Keeping Secrets in Seattle (16 page)

“Vi…” His voice came out barely above a whisper when his eyes finally settled on mine.

We just stared at each other for a few minutes. Though I could sense growing awkwardness for everyone else, I didn’t dare look away. The only other thing on Gabe’s list was to play ball with his friends on the same field as his beloved Mariners.

My grin was so wide it hurt. “Remember when you told me you wanted to play on this field?”

He nodded, and it occurred to me that he couldn’t speak. I’d scored a home run—pun intended.

“Well.” Dwight coughed uncomfortably. “You have three hours. Enjoy yourselves. I’ll leave you to your game, gentlemen. Oh, er, and…Violet.”

I blinked out of my trance. “Thank you so much. Gabe, this is Dwight. My mother decorated his house on Lake Washington. Dwight is the director of the All-Star Club with the Mariners.”

Gabe held out his hand. “Nice to meet you, sir. This is just…I…just…”

Dwight nodded. “I know, son.”

I couldn’t help but giggle. Gabe looked like a little boy again.

Dwight waved. “I’ll be in my office working if you need anything. Have a good game.”

I turned back to the guys, who were all looking around with open mouths. “All right, boys. You’ve got your jerseys, drinks are in the cooler, and pizza is in the boxes. Let’s make sure to get the trash into the bags I brought, so we can leave this place pristine, all right? Now let’s play some ball.”

There was an explosion of cheers as they all flung themselves at the pizzas and began dividing themselves into teams. It was as if they’d regressed in age by decades, their eyes filled with wonder as they fondled the wooden bats I’d asked the driver to carry in, and their cheeks stretched tight as they jammed nearly whole slices of pizza into their mouths.

I just watched from the outskirts of the group, sipping my bottle of water quietly by myself. After a few minutes, Curtis wandered over to me and bumped me with his elbow. “Great job, kiddo.”

I bumped him back. “It was a lot of work, but totally worth it.”

He took a pull off his ale. “For a second, I thought that Gabe was going to cry.”

I grinned. “I know.”

Curtis watched me for a few beats. “I know this is hard on you. Gabe getting married and all.”

“Yeah…it is,” I admitted.

He tilted his head at me. “For the record, nice guys, or girls
,
don’t always finish last, you know.”

I just stood there. Curtis and I had never exactly indulged in “heart to heart” conversations before. Sensing my hesitance, he went on. “Look at your mother and me. When you watch us, we don’t make sense. But in the end, you love who you love. So, nice guys, or girls, don’t always have to finish last.”

I leaned in and gave him a kiss on the cheek. “Thanks, Curtis.”

He ran a hand over his balding head and blushed. “You’re welcome, kiddo. Which team you playing on tonight?”

I realized that the group had divided themselves into two teams while shoveling pizza down their gullets, and that just Curtis, Uncle Roy, and I remained. Dan was nervously shifting his eyes between the three of us, trying to decide whom to pick. I laughed at the sight of Uncle Roy, standing there, sweating already, a sliver of paunchy white belly sticking out of the bottom hem of his jersey.

“I’ll take Curtis,” Dan announced.

I walked over to Roy and linked my arm through his. “I come in a group of two. Whoever gets me gets Roy here, too. And he has a mean curveball.”

Roy patted my hand affectionately. “My favorite girl.”

Gabe winked at me, a silent “thank you” between the two of us, then pointed his bat at us threateningly. “It’s on.”

We played for three hours. Inning after inning after inning, nobody bothering to keep count—I’d lost count after 14. We played into the evening, and Dwight came out only when it was time for the custodial staff to clean, and to close the retractable ceilings. The floodlights covered the field in light as we ran from base to base, swung our bats as hard as we could, and slid on the sacred dirt of Safeco Field. By the time we were done, some of us were limping, Guthrie was gripping his hip as he walked with a grin on his face, Dan was sporting a swollen lip from a wayward ball I’d hit, Roy was wheezing, and every one of us were covered in dirt, grass stains, and sweat.

