Page 11 of Thanks for the Friendship
“Diane has outdone herself with the food,” I say quickly.
“Yes, come eat,” Diane insists as she pulls Cal toward the patio.
Sara and I follow them while I take a moment to collect myself. It takes a lot to knock me off my game, and this little twist of fate has completely thrown me.
“I can’t believe you and Cal know each other. Now we definitely have to get together more.”
Um—once again I’m struggling for the right words. That’s a hard pass for me.
“Yes, that would be nice,” I lie.
Nice?Is that aniceway of saying it would be torture?
Thankfully there’s no more mention of my current relationship status, and I end up talking to Diane’s neighbor who’s interested in finding a house for her son and his fiancée. My career is the perfect distraction from seeing Cal again. It’s the one thing I feel like I have complete control over right now.
As soon as we finish our conversation, I decide it’s time to leave. I thank Diane for inviting me and say good-bye to the rest of the guests.
“We’ll see you next week,” Sara says excitedly.
“Yes. I’m looking forward to it.”
“Bye, Lila,” Cal says, giving me a little wave.
“Bye, Cal.”
When I get into the car, I lean my head against the headrest. That definitely escalated quickly.
* * *
As soon as I get home from the Diane’s house, Reagan notices that I’m distracted, so I give her the news about seeing Cal and that he’s Sara’s boyfriend.
“You’re kidding,” Reagan exclaims, sitting up. Her short blonde hair is messy from lying on the couch.
“That’s quite a—uh, coincidence.”
I pour myself a glass of wine and rip open a bag of Doritos—probably not the best choice in snacks, but I’ve earned it.
“Yeah, you could say that.”
“How do you feel?” she asks.
I stuff a chip into my mouth and chew it while I contemplate her question.
“I’m not sure. As strange as it was, I’m certainly not falling apart over it. Cal Sims has been out of my life for a long time.”
She nods. “Good for you. Look at the nightmare I went through with Dante.”
Reagan was in love with her friend from college, and she almost missed out on another great guy because she was holding out hope that Dante and she would end up together. It’s taken me years to get Cal out of my system, but I certainly didn’t stop my life over him.
“What was it like to see him again after all this time?”
I press my lips together. I don’t want to read into the energy I felt with Cal for that moment. He has a girlfriend and from what I’ve heard, they are solid. Gabby has only mentioned Cal and his girlfriend on a few occasions. It’s not a subject we talk about.
“It was fine and a little strange at first,” I say. “He looks good.”
Reagan gives me a curious smile. “How good?”
I laugh. “Really good. He doesn’t look like he’s aged at all.”
