Coffee in Common (49 page)

"I came to see you, of course. I was overseas most of the time since I graduated. But I can see I'm intruding. You two are going out, yes? Perhaps I can call you tomorrow? We can have lunch soon and catch up."

"Umm, sure. That would be fine. But we really do have to get going now."

She had been so focused on Aiden she almost forgot about Paul. When her eyes shifted, she could tell he suspected something was happening below the surface pleasantries, but all he did was raise his eyebrows and give her a reassuring smile.

10:20 AM

"I almost called you last night."

Maggie and Priya settled in at Coffey's, each with a large cup in front of her. Between them sat the single blueberry muffin they agreed to share. Maggie had never been to Coffey's and as she lifted the cup to her mouth, Priya was anticipating her friend's reaction to her first taste.

"Why didn't you?"

She grinned as Maggie's eyes widened a bit.

"Wow! You weren't kidding. This is spectacular! Is the muffin this good, too?"

"Try it and see."

Priya loved bringing new people here. So far, no one had been disappointed.

"Wow again! How could I never have heard about this place?"

Priya shrugged.

"You've obviously led a sheltered life, caffeine-wise."

Maggie laughed.

"That may be the only-wise."

"Hey. I thought we agreed there'd be no negative jokes or comments. So why didn't you call last night? You didn't…"

"No. It's fifteen days and counting. But I came close."

"How close? Tell me."

"I was out with some girls from work. We went up to the Palace in Saugus. One of the girls knew someone in one of the bands that's playing there."

She saw the question in Priya's eyes.

"No, I was not drinking. Strictly diet soda all night. But there was this guy. He asked me to dance a couple of times, then we started talking, and Priya, he was hot. Not just a face and a body, but funny, too. Then, about midnight, both of the girls I went with told me they were leaving with guys they picked up.

"I could see in Eddie's eyes that he wanted me. And I really wanted him."

Her voice became a whisper so people are nearby tables wouldn't overhear what she said next.

"Priya, I was so wet I felt like I was dripping, even when I was sitting."

She closed her eyes and sighed

"Anyway, he asked if I wanted to leave and I almost said yes. But instead, I told him I had to pee and walked to the ladies room, intending to call you so you could convince me not to go with him. But the strangest thing happened. By the time I reached the bathroom, I realized that just knowing I
could
call you made me think of how you'd feel if I gave in and slept with him. And suddenly, it was more important not to disappoint you than it was to have him close to me that night. I never had that feeling before, Priya."

"Lord, Maggie, I'm so proud of you. That was your first real test, and you kicked ass. But I wish you
had
called me so I could have been happy for you last night, too!"

"If that hadn't happened, I would have. But I knew you were out with Brian and I didn't want to bother you."

"Don't be ridiculous. I told you when we started, this is a twenty-four/seven thing. How do you think
I'd
feel if you needed to call me and didn't because you thought it would bother me and then…"

She left it unsaid.

"Please promise me you'll call if it happens again. I don't care if it's four in the morning."

Maggie felt a surge of warmth as she gave Priya the assurance she wanted. In two short weeks she'd grown so close to her. They talked every day, met for lunch when they could, and hung out even when Brian was around. Priya had not been kidding when she promised to help her, to always be there for her, for as long as it took to get her head, and her life, to where she always dreamed they should be.

I wonder if this is what it's like to have a sister.

She still didn't trust her emotions. She knew
that
confidence would be a long time coming. Still, she could tell Priya really cared about her and knew she felt the same way.

The sound of children crashing through the front door caused many heads to turn, including their own.

"Hey, that's Tom and Patti and the kids! Tom's one of the guys I work with."

An evil grin crept across her face as she reached for the empty foil muffin cup and crumpled it into a small ball.

"Have I ever mentioned my incredible hand-eye coordination?"

Tom was still by the door, his back to them, about fifteen feet way. Priya half-turned in her seat, brought her arm back, and let the ball fly. And fly it did, bouncing dead center off the back of Tom's head.