Once the drinks and pizza were gone, and everyone was beaten up from the night of amateur baseball, we called it a draw. We packed up the balls and bats, cooler, and all of our garbage, then headed back to the parking lot. I brought up the rear, carrying a bag of garbage, following the men down into the dimly lit tunnels, grinning to myself. I’d done it. I’d thrown the ultimate, stripper-free bachelor party.

Just as the group rounded a corner, a hand came out and pulled me back a few feet.

“Gabe.” I pressed a hand to my chest. “You scared me.”

A flickering neon bulb overhead made it easier for us to see each other’s faces. He stared down at me with his hands on my shoulders, and I could see that the bewildered expression had returned to his face.

“What’s wrong?” I asked.

Gabe pulled me into a hug so fierce, every muscle in his chest tightened against my own. I gave in, melting against him, and wrapping my own arms around his middle. I drew in a long, deep breath, savoring in the smell of Gabe’s body—grass, dirt, sweat, pizza—knowing in my mind that smell would forever remind me of this night. He dug a hand into the back of my hair.

“Vi.” Emotion made his voice deeper than usual. “You are so good to me.”

“That’s why I’m your best friend.”

“That you are. I love you.” He pressed his lips together.

I was dizzy. “Me, too.”

Gabe’s gaze was unreadable. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome. Do you remember the night you told me that you wanted to play ball on Safeco Field?”

He nodded. “I remember.”

Gabe looked torn. Like part of him wanted to close the space between us and press his face to mine, but the other part knew he should push me away. A brief image of Landon presenting me with train tickets to Canada for our first trip together flashed in my mind. Shoving it to the back corner of my mind, I gazed up at Gabe with anxious eyes. His grip tightened around my waist, and one of his palms came up to the back of my neck, where he grasped my hair loosely.

“Vi, I…” His voice was hoarse with effort as he started to close the space between us.

“We need to talk,” I croaked, my voice echoing in the cement tunnel. I needed to focus. There was still so much to tell Gabe.

His head jerked back. “Right.”

“You need to know about Cameron.” I swallowed the lump in my throat that appeared every time I said that name. It felt like it was made out of glass shards.

“All right.” His eyes darkened, but his arms remained around my body.

“And…I need to tell you some things about Alicia, too.” I cringed, waiting for his response.

“Alicia? What?”

“
Dude
. Where are you guys at?” Dan’s footsteps came too rapidly, and he skidded around the corner. His mouth dropped open when he spotted our arms around each other and Gabe’s fingers tangled in my hair. “Oh, uh, sorry.”

Gabe’s arms dropped and he backed away from me. “No, Dan, we weren’t—”

Dan whirled around and spoke with his back to the both of us. “Sorry. I, uh…was just looking for you. I didn’t mean to interrupt.”

Heat flared on my cheeks, spreading down my neck and under the collar of my shirt. “You didn’t interrupt anything.”

Dan glanced at me as we all started hiking down the hall in awkward silence. “Sure I didn’t.”

Chapter Sixteen

September 7, 2003

I heard the doorbell ring after I was out of the shower tonight. I was sitting on my bed in a towel, staring at the back of Gabe’s house while I cried, wondering when he would arrive. My mom said that I shouldn’t call Gabe to tell him what happened, but I knew that he would show up eventually. I just knew it. We’d been friends for too long, we were so in love…and I’d ditched him at Cameron’s an hour ago. It was just a matter of time.

“Hello?”

I closed my eyes and did a happy dance. Getting Gabe on the phone these days was a daunting task. We needed to meet. It was time for Gabe to know my secret and the dirt I had on Alicia. Of course, calling his office at work helped my chances. Score one for me.

“Hey, it’s me. How’s it going?”

“Vi, I was just thinking about you.”

I pretended that my head didn’t whirl when he said that. “You were? Well, I’m calling because we didn’t really get a chance to talk after your party.”

“No, I suppose we didn’t.” His voice had lost some of its enthusiasm.

