Delivered by Charles Eva

Author:Charles, Eva
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Quarry Road Publishing
Published: 2019-03-20T16:00:00+00:00

15

Gabrielle

The doorbell rings, and I stand on tiptoe to look through the peephole. I’m still shell-shocked from the funeral, and I don’t want to deal with JD yet. I need more time to sort through my feelings before I’m ready to take him on again. Although if it’s JD, he’ll just let himself in if I don’t answer the door. I’m sure he has a key.

It’s not him.

I unlatch the door to open it for Mae, or Delilah, or whatever her name is, standing on the stoop with two bags and a white pastry box.

“Hi,” I say. “Smith’s not here.”

“I brought dinner. Enough for both of us. Tacos.”

“Tacos?”

She nods. “Deconstructed tacos.”

“I never heard of a deconstructed taco.”

“They put all the fixings in separate little containers. That way the tacos don’t get soggy while we’re making margaritas.”

I don’t realize I’m standing in the doorway like a woman raised without manners, until she reminds me. “I don’t mean to be pushy, but can I come in?”

“Oh. Yes, of course. I’m sorry.” I don’t want her to come inside. Smith’s gone for the night, and I’m looking forward to laying around in my pajamas, wallowing in a vat of self-pity. But I don’t know how to politely ask her to leave, so I step aside and hold the door open. “You have your hands full. Let me take something.”

“Take the cupcakes.” She hands me the white box with a pink and white grosgrain ribbon tied in a dainty bow. “I planned on bringing cookies for dessert. Smith told me you mainline them like they’ll be disappearing from the planet soon, but then I spied the cupcakes in the case at Sucre. I saw them from the window. You know when you walk by a pet store and the cute puppies, the small fur balls with the big brown eyes beg to come home with you? It was just like that. ‘Bring me home with you, Lila. Bring me home.’ And then of course a half dozen of her friends wanted to come too.”

Oh, Lord. She doesn’t stop talking for a single second while I follow her into the kitchen. I don’t think she cares whether or not I’m listening. I remember on Christmas Eve, she was animated and funny. Doesn’t take herself too seriously. But boy can she talk.

“Lila. Is that another alias?” I ask, as we place the parcels on the counter. It’s unkind, but my heart still stings for Gray.

She blinks a couple time and starts to unpack the containers from the Tease Me With Tacos bag. “No.”

“I’m sorry I shouldn’t have said that about the alias. It came out—”

“Bitchy?”

I nod. “I didn’t mean it that way. I really didn’t.” And I didn’t. But I’m feeling a bit abrasive, and the last thing I want to do is spend my evening entertaining a guest.

“You’re entitled. It’s always hard when people find out your true identity. No one likes to feel as though they were lied to by someone they welcomed into their home.

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