"What the hell…?"

He turned to find Priya and another woman sitting at a table laughing.

"I should have known."

He herded his family over to their table.

"You know, in some companies, assaulting the boss gets you all the boring, rinky-dink work for a month or more."

Priya laughed.

"It was worth it to see the look on your face when you turned around."

Priya introduced Maggie and Tom did the same for Patti and his kids, Justin, Katie, Louisa, Frank, and Kerri.

"What are you guys doing in town?"

"Taking your advice. Having fun with the family. The kids wanted to see where dad worked."

Patti snorted.

"Advice? The way I heard it, it was more like an order."

Priya's eyes flicked from Tom to Patti and back again.

"Yes, against your orders, he confessed to telling you all. I'm glad he did. He needed to unload and I was so…well, it wasn't fair to make him keep it all inside. Thank you for being there for him. And please thank Paul and Rob, too."

Priya smiled.

"I will. Umm…is everything okay?"

"Yes! The doctor called yesterday. It's just a cyst. They're taking it out next Thursday."

"That's wonderful news! No wonder you're celebrating!"

They all chatted for a few more minutes until it became obvious the kids had reached their tolerance for standing around quietly. After buying coffee for themselves, juice for the kids, and pastry for all, Tom and Patti said goodbye and led the kids out for a picnic on the Common.

"Are you and Brian going out, tonight?"

"Not really. I'm meeting him later for a few hours, but he's off to some seminar in Dallas tonight. He won't be back until late Tuesday night. Why? Want to do something?"

 "Maybe. Do you like old movies? Old love stories?"

"You mean like the old black and white things with Gretta Garbo and Lauren Bacall and such?"

Maggie nodded.

"Sure. I love those things."

"Well I rented
Roman Holiday
with Audrey Hepburn and Gregory Peck,
How to Marry a Millionaire
with Marilyn Monroe, Betty Grable and Lauren Bacall, and
An Affair to Remember
with Cary Grant and Deborah Kerr. Want to come over and watch them with me?"

Priya thought for a minute.

"Brian's not leaving for the airport until six-thirty. I can pick up a pizza or something and be there between seven and seven-thirty. Okay?"

"Okay. But no anchovies."

"Were you planning to watch all three movies?"

"Well, yes. I had nothing else to do. You don't have to stay for all of them, though."

"Don't be silly. Those are three classics. I'm thinking maybe I'll bring some clothes and sleep on the couch."

"Yes! I owe you a sleepover. But no barfing all over yourself like I did."

Priya laughed.

"I promise. No binge drinking tonight."

Maggie joined the laughter.

"So you know those are classics. Does that mean you're a movie buff?"

It was Priya's turn to lower her voice as she said with a grin, "You may not know this, but we virgins spend a lot of time alone in our apartments. We watch lots and lots of movies. Especially love stories, so we can dream of the day we're
not
virgins anymore."

11:25 AM

Jillian and Paul lay on the grass in front of the Hatch Shell on the Esplanade, site of the annual Boston Pops Fourth of July concerts. They were on their backs, feet pointed in opposite directions, heads touching ear-to ear.

They had walked slowly the mile and a half from her apartment to the Esplanade, stopping frequently to watch sailboats on the Charles or kids playing on the wide strip of grass that lined the shore.

As they relaxed, Paul laid out his plans for the day with the exception of the two most important events. Although they had chatted about work and friends most of the way, he noted she hadn't brought up old friend Aiden.

From the way she reacted when she saw him and the way she's that little bit distracted again, that guy Aiden has to be more than just a classmate. He has to be the ghost, the guy who hurt her. Damn him for showing up today of all days. Hmmm…if he can distract her that much, maybe I should rethink the plan for tonight. Or maybe it'd be better just to stick to it. Maybe…

As they lay there, his mind churning like an out-of-control washing machine, he realized he was making himself crazy with worry and could stand it no longer.

"Are you going to tell me about him? He's the ghost, the guy you've been thinking about for the past few weeks, isn't he?"

