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Prada bag. No one would believe it was real. I hate people who have to
act as if they have the money to buy these ridiculously extravagant things.
It s consumerism gone mad.
Dana, I said, trying to be patient with her. I m not going to stop
sleeping with a gorgeous, nice woman because she buys a showy bag. I
don t care if she wears a string of clear marbles and says it s a diamond
necklace.
She let out a heavy breath. This is just a summer fling? Her
expression didn t hide the hope that it was just that.
What else? I m chasing down jobs at Princeton, Yale, and Harvard.
With luck, I won t be here in September.
I m pulling as many strings as I have, Dana said, now serious and
clearly sincere. We d love to have you in Boston, and I know you d love
it.
I know I would, too, I said, even though I wasn t sure Renée wanted
me living right next door. Dana and I had made our peace, but the new
girlfriend was never as happy about the reconciliation as the ex-lovers
were.
Dana put her arm around me and kissed my cheek. I m sorry I was an
ass. I m not sure what happened, but I wanted to brain her by the time
she d been there ten minutes.
It s not a big deal. You ll probably never see her again. And next time,
I m gonna be more invested in a woman before I introduce her to you.
Then you ll have to be nice.
Dana grunted her agreement, and we sat watching the land approach
faster than I would have been comfortable with if I d been Gina. That
woman really knew how to pilot a boat.
50
Cherry Grove
)
Gina didn t leave the pilothouse once we docked at Sayville, so we were
all saved having to be polite. I got off and walked Dana to the parking lot.
Things were a little strained, but we were pretty solid when I kissed her
goodbye. It s funny how something as simple as a kiss can say so much
about a relationship. I d probably spent a few dozen hours kissing those
sensual, warm lips, and I knew them better than any other pair of lips on
earth. But just before mine touched hers, she turned her head not
much just enough to force me to land half on and half off. It felt strange
and unsettling to kiss her with less intimacy than I kissed all of my other
friends. I certainly wasn t going to try to slip my tongue in when she
wasn t on guard, and it hurt me that she d flinched.
When Renée was around, Dana and I hugged goodbye. We d never
spoken about it, but both of us knew not to appear too friendly in her
presence. But Dana had always kissed me on the lips when we were alone.
It was never sexual, but it was always comforting. I wasn t sure why she d
changed her pattern today, but I had a feeling it had to do with Gina.
I ll call you later tonight to let you know I got settled, okay? She
wasn t looking me right in the eye, and that felt odd, too.
Yeah. Sure. Call anytime.
Will Gina be at your house?
Oh, God, was this going to continue to be an issue? I m not sure. We
don t have plans.
I just didn t want to, you know, disturb anything.
I smiled, even though it probably looked like indigestion. If we re
fucking, I won t answer, kay?
Hey! She held my arm and looked at me, hurt visible in her eyes.
What was that for?
Nothing, I said. This is just uncomfortable. We ll get through it.
My smile was closer to normal, but I knew it wouldn t fool Dana.
Yeah. She nodded. We will. She hugged me quickly and then got
into her car. I ll call.
Okay. Say hello to Renée and Maya for me.
Gotcha. Later.
51
Susan X Meagher
She closed the door and pulled out before I turned away. As I walked
back to the ferry, I saw a lovely woman waiting for me by the dock. Gina s
beautiful face brightened when our eyes met, and I felt all of my
discomfort about Dana leave my body.
Want a free ride to Cherry Grove? She was sitting on a wooden
support, and she looked perfectly comfortable perched on the end of the
big log.
I put my arm around her waist and leaned against her. Nothing s free.
There s always a price.
Why don t I come over tonight and we can negotiate. She kissed me
then, and even though there wasn t a bit of passion in the gentle touch, it
reminded me of what I d been missing since Dana left me. The comfort
of a tender kiss& just because.
But you ll have already given me the ride. That doesn t put you in a
very good negotiating position.
Her arm went around my waist, and she tucked me up against her
body like a favorite doll. You d be surprised at some of my& positions.
No, I wouldn t, I said. Nothing about you surprises me anymore. I
looked down at her bag, noting that it wasn t, as Dana said, ostentatious.
It was actually tasteful and understated. I like your bag, I said,
twitching my head at the spot where it was lying.
She smiled and picked it up. It s kinda silly, but I liked it, and I got a
great deal.
Where d you get it?
She playfully underlined the word Milano that was printed right
under Prada.
Oh, Milano, I said, using my admittedly awful Italian accent. Next
time you re in Milano, get one for me.
Her eyebrows shot up. You want a bag like this?
Yeah. I looked at hers again. I ll take black, since you have brown.
Gina s hands went to my waist, and she pushed me up until I was
standing. I ll see what I can do. Let s go. I ve got a schedule to keep.
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