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I nodded somberly and took a sip of my wine. “Tis true.”

Bridget shoveled a forkful of Caprese salad in her mouth. “You had drinks with Hannah Marshak. A girl who probably enjoys sticking it
to
you more than she likes a guy sticking it
in
her! Unbelievable.”

I chuckled. “It’s nuts. I know. But I had no choice.”

Bridget pressed her lips together. “You always have a choice.”

Cocking my head to the side, I relented. “Okay, you’re right. I
could
have chosen to not follow Hannah to Ryan’s Daughter, but she was holding dirt on Daneen. It was way too tempting.”

Bridget downed her wine. “
Fine.
You made the right choice. But now you like Hannah!” Shivering she said, “Blech!”

“I wouldn’t say I
like
Hannah, Bridge. I just have…” I hesitated. “I have a newfound respect for her though. You should have seen the look on Daneen’s face when I brought up bowel movements. And poor Nicholas.”

Bridget raised an eyebrow. “Poor Nicholas?”

I frowned. “He looked so confused.”

Laughing, Bridget said, “I wonder why. It’s not like it was the first time you uttered the phrase ‘bowel control’ in his presence. I’m sure that’s what you always discussed during your pillow talk, right?”

I took another sip of wine, feeling an ache in my belly at the memory of pillow talk with Nicholas. I even missed his harmonica. “So, what about you? What do you and Jonathan discuss during pillow talk?”

Blushing, she said, “We haven’t had pillow talk yet. We’re taking things slow.”

“Oh. That’s smart, I guess.”

Bridget nodded. “Yeah. We don’t want to rush into anything until we’re sure. But he’s a really good kisser!”

I nodded. “Yeah.”

Her face turning even redder, she said, “I guess you knew that already.”

I laughed quietly. Even though I was afraid it would make me feel worse about my own situation, I vowed to be a good friend and encourage Bridget to tell me more about her relationship with Jonathan. But first I had to get something out in the open. “Bridge?”

“Kim?” Bridget smiled.

I cleared my throat. “Can I ask you something?”

Looking at me curiously, she said, “Of course.”

My voice shaky, I asked, “How come you didn’t tell me about Jonathan?”

Bridget cocked her head to the side. “What do you mean? You’re the one who suggested I do something about my crush.”

“And I meant it! But how come you didn’t tell me anything after your first ‘appointment’? When I showed up at brunch, you guys were practically a couple already and it really caught me off guard.” I took a sip of my wine. “Not that I wasn’t happy for you, but still. I felt like an idiot.”

Bridget frowned. “I’m sorry, Kim. I wanted to tell you everything and I almost did. Several times. But I knew you were upset about Nicholas and didn’t want to rub it in your face.”

I chewed my lip. “So, you weren’t trying to keep me out of the loop?”

Bridget’s eyes opened wide. “Absolutely not! You’re my best friend and I want you to know everything about me. I was afraid to pour salt on the wound.”

Nodding, I said, “I get it. It’s just that…” I paused to collect my thoughts. “Between losing Nicholas and being abused by Daneen at work, I haven’t been in the best place. Feeling disconnected from you just made me feel worse.”

Bridget’s eyes turned glassy. “Oh, Kim, I’m sorry. You know I love you, right?”

I smiled. “Of course. I love you too, Bridge.”

Bridget grinned. “Glad we got that straight.” Motioning with her head towards the bar area, she said, “A girl at the bar is staring at you.”

I spun around and looked toward the bar where there was indeed a girl with a chin level bob of black hair squinting her eyes in my direction. After a brief moment, I recognized her as Sarah, Nicholas’ friend from Anthony & Vic’s.

I turned back to Bridget. “I know her. Sort of.” I stood up. “You mind if I say hello? I’ll explain later.”

Bridget stood up with me. “No worries.” Removing the pack of cigarettes from her bag, she said, “I’ll take this opportunity to have a smoke.”

Smirking, I said, “So happy to facilitate your bad habits.”

Bridget winked. “One of the many reasons I love you,” she said before hoofing it to the exit of the restaurant.

Following behind her, I walked over to Sarah having no idea what I was going to say, considering we’d only met once and my relationship with Nicholas hadn’t exactly ended under the best of circumstances. I wondered if she knew the entire story.