Jillian knew the question would be coming. She'd been dreading it from the moment Aiden walked out her door, reiterating his promise to call her tomorrow. Thoughts and questions swirled through her almost faster than she could register them.

Why did I agree? Why didn't I yell and scream at him, as I've wanted to do for so long? If I really love Paul that much, why didn't I throw Aiden out? Why am I hiding all this from him? But I do love him. He's everything I ever wanted in a man, and more. Isn't he? Why am I acting like this? Why, why, why? There are too many whys. And now I have to tell Paul about him.

As the silence dragged on, she became more frantic.

What should I tell him? The truth, of course, and all of it. But how? It doesn't matter. Just say it before he starts imagining the worst.

"I'm sorry for the way I've been acting, Paul. Seeing him like that sort of threw me."

She rolled over on her side to face him.

"Aiden and I lived together when I was in college. He was the first man I ever really loved. We were together for two years. We…we were engaged, but he ran out, ran away, really, the day after he graduated."

Paul rolled over to face her.

"Do you still have feelings for him?"

"No!"

She knew she'd said it too quickly, too forcefully, as if she were trying to convince herself instead of him. But it was a lie and it was clear from the way Paul was looking at her that he suspected.

This can't be happening. He doesn't believe me. And why should he? I don't believe it myself.

Abruptly, she jumped up.

"Paul, I loved him for so long. And then I hated him for so much longer. And I thought I'd put it behind me. All of it. But…but…seeing him again dredged up all these feelings and I don't know… Please. Please wait here for a few minutes."

Then she turned and walked quickly toward the river bank.

Paul watched her backside sway as she moved, her eyes on the ground at her feet. With each step, the bad feeling that started the moment she'd said ‘Aiden!' grew stronger and stronger.

As he waited, he replayed in his mind the night of their first date.

What a fool. I should have slept with her. I should have grabbed her heart and filled it so full of me that there'd be no room left for this Aiden guy. Maybe it would have worked out. Maybe.

She hadn't moved from her spot by the shore for almost five minutes so he lay on his back again to enjoy the fair weather clouds in the baby blue sky. As much as he wanted to go to her and lobby for himself, he knew that whatever she needed to think about, whatever she needed to decide, she had to do it alone.

No sooner had he settled down, though, than a shiver ran through him, a premonition. He turned his head and saw a man approaching her from the left. It took a few seconds for his eyes to refocus and realize it was Aiden.

"What the hell is he doing here?"

By the time Paul leapt to his feet, Aiden had reached her and said something that caused her to start. Before he could take two steps, Jillian turned away from Aiden and faced him. Even from a distance, he could see the tears in her eyes as she held up both hands, palms forward, and shook her head, asking him to stop, to not get involved. It took more will than he expected, but he did as she asked.

The next twelve minutes were the most difficult of his life.

"I hope those tears aren't for me," Aiden said.

"What are you doing here?"

She pulled a tissue from her pocket to blot her eyes. "Were you following us the way you were following me two weeks ago?"

His confident grin never wavered.

"I figured you knew it was me. I'm sorry about that. I wanted to learn a little about who you'd become before I contacted you. To see if you were married or a nun or something."

He hoped that last line would elicit a smile, but it didn't.

"What do you want, Aiden? After all this time."

His smile faded. He started to reach out to touch her, but held back.

"I owe you an apology, Jillian. And an explanation. I know both are long overdue, but you deserve to hear them, if you want to."

The hardness in her eyes softened a little, encouraging him to go on.

"Jillian, I am more sorry than you will ever believe for the horrible way I treated you. I was young, and confused, and so full of myself that I didn't really see how my decision would affect you. I knew you'd be hurt, but at the time I was too much of a coward to face the hurt and the betrayal I knew I'd see if I told you in person.

"Not a day has gone by since then that I've not been ashamed of what I did to you. And to myself. I had a wonderful girl who loved me, who was ready and willing to share her life with me, and I tossed it all away like an old laundry ticket.