“Would it be all right if you took the afternoon off from wedding planning, so we could meet for some coffee?”

“Ugh, I’m sorry. I can’t. We’ve got a menu tasting for the reception.”

I thought for a moment. “Hmm. How about tomorrow morning? I don’t work until eleven. We could meet at Harold’s for doughnuts.”

I heard Gabe shuffling some papers. “Crap. No can do. I’ve got a seven
a.m.
meeting.”

“Okay, then.” I rubbed my eyes. “Why don’t you tell me when you have the time?”

“I hope you aren’t upset with me. I’m just really swamped right now.”

I leaned against my hydraulic chair and motioned for Lizzy to stop singing Lady Gaga falsetto. “I’m not upset, no. But…it’s just that a few months ago, all I had to say was Harold’s, and you’d have been in your car before we hung up.”

He sighed. “I know.”

“Everything is changing,” I said.

There was a pause. A long pause in which I heard Gabe’s other lines ringing. Finally, he said, “Listen—” at the same time I blurted out, “Well, how about Friday night?”

“I can’t,” he said.

“Oh, give me a break!” I groaned. “Are you avoiding me?”

“No. Of course not. I—”

“Gabe, I really need to talk to you. This is getting ridiculous. I don’t care if you don’t want to hear what I have to say.” I ran a hand through my hair, exasperated.

“Whoa, okay, okay.”

“It’s not okay!” My voice cracked, and I scooted out of the salon to the sidewalk. “I won’t relax until you sit down for ten minutes and listen to me. Friday night. Meet me at my place. Agreed?”

He sighed. “Alicia got tickets for the Seattle Philharmonic on Friday night. I…I’m so sorry.”

I would have laughed if I weren’t so pissed off. “The philharmonic? You told me that instrumental music gives you a stomachache.”

“Alicia got tickets in the same private box as the mayor,” he said. “She’s really psyched about it. She says it will be good for our reputation to make friends with him.”

The hair on the back of my neck stood up, and I fought the urge to punch a hole in the window of The Funky Fox. “Who the hell cares if you’re friends with the damned mayor?”

“Well, she wants to do charity work someday, and—”

“I just threw up in my mouth.” My voice was low and defeated. “Fine, Gabe. Whatever.”

“No, Vi, listen to me—”

Lizzy tapped on the glass and motioned for me to get back onto the salon floor. “Gotta go. Have a great time at the philharmonic.”

I hung up before he could say another word.

…

“I’ll miss you tonight.” Landon’s voice came through the phone and wrapped around me like a warm blanket.

I smiled lazily. “I’ll miss you, too.”

“Will you call me when you get in?”

“Of course. I can’t wait until tomorrow morning.”

He laughed. The sound was deep and crackly, and it made my heart squeeze. “I can’t, either. Victoria is beautiful in spring.”

I sighed contentedly. “You are too good to me.”

“Only because I love you,” he said.

“I love you, too.”

I hung up my cell phone and stood in place, relishing in the warm fuzzy that talking to Landon gave me.

The day after our fight in the Indian restaurant, he’d taken the day off work and brought flowers and a picnic into The Funky Fox for me. We’d spent my lunch hour on the top of the building looking out over Capitol Hill while we ate gourmet cheeses and a baguette. The notion of loving someone and someone loving me back fit me like a toasty sweater. Landon was just what I needed.

Kim knocked on my bedroom door. “Are you ready?”

I scooted off the edge of my bed and opened my door. “Yup. Ready.”

Kim and Betsy were standing there, all gussied up.

“Lookin’ good, Violet,” Kim said.

I put on my earrings as I shuffled past them in my vintage dark-purple dress. “You two look great.”

“Well, it’s not every night we’re invited to the philharmonic.” Betsy smoothed down her blouse.

I swallowed back the wad of guilt that was rapidly expanding in my throat and ducked into the kitchen to hide.