She was talking to the bartender and no longer facing my direction, but turned around when I tapped her lightly on the back. She smiled wide. “Kim! I thought that was you. My eyesight isn’t great. George keeps telling me to get glasses but I’m too vain. And I’m too terrified to do the LASIK surgery.” Taking a big gulp of wine, she said cheerily, “How are you?”

Someone is drunk.
I made eye contact with the bartender, who grinned. “Yeah, she’s schnuckered,” he said.

Sarah leaned over the bar and lightly swatted him. Turning back to face me, she said, “It’s Tim’s fault. We’re in culinary school together and he keeps me company when George works crazy hours, which…‘“ She rolled her eyes. “Is often.” Giggling, she said, “George doesn’t mind because Tim is gay.”

Tim shook his head. “I think the real reason he doesn’t mind is because I let you both drink at my restaurant for free.”

Rolling her eyes again, Sarah said, “Whatever. So how are you? I was so sad to hear that you and Nicholas stopped dating.” She frowned.

I bit my lip. “Thanks. That’s so nice of you to say.” I figured it was the booze that was making her so enamored of my relationship with Nicholas. I couldn’t have made
that
great of an impression the one time we’d met.

“We all figured it was about time he started dating again.” Sarah shook her head, her lower lip still protruding in a pout.

Puzzled by her statement, I repeated, “Started dating again?”

“Exactly!”

I was thoroughly confused. I looked over at Tim, hoping for help, but he was assisting another customer. “What do you mean?”

“Nicholas is so cute! Seriously yummy, right?”

I felt that stubborn dull pain in my tummy again. Weakly, I agreed, “Yeah.”

“After Amanda, we knew it would be a while before he trusted another girl but years went by and nothing.” More to herself than me, she mumbled, “Bitch.”

I assumed Amanda was his ex-girlfriend. “What did Amanda do?”

Sarah looked hard at me. “He didn’t tell you?”

Nicholas had never told me anything about his relationship history. I shook my head, “No.” I looked over as Bridget walked by on her way back to the table. I raised two fingers to let her know I would join her soon.

Sarah sighed loudly and then took another sip of wine. “They dated for years. He assumed…
we
assumed… she was the one. When he asked her to move in with him, she confessed that she was seeing someone else at the same time.”

I opened my eyes wide, not knowing what to say.

Sarah continued. “And had been for almost the entire two years of their relationship.”

“Holy crap,” I blurted out.

“Yeah. It was her high school boyfriend!” Sarah said, shaking her head. “Bitch.”

“Oh, wow,” I said, still floored.

“He hasn’t seen anyone else since.” With a devilish grin, she said, “Well, he obviously isn’t celibate or anything. Way too cute for that.”

“A player, huh?”
I knew it.

Sarah jerked her head back. “No way. But we all have needs, you know?”

Twirling a hair around my index finger, I said, “Did he…Did he ever date Mary?”

Sarah furrowed her brow in confusion. “Mary? You mean our friend Mary? She’s gay, so definitely not!” She laughed and took another swig of wine. “Anyway, you were the first girl he took seriously since Amanda.”

I gripped the back of her bar stool for support and repeated, “Took seriously?”

Nodding, Sarah said, “He never brought anyone out with us. Ever. Certainly not out to dinner. Until you. He really liked you.” She frowned again.

Half to myself, I said, “I had no idea.”

Obviously thinking I was referring to Amanda’s deception, Sarah said, “I know! Who would have guessed a girl could secretly date two people seriously for two years.”

I shrugged.

Flipping her hair, she said, “So, yeah, we were all so sad when he told George you guys had ended things. I still have a subscription to your blog though.”

“You subscribe to my blog?” I felt a bit sick to my stomach and suspected it had nothing to do with the appetizers Bridget and I had already eaten and everything to do with how I’d misjudged Nicholas.

“Yeah! Nicholas sent me the link after George’s birthday dinner. No reason I have to break up with your reviews just because you and Nicholas broke up right?” She put two fingers to her lips. “Don’t tell.”

I smiled softly. “Your secret is safe with me.” It wasn’t as if Nicholas and I were on speaking terms anyway
.
“Can I ask you a question?”

“Sure. I’ve already said too much, I’m sure.” Motioning towards her wine, she said, “This shit is like truth serum.”

I choked out a chuckle. “What did Amanda do for a living?”

