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Picking up her water bottle, Paige left the kitchen. Brenna grabbed her phone and followed. Vi lingered behind, flexing her tender fingers. A memory of Rory massaging her palm washed through her consciousness. Don’t go there, girl.
Once she’d settled into her spot on the sofa, Paige piped up. “How’s the house remodel coming along, Vi?” Her soft accent added a lilt to her words most people found charming. It made Vi want to leave the room as soon as humanly possible.
“I had to think through the extra cost of a termite issue, but I’ve decided to proceed.” She groped for words to satisfy her roommates and keep her dignity intact. “Rory,”—her breath swooshed on his name—“says it will take a few months.” She choked out the last words and hung her head.
The other two women stilled. The dryer thumped in a repetitive motion off the hallway.
“What’s going on, Vi?” Paige sounded infinitely patient.
The words burst out of Vi’s mouth in tight staccato cuts. “Why do you and Rory act as if nothing is going on between you?”
Paige lifted her chin. “Because there isn’t.”
Vi shook her head. “I’ve seen the way you two interact. Emilio said he saw Rory with his girlfriend this morning. You were holding hands.”
Quiet up to this point, Brenna made a dismissive noise. “Emilio is not a reliable source.”
“Why would he lie?” Vi asked.
“Don’t get me wrong. He came in handy at, um, the pickleball tournament, but the guy loves to gossip. Facts aren’t important.”
Vi chewed on Brenna’s take, despite her obvious reluctance to discuss her abduction. They’d all been glad Emilio saw Leo racing through the parking lot with her. Never mind he’d sneaked outside for a smoke break when he’d been needed inside.
“I can explain.” Paige held her ground.
Vi wiggled her boot with impatience. Despite all the evidence to the contrary, she wanted to believe Paige.
“Rory texted me early this morning to meet him for breakfast.” Paige tucked her hair behind her ears. “We do it when he’s about to leave town. From the beginning, he seemed nervous and distracted. After we planned for his absence, I asked him what was on his mind. He hem-hawed around, then spilled it. It upset him that you and Jesse thought we were in a relationship.
“At first, I didn’t know he was serious. We don’t mind aggressive business contacts to think we’re a couple, but the more we talked, I realized how it must look to others.” She turned to Vi. “Rory and I are friends—end of story.”
Her elegant shoulders lifted expressively. “He’s affectionate, no doubt about it. Physical contact—it’s air to him. He’s kissed me plenty of times. We’ve hugged too, but it’s never been intimate.”
Vi scrambled to grasp this new perspective. There hadn’t been anything platonic about their kiss in the hospital.
Despite the sincerity in Paige’s eyes, Vi remained unconvinced. “What about holding hands?”
Paige’s forehead wrinkled, then cleared. “Oh, mija. Rory told Jesse we’re more like siblings than anything else. It distressed Rory to think I might want more.” A soft chuckle rumbled in her throat. “I only took his hands to assure him our relationship didn’t go beyond friends.”
Vi didn’t know if she believed this new spin, but her roiling emotions receded. The raging wound in her heart stopped bleeding.
“Has Rory asked you out?” About to pop, Brenna directed the question to Vi.
Vi grabbed her messy braid. On auto-pilot, she unplaited it. Gazing at Brenna, she inclined her head a fraction.
“Oh, fun! We can be the fearsome foursome on dates.” Brenna bounced on the end of the sofa.
“Will you go out with him?” Paige asked.
Vi felt her face crumple.
“Why not?” Brenna demanded.
“I can’t. And I can’t talk about it anymore.” Vi wouldn’t subject Rory—or them—to the agony she lived with every day.
After an awkward silence, Paige cleared her throat. “Okay. We’ve got prep work to do for the Christmas party on Sunday night. How about we divvy up the chores again? It worked at Thanksgiving.” She looked at Vi. “Did you talk to Tavo about cooking the meat?”
“Yes, I told him you would text him the info.”
