Page 28 of James

Neither of them answered.

Laura clapped a hand over her mouth. “I really need to get out of here.”

Before anyone had a chance to act, Kate walked over and said in a calm tone, “Laura, if you want to leave, that’s perfectly okay, but could we talk for a moment? Just the three of us – you, me and Julie,” she clarified, emphasizing Julie’s name to make it that much more apparent that James was not invited.”

Laura sighed. “I suppose so. At this time of night, I’ll end up waiting half an hour for the bus anyway. What do you want to talk about? Him?” she pointed at James, who was still hovering around the periphery of the group.

Kate took her by the elbow and led her away with Julie trailing after them. “Partly, yes. But I also want to let you know this is a safe space. James honored your safeword, didn’t he?” Kate asked as the three of them found their way to a table on the other side of the room.

Laura admitted he had, but it didn’t make her any happier.

“Did he do something he shouldn’t have that night?” Kate asked.

“No, of course not. It was completely consensual.”

“Then what did he do?” Julie pressed.

“Nothing! It was what he didn’t do,” Laura grumbled, picking up a napkin to shred just for something to do with her hands.

Julie and Kate exchanged glances. “What does that mean?” Kate asked.

“He didn’t call me.”

“Did you?”

“I didn’t have his number, I told you!”

“Did he have yours?” Kate asked patiently.

“I…”

“So he’s the bad guy because he didn’t contact you afterwards, but you’re not for not contacting him because…?”

“That’s not the problem,” Laura insisted. She wasn’t sure precisely what the problem was, only that it was all mixed up – the wonderful memories and the miserable ones, James and Jake, love and pain. After thinking a moment, she demanded. “Was this a set-up? Were you all trying to get James and me together?”

“Would that be so terrible, Laura?” Julie placed her hand over Laura’s trembling fingers and gave a reassuring squeeze. “The way you talk about your ‘one-night stand,’ you seemed happy, and definitely hurt that he hadn’t found you afterwards. Well, here he is, and he seems really happy to see you. I haven’t seen him smiling since… I’m not sure when. Before the tornado, maybe?”

Kate agreed, “He hasn’t been the same since the storm.”

“Yeah, I’m sure he was devastated,” Laura scoffed, folding her arms tightly over her chest. “He never even tried to find me.”

“That’s not what Chris says,” Kate countered.

“Oh? And if Chris knows so much, why didn’t he tell me at the first munch?”

“He didn’t know! James told Chris he had been stuck with a woman at the laundromat during the tornado. You said you had a one-night stand with an unnamed man, no mention of laundromat or a tornado. How was he supposed to put that together?” Kate placed a finger beneath Laura’s chin and gently turned her face. “Did you know he’s been trying to find you ever since the storm? He’s haunted that laundromat since it re-opened, according to Chris. He had no other way to find you. This is the first munch he’s been to in ages, and I think the only reason he came tonight was in hopes of seeing you. Why don’t you at least talk to him? What could it hurt to give him five minutes of your time?”

“Why do you care?” Laura countered.

Kate dropped her hand, her expression wounded. “Because James has been a friend of mine for a long time and you’re my friend, too. Isn’t that what you said when we had lunch?”

“I hate it when people use my own words against me,” Laura muttered under her breath. Aloud she said, “All right, if it means that much to you, I’ll talk to the man. But I want Julie nearby. She’s the one who noticed I needed help before.”

Kate waved James over and Chris came, too. “Laurahas agreed to talk with you, James. I suggest the table over there, by the entrance. Julie is going to be within earshot, so Laura feels safe.”

“What does she need to be safe from?” Chris asked, clearly affronted on behalf of his friend.

“Shut up, Chris,” James said. “If Laura wants Julie close by, that’s fine with me. At this point, I’ll stand on my head if it gets Laura to talk to me. She could handcuff me to the chair, and I wouldn’t object.”

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