“Speaking of dinner,” Myles drawls as he swings his legs to the side and pushes up from the chaise. “I think I will actually go start working on it. I’ll let you two ladies relax out here for a while.”
I cock an eyebrow at him skeptically. I’m the cook in this little friend-family, but Myles does have a few meals that he does really well at. “What are we having?”
Adira and Myles went to the grocery store after we’d all officially moved in earlier today, and I have no clue what they bought. But I’m hopeful the ingredients might be tomatoes, basil, and kalamata olives.
“Only my best for you, sweet Finley,” he says with a mock bow. Which means his completely delicious, yet simple meal of pasta with some lightly sauteed tomatoes, garlic, and kalamata olives, finished with a drizzle of olive oil and shredded basil. He also does a mean salad.
I pump my arm inward. “Yassss!”
Myles shoots a devilishly charming smile at me, then Rainey, and disappears inside the houseboat to make his way to the kitchen on the first floor.
Rainey lets out a sigh when the door closes, such as I’ve never heard before. I swing to look her way, and she’s staring at the door with an almost-wistful expression.
Frowning, I ask, “What’s with the dramatic sigh?”
In the four years I’ve known and loved this woman, I’ve maybe seen her blush three times, but now I’m seeing a fourth. Her eyes snap to mine, and she shrugs. “I just think it’s sweet Myles jumped in to save the day with finding you this place, and now he’s cooking dinner so you and I can relax, and well…”
Her words drift off, floating away on the Lake Union breeze.
I stare at her perplexed, but with a niggling feeling I’m recognizing something here Rainey may have let slip. And because she’s my dearest friend along with Myles, I have no shame in asking her point-blank, “Do you… do you like Myles?”
Her blush deepens as her chin jerks inward. She waves dismissively. “Of course not.”
My bullshit-o-meter goes off like a four-alarm fire bell clanging. “You do like him,” I accuse playfully.
Rainey ducks her head, seeming to prepare for another denial, then just as quickly brings her eyes to mine.
In an almost piteous moan, she says, “Yes. Okay. Yes, I like him. Are you happy? And it’s so stupid because Myles looks at me like I’m his sister, which makes it all the worse.”
No stopping my mouth from dropping. Not only from Rainey’s admission, which I didn’t see coming at all, because let’s face it—she likes rich sugar-daddy-type men—but also because how could she not see Myles was in love with her? He has perpetual puppy dog eyes in her presence.
“Um… Rainey,” I say gently, making sure her attention is riveted on me. “I don’t know how to break this to you, but Myles likes you too.”
“As a friend,” she mutters with another wave of her head. But then her eyebrows rise hopefully. “Or do you mean he likes me as more than a friend?”
“More than a friend,” I state emphatically. “But he’s never acted on it because he always thought you were beyond his reach.”
“He told you this?” she asks in awe.
“One drunken night out, yes. And made me swear to never repeat it, but seeing as how you like him, I have to let that secret fly. Besides, out of the two of you, you’re the only one brash enough to make a move.”
“Why would he ever think I was beyond his reach?” she ponders, her nose scrunching. Then her expression turns to alarm. “Oh God… he thinks I’m a vain, shallow, vapid bitch, doesn’t he? Because I’m always going on about finding a rich husband and stuff.”
She leans forward dramatically—although without any real effort—and bangs her head on the table to accentuate her stupidity, causing her martini glass to rattle.
“He doesn’t think that about you at all,” I assure her. “He likes everything about you.”
Rainey twists until her cheek now rests on the table. “You’re not just saying that to make me feel better about being a vain, shallow, vapid bitch, are you?”
“You are none of those things, and you know it,” I admonish. “And Myles adores you as a friend, and I’m sure on a deeper level.”
Bolting upright, Rainey grips the edge of the table, eyes wide with alarm. “So what do I do now? How do I play this? Do I just come right out and say I like you? Do I play coy and just flirt? Or maybe get him drunk, and—”
“Rainey,” I say sharply to stop her nervous tirade. Her mouth snaps shut. “I’m sure you can figure it out. Both of you like each other, and, yes, you have an advantage because you know he likes you in return. I’m sure nature will take its course, but if you want to push it along, I’m sure a little flirting will help.”
She beams such a joyous smile that her beauty is turned into a stunning display. With Mount Rainier in the distance behind her, its splendor seems to pale in comparison to her.
Jerking my head toward the sliding doors, I suggest, “Why don’t you go help him with dinner?”
Her eyes move that way, back to me, then down to her martini. She picks it up, takes it down in four hefty swallows, and smacks her lips as she sets down the empty glass. Standing up, she smooths down her sweater over her hips and asks, “Do I look okay?”
I roll my eyes. “You’re a hag. Now go get your man.”
Rainey gives a little yip of excitement. She does a happy dance that lasts for about five seconds, and then she’s charging off.
Leaning back in the chaise with a satisfied smile, I think this is the best thing to have happened in an awfully long time. I think they could be a true love match, and I’m going to be rooting for them the entire way.
But it doesn’t take long for feelings of melancholy to flush the joy away. Rainey just shared a huge secret with me and although she was scared to do so at first, she ultimately trusted in me. It makes me sad I can’t do the same with her.
Or Myles for that matter.
That I can’t share with my two best friends in the world everything that is going on in my life. The things I can see, the danger we’re all in, and the fact my sister essentially died last night. The loneliness presses upon me like a heavy weight. For the briefest of moments, I wish Carrick were here to talk to.
But that’s not an option. Despite how isolated I feel, I know that my path with him is far more than I can or want to handle. I gaze down into my coffee cup, only about a sip left now, regretting drinking caffeine this late.
I ponder what would happen if I just sat Rainey and Myles down to tell them in a calm, rational way all that has happened. Surely, the fact Carrick is part of this—a successful and rich businessman—would lend credibility to my story. Of course, Carrick isn’t part of my life, so he couldn’t back me up. I’m not sure he would anyway.
Bottom line, this is all just too fantastical for two rational people to believe, even as open-minded as Rainey and Myles are. And their knowledge that I have a mental health history will make them think those issues are resurfacing. It would be understandable human nature to think that way.
Besides, do I really want to bring them into my nightmare? How much of a disservice would I be doing to them by sharing the burden if they believed me?