Okay. So Kim and Betsy didn’t exactly know why I suddenly asked them to go with me to a Seattle philharmonic performance. And well, Landon didn’t know the real reason I told him that I needed a girls’ night with my roomies. So I was technically lying to three of my favorite people in the world, and I totally realized how horrible that made me. I intended to tell Kim and Betsy the truth after I had a chance to speak to Gabe. I knew that I was asking for it, but I simply couldn’t help myself. Gabe needed to know everything about Alicia before he made the biggest mistake of his life. And my secret about Cameron needed to come out once and for all. No more pussyfooting around.

“So are we going or what?” Kim’s voice interrupted my thoughts.

“Let’s go,” I said. “Our tickets are waiting for us at the box office.”

“I’m so excited. This is going to be fun,” Betsy squealed as we bounded down the stairs. “It’s time for a little culture. You sure you don’t want us to pay you back for the tickets?”

Shaking my head, I said, “No way. It’s my treat.” I excluded the fact that I’d had to put it on my credit card—the same credit card that my overpriced bridesmaid dress went on.

Kim laughed. “Well, thank you. I just hope the three of us can keep it civilized for two hours.”

“I’m sure we can.” I followed them out of our building. “We’ll have to go to The Lotus afterward to act like our normal wild selves.”

Betsy gave me a sideways glance. “You just want to cut loose with the girls before Landon whisks you away for the romantic weekend.”

I grinned contentedly. “Maybe.”

Kim looped her arms through both of ours. “You guys are getting serious, huh?”

I swallowed. “You could say that.”

“He’s a good guy. This is so much better than sitting around pining for Mr. Playa
Gabe Parker.” Betsy scoffed, her vintage heels
clicking
on the sidewalk.

“Well, I guess, but—”

Betsy gave me a pointed look. “But nothing. This is good. Let it ride.”

“She’s gonna let it ride all over their hotel room.” Kim winked at me.

My cheeks blazed. “Good grief.”

“Landon is a catch. This is a good thing. Let it happen.” Betsy bumped me on my other side. “Go away with him this weekend and forget about everything…and everyone. Including You Know Who.”

I looked down. I didn’t want to discuss my romantic weekend getaway with Landon just before I saw Gabe. It didn’t feel right. We approached Betsy’s car, and I hopped into the backseat, tuning out the sound of Kim’s chatter.

The performance hall was overflowing with people when we arrived and retrieved our tickets from the box office. We found our seats with just moments to spare before the lights went down, and a hush fell over the audience.

I scanned the crowd in the dark for a sign of either Gabe or Alicia, examining the back of each head for Gabe. The orchestra struck up its opening number, and I decided that I wasn’t going to find him sitting down, so I whispered to Kim that I needed to use the restroom and stood.

“What?” She grabbed my hand. “It’s just starting. You’re going to miss it.”

I squeezed her fingers to reassure her. “Bathroom emergency. I’ll be back.”

The bathroom emergency excuse always worked at keeping curious friends at bay. It was a trick Kim herself had taught me when we were in cosmetology school.

I tiptoed to the exit, examining each and every face as I went. The music rose, the crowd applauded appreciatively, and I stepped back in the shadows to clap. Straining my eyes to find Gabe amongst the sea of faces, I tried my very best to stay in the darkness as much as I could, in case it was Alicia I spotted first.

I quietly slipped up toward the balconies and private boxes to search, still using my lost excuse as I popped my head into small groups of patrons that were seated in private sections. When a third usher asked me if I needed help locating my seat, my phone buzzed in my purse. It was a text from Kim.

Where the heck are you?? Did you fall in? You’re missing everything.

I smiled at the usher, who was eyeballing me curiously, and slunk around a corner to type out a response.

Sorry. Think my Chinese food came back to haunt me. Be back in a jiff.

I crossed to the upper level, where the posh boxes were. Leave it to Alicia to get tickets for the expensive seats. I peeked into the first section, only to be glared at by a woman wearing a fur. With every section I examined, it became clearer and clearer just how insane this plan was. What the hell was I going to say when I actually found Gabe?

