Timing (341 page)

second dessert, and the whole time, she was careful to tip-toe around all

reference to her brother. She told me all about her honeymoon and how

she had locked herself in the hotel bathroom for three hours when the

doorknob fell off. She cackled evilly as she recounted how Ben had

managed to get stung by three jellyfish in one day and how sick she

was of having sex. She just wanted to play video games instead.

Finally, at two in the morning as we walked back to my

apartment, when I could not trade snappy banter with her a second

longer, I grabbed her and looked into her face.

“God what?” She laughed at me.

“Jesus, Char, don’t you want to know all about Rand?”

“Aww, honey, I already know all about Rand.”

“You do?”

“Of course I do.”

“But how? Have you talked to him?”

“I don’t need to talk to him to know what’s going on.” She smiled

widely.

“You don’t?”

“No, honey, I don’t. I knew it was going to happen sooner or

later. It’s just timing.” She sighed deeply, her hands on my face. “I

knew someday Rand was going to grow a pair and tell you how he felt.

I just always hoped that the timing would be right and you guys would

both be in the same place at the same time.”

I was absolutely stunned.

“Close your mouth, Stefan. You look like a fish.”

I snapped it shut.

“Please, I never saw so much sexual tension between two people

in my life. You could cut it with a knife,” she assured me. “I mean the

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way Rand always looked at you like he wanted to eat you and kill you

at the same time, and the way you always had to find an excuse to pick

a fight with him? C’mon, what am I, stupid?”

“I… I thought he hated me.”

She cackled evilly. “Oh, my poor, dumb baby, were you dropped

on your head when you were little?”

“Charlotte!”

She dissolved into laughter.

“Char!”

“Stefan Joss, my brother is crazy, head-over-heels in love with

you! He has been since he was twenty-one and he walked into that

room and saw the most beautiful eighteen-year-old boy that he’d ever

seen in his life.”

“I—”

“He’s thirty-one now, and you’re still the most beautiful thing

he’s ever seen. But it’s lucky for you, huh?”

“What is?”

“It’s lucky that you’re pretty, ’cause wow—really not bright.”

“Char!”

She cackled again.

“You better fly home to your husband; he’s probably pissed at me

for taking you away from him already.”

“Are you kidding? That was the longest goddamn honeymoon in

recorded history. He’s so glad I came to see you he can barely stand it.

I said, ‘I’m gonna go see Stef,’ and he said, ‘Yeah, go visit your

boyfriend’.”

“You guys are like an old married couple already.”

“Yeah, super.”

I put my arm around her shoulders as we walked down the street

toward my apartment. “Hey, did you meet your mom’s lover?”

“Eww, you just said ‘lover’ to gross me out. That’s mean.”

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Mary Calmes

My turn to cackle. “His son Tristan hit on me.”

“Did Rand hurt him?”

“No, Rand doesn’t know.”

“Oooh good, lemme tell him. I like to see that vein pop out in his

neck.”

“God, you’re horrible.”

“And you’re actually okay,” she sighed. “And I’m so glad. I was

so worried. I thought maybe this thing with Knox had made you nuts or

something.”

“No.”

“Well, it makes sense. I mean, hello—were you answering my

calls?”

“No, I wasn’t.”

“You see, do those sound like the actions of a sane person to

you?”

I squeezed her tight. “No, they don’t.”

“I rest my case.”

“I will always pick up the phone from now on.”

“See that you do.”

She was very bossy, and I loved her like mad.

“So when are you leaving?’

Her head turned and her eyes captured mine in her blue-green

gaze. “The better question is when are you leaving?”

It really was the better question.

“What are you still doing here, Stef?”

I stopped walking, froze where I was, looking at her like I was

seeing her for the first time. “Shit, what am I doing here?”

“Stalling.”

“Why?”

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“Because you’re scared,” she said. “It’s okay to be scared but you

gotta dive into the deep end sometime and trust that you’re not gonna

drown.”

“I love him.”

“I know,” she nodded, “he’s the only one you’ve ever cared

enough about to fight with. That’s how I knew, that’s how I always

knew.”

“Why didn’t you tell me?”

She scoffed. “Men don’t listen to women, straight or gay, not at

all.”

And she was right, at least in my case. I would have never

believed that Rand Holloway wanted me for anything at all.

“So?” She prodded me, the warm smile on her face that I adored.

“So I think you should stay here and help me pack.”

“I think that’s a phenomenal idea.”