Page 39 of Raise The Bar
“I don’t need to know. In fact, I prefer to not know. Right now I have plausible deniability.” He turns from me and walks to the exit as I follow.
“Plausible deniability?” I ask, catching up to him on the sidewalk.
“Exactly. When my girlfriend says ‘What do you think is going on between Maggie and Callum?’ I can reply honestly that I don’t have a fucking clue.”
“I offered to be her date for her sister’s wedding,” I tell him, not able to help myself.
His shoulders shake with laughter as he looks up at the sky. “Of course you did.”
I instantly go on the defensive. “It’s not as crazy as it sounds. Friends go to weddings together all the time, right?”
“Sure,” he shrugs and looks up at the sky. “I bet they slow-dance in apartment building lobbies from time to time as well. Do youhearyourself right now?”
“I know what I’m doing.” I insist. Just because he doesn’t understand it doesn’t mean it doesn’t make sense.
“But does Maggie? She’s already got one guy messing with her, she doesn’t need you piling on.”
I come to a dead stop on the sidewalk. Time as I know it stops around me as I attempt to process my friend’s statement.
Noticing I’m not beside him anymore, Josh turns around and doubles back. “Who’s been messing with her?” I demand.
“I probably shouldn’t say anything–”
“Too fucking bad, you’re going to.”
“Her ex-boyfriend showed up at her work a couple weeks ago.” His entire face darkens. “Told her he wanted her back and she didn’t get the impression he’d take ‘no’ for an answer.”
I’m not sure what exactly to call what I’m feeling as he says this. All of a sudden I’m too warm and too cold at the same time. The ice cream in my stomach feels like it’s curdled and there is an odd whooshing sound in my ears, like a white noise machine has been switched on. My mouth is inexplicably dry and I have to swallow before I’m able to respond.
“Is she okay?” I don’t recognize my own voice.
“Yeah, I think so. She’s stronger than she looks.” I know she is, but that doesn’t make me any less upset about her ex. “Do you care about her, Callum?” I swallow and nod. “Then don’t lead her on.”
“I won’t,” I say thickly, meaning it.
Chapter 22
Maggie
“Do you really think you can pull that off, Magpie?”
I’m standing on a literal pedestal wearing a dress that I most certainly can’t pull off. The color is gorgeous, but the cut is all wrong. It billows loosely around my chest, but then hugs my lower body in a way that will affect my blood circulation if I wear it for too long. I’m not sure what body type this dress is meant to flatter, but it’s definitely not someone with my generous hips and ass.
“I guess not, April,” mustering as much zen energy as I can as I hop off the pedestal. She was the one who picked this dress in the first place. I turn to the very helpful sales woman and smile apologetically. “I don’t think this is the one,” I say for the third time this afternoon. She nods sweetly and I turn around for her to unzip the dress. Once I’m back in the fitting room, I slip my arms out and gingerly attempt to shimmy it off my lower body. Wiggling it side to side, over and over, making minimal progress for my effort. At this point I’m not sure how I got the damned thing over my hips in the first place, but after a lot of gentle coaxing, I manage to get it off. My lower body rejoices in its freedom.
“This is going to be harder than I thought.” April’s nasal voice carries through the dressing room door. “I mean, our bodies are SO different, it’s going to be a challenge to find something that flatters my petite frame and your…body.”
I’m so grateful for the wall between us. No one can see the facial expressions I’m making in here. We’ve been at this for almost an hour, but it feels like I’ve been stranded in this dress store with my cousin for days.
It’s been almost a week since April ran into Callum and I and she wasted no time alerting every one of our relatives about his existence. My sister was the first to call that afternoon, demanding to know every detail of the “not ugly bearded blond man” April caught me with. I tried to explain that we were just friends, but she insisted on meeting him all the same.
“Invite him to dinner next weekend,” she’d begged. Rilla arrives tonight and we’re all going to dinner tomorrow evening. June hasn’t met her yet so I invited her and Colin to join our party, which included Rilla, Betty, Josh, and myself. “Come on. I don’t want to meet him for the first time at my wedding, that would be weird.”
And because I didn’t want to disappoint her, I caved and invited him. Okay, maybe part of me wanted to see him again. A small part. A medium-sized part.
I’d tried to make the text lighthearted.
Me:Hey! Thank you for offering to take me to the wedding. I’ve checked your references and am pleased to offer you the position of platonic dance partner.