Um, I realize that I just hunted you down like a dog at the philharmonic, but I have some serious gossip about your fiancée. Oh, and you know that groomsman in your wedding? Yeah, he’s actually Satan disguised as a sports writer. Say, are they playing
Oberan Overture
?

My palms sweated as I approached the last box. What if their plans changed, and they weren’t at the philharmonic at all? Or worse yet, what if he’d just given me a random excuse in order to avoid me? Maybe I’d just dropped ninety bucks for no reason.

I rubbed my temples. This was classic Violet Murphy. Acting without thinking. Leaping without looking. I was standing outside a VIP box at the philharmonic looking for my opportunity to spill my guts and possibly ruin Gabe’s wedding. When the fact was, I had a loving boyfriend packing for our first weekend getaway together.

My phone buzzed again, and I turned on the backlight with an exasperated sigh. It was an e-mail from Landon:

Hello, Beautiful

Wanted to tell you how much I miss you tonight, and how I hope you’re having a great time with your friends. I love you and can’t wait to see you tomorrow.

—
Landon

That was it. The confirmation I needed. I dropped my phone into my purse and closed it with a
snap
. I had to return to my seat. I would ambush Gabe at his apartment next week and force him to hear me out. In the meantime, it was time to stop sneaking around like some sort of overdressed super sleuth.

A tiny old woman emerged from the box and walked headfirst into my boobs. “Oh, excuse me, dear.”

“Sorry.” I jumped out of her way and into the view of the open curtain.

I caught Gabe’s attention, and his eyes widened. Just as the curtain fell closed again, he cast a nervous glance to his right, where Alicia was sitting, leaning in close to an older gentleman. And holy crap, they really were sitting with the mayor of Seattle.

My cheeks grew hot, and I darted around the old woman toward the stairs. I took the stairs two at a time in my heels, slipping and sliding on the polished tiles. Gripping the railing as tightly as I could, I prayed that Gabe would assume he’d mistaken someone else for me.

“Violet?” Gabe called out behind me.

I froze with my hand poised over the handle.

His shoes squeaked on the marble floors as he approached. “Is that you?”

Cringing, I turned around. Totally busted. “Uh…yeah. Hi.”

Gabe’s face broke into a grin. “What are you doing here?”

I gestured at the door I was about to go through. “I’m here with Kim and Betsy.”

He shook his head, still smiling. “I took them for rock and roll people.”

“W-well.” I shifted between my feet. “Betsy enjoys it. But Kim just likes an excuse to dress up.”

He eyed me up and down. “You look great.”

I was glad I’d chosen to wear the retro fishnets. “Listen, it was good to see you. But I should go. I’ve missed enough of the show already.”

I started to pull the door open, but Gabe’s warm hand touched my arm, making the hair on the back of my neck stand up. “What were you doing on the upper level? Were you looking for me?”

I shook my head. “What? No.”

He frowned. “You sure?”

I cringed. “Okay, I was. I’m sorry. I knew that you guys were here, too, and I came to say hi.”

He laughed, his eyes twinkling. “By sticking your head in VIP seating?”

“Well, I didn’t realize that you were hanging with the mayor. You might want to keep an eye on your fiancée. She looked like she was getting cozy with him.”

Gabe smiled sheepishly. “Yeah. That. Alicia really gets into the whole elbow-rubbing thing.”

“So…” I fidgeted with my purse.

His hand slid down my arm. “Why are you really here?”

“I told you. I’m here with Kim and Betsy.”

“Give me a break. You were looking for me.”

“Don’t flatter yourself. I’m here with friends. Friends who are probably missing me by now.” I grabbed the door again. “It was good to see you.”

“Wait.” Contrition filled his eyes. “Listen, I know I’ve been unavailable lately. But I’m here now. Let’s talk.”

I shrugged. “You’re freaked by what happened at the bachelor party, just admit it.”

His nostrils flared. “I’m not freaked.”

I pointed at his face. “Your nostrils are flaring. They only flare like that when you’re lying.”