chapter 3

Roxy was squeezing a half-melted pint of Caramel Birthday Cake Swirl directly into her mouth when her phone started ringing. She swallowed quickly, wiped her hands on a towel, then grabbed the vibrating phone. The mother of all brain-freezes already began sweeping over her when she managed to answer it.

“Hello?” she said, expecting to hear that her car’s warranty had expired or that she’d won a prize from Mariot hotels.

She didn’t recognize the voice on the other end at first, just asking to confirm her name.

“This is she,” she said.

She listened further. The words were slurred and the explanation rambling. Maybe it was one of her exes, except it definitely wasn’t Jenna, or Alex, or even Trance.

“Judy? From the bake sale? Sure I’d love to have lunch. Let me see when I’m free.”

This date had been a bad one. She had dealt with a lot of unsolicited diet advice in her life, but she hadn’t expected it on a first date, especially with another butch lesbian who should know better. Apparently she was “setting a bad example for baby gays” and “playing into stereotypes”. The only thing she was thankful for was that this crap came to the surface, when Vanessa asked if they had any Paleo Diet options available.

“Yes, I’m free Thursday,” Roxy said, deleting the protest from her roster. There would be time, later, and she needed to commit before she chickened out. A nice, low-stakes talk with a stranger might be a break from the hailstorm blowing through her own little circle.

She should have listened to Trance’s warnings about Vanessa, but honestly, who could trust what Trance said?

She tossed the empty ice cream container and opened another tub, sniffling.

#

“You barely know this woman!” Dwayne hissed. “How do you know she won’t make off with our silverware?”

“I told you,” Judy said, trying to keep any hint of “attitude” or “being smart” out of her voice, “I asked around, and she’s a thoroughly nice person. I’ve barely used the good china since we inherited it from my mother and I want to cook something nice.”

“So you’ll make nice food because we have somebody to show off for, but not for your own husband?” Dwayne asked, rolling his eyes and knocking back another snifter of cognac.

“I always do my best for you, honey, but there’s a lot of things you and your guys don’t like to eat.” Judy dug her fingernails into the plate she was washing. “And half the time you just order takeout or let it get cold anyway.” She didn’t say she wanted to cook for somebody who actually appreciated her food, because that was certain to set him off. She swore, he’d been losing weight steadily ever since…well, it was hard to say when Judy stopped being able to reach Dwayne’s heart through his stomach.

Roxxy, on the other hand, was somebody who appreciated good food, and it showed. She managed to make even cartoon character T-shirts and a pair of jeans look good on that heavy, luscious frame, seams straining, and that enchanting little peak of her pale belly showing every time she stretched or stood up. She’d ordered one of everything that Judy recommended, saying she trusted her taste, and watching it all vanish past her full lips and into that…

“I’m sorry, dear, I didn’t hear you,” Judy said, feeling the heat in her cheeks and another, less-familiar pressure.

“I don’t see why we always have to spend time with your friends instead of mine,” Dwayne grumbled.

Judy spun around, the wet plate still in hand, and fixed him with a brittle smile.

“Really? When was the last time we did that?”

His face flushed, and he half rose from his seat, but something in her eyes made him hesitate.

“The least you can do is be civil when she comes over.”