry. I don’t know what’s wrong with me. It just happened. I know that I’m an awful person for doing it and I should just go back to LA. If I leave, no one will have to know. Russ and the guys can just go on, pretending it never happened.”
Lisa grabbed my face and forced me to look at her. “You’re not leaving. That’s ridiculous. You’re not an awful person and there’s nothing wrong with you. Do you hear me? You’re almost thirty and you’re living your best sexual life. There’s nothing wrong with that. I just wish you would’ve ventured a little farther out to find your men. Not that I can even really blame you. Russ has fine ass friends.”
Her acceptance of me just made me cry harder. “I’m an awful sister. To Russ and to you. I’m so sorry for telling you this.”