Sarah looked up toward the ceiling as if the answer was somewhere in the track lighting. “Customer service. But I think she wanted to go back to school to be a dental technician or a physician’s assistant.” She shrugged. “Something like that.”

Feeling like I had swallowed sour milk, I looked down at my toes and back to Sarah. “It was really great seeing you but my friend is waiting for me.” I gestured toward Bridget who was now looking at me with her lips pursed in annoyance.

Sarah put her hand to her mouth. “Oh shit! I’m sorry. Didn’t mean to monopolize you.”

“No worries. I’m glad we ran into each other. Please tell George I said, ‘Hi’.”

“I will.” She leaned over the bar. “Tim! Get Kim and her friend glasses of wine. On the house,” she said, whispering the last three words.

“Not necessary.” I said to Tim. I patted Sarah on the back and whispered, “But thanks.” As I walked back over to our table where Bridget was waiting for me, the phrases “she’s gay,” “took seriously,” “really liked you” and “customer service” swam around my brain, along with the visual of Sarah jerking her head back at my accusation that Nicholas was a player.

Crossing her arms over her chest, Bridget said, “I was beginning to think you were ditching me for Nicholas’ friend. It’s been…” She stopped talking and stared at me. “What happened?”

I shook my head. “You don’t want to know.”

Bridget leaned forward. “
Yeah,
I do.”

Bridget didn’t say a word as I repeated my conversation with Sarah verbatim. She just sat quietly, chewing her lower lip and occasionally nodding.

“And that about wraps it up,” I said. Feeling the onset of a tension headache, I pressed two fingers against my forehead and closed my eyes. When I opened them, Bridget was looking fixedly at me. “What?” I asked.

Twirling her linguini around a spoon, she said, “I’m not sure why you’re so upset about this turn of events, Kim.”

“What do you mean? Were you even listening to me?” I took a bite of my pasta even though I had lost my appetite.

“Of course, I was. But everything you said implies that Nicholas really liked you. All of your concerns that you were just a distraction, that you weren’t ‘successful’ enough, were figments of your own paranoia. That’s a good thing! And your imagined competition with beach volleyball babe? Lesbian!”

“Yeah. Way to jump to false conclusions, Kimmie! Anyway, all of this would be great if we were still dating, but I hate to be the bearer of bad news, we’re not. And whether or not Nicholas was embarrassed by my being just a secretary, he still made me feel that way. And he still consorted with the enemy.” I mumbled, “And according to Facebook, he still does.”

“Well then. I guess that means you don’t like him anymore anyway, so why are we wasting our girls’ night talking about him?” Bridget swallowed a mouthful of linguini and then smiled at me. “Right?”

“Right.” I shook my head at her and dropped my napkin onto my plate. “I feel sick.”

“I’m sorry, K.” She reached across the table and placed her hand over mine.

“I was so angry at him, Bridge. But it was only a fight. I had every intention of talking to him the next morning, but he wanted no part of it. He shut me out hard.” I sighed.

“Probably his defense mechanism after what his ex did.”

“But I’m not Amanda. I wasn’t two-timing him with my ex-boyfriend!”

Bridget chuckled. “Close enough. At least at the beginning.”

“Which probably explains why Nicholas made me confirm a gazillion times after the reunion that things between Jonathan and me were really over. I wondered if he might be jealous. I kind of hoped he was a little jealous. But I never would have guessed what Amanda did to him in a million years.” I took a sip of wine. “This sure was an informative night out, wouldn’t you say?” I laughed even though I sort of wanted to cry.

“Never a dull moment.” Bridget lifted her glass and clinked it against mine. “To another great night with my BFF!”

***

Later that night, I sat in front of my computer. Once I checked my email, I would get lost in a book so I could feel the main character’s pain instead of mine, laugh at her missteps rather than lament my own, and cheer for the happy ending that seemed to elude me.

Among the many unread emails waiting in my in-box was one from Hannah Marshak. My first thought was that Hannah had fabricated the shitter story to secure a good review of
Cut on the Bias
. I couldn’t think of an ending more befitting of the night. I clenched my jaw and opened the email.

Hi Kim,

I wanted to thank you for the great review. Coming from you, I’ll take four stars as high praise. I’m sure your four stars are a taller girl’s five stars anyway.