The Friendship List(78)

Unity had no idea what to say to any of that. She was spared from responding when Freddy and Thaddeus walked into the room.

“Hey,” Thaddeus said, sounding stern. “You just ignore me? Is that where we are?”

Lela laughed and hugged him. “Sorry. I got carried away. You brought us a girl.”

“She’s a friend, not a sacrifice.”

Freddy rolled his eyes at them, then held out his hand to Unity. “I’m Freddy. Obviously the crazy woman is my wife. She can be intense. Feel free to ignore any questions you don’t want to answer.”

She and Freddy were about the same height. He had dark hair and dark eyes, and there was an air of kindness about him. Unity liked him instantly.

“It’s nice to meet you, too.” She turned to Lela. “Both of you. Thank you for having me over to dinner.”

“Anytime,” Lela said, staring at Thaddeus pointedly. “I was thinking margaritas would help get the evening started. On the rocks or frozen?”

Unity wasn’t much for drinking hard liquor. She and Ellen preferred ice cream and cookies on their girls’ nights in. “Ah, on the rocks?”

“I’ll have a beer,” Thaddeus said easily, taking Unity’s hand and pulling her down next to him on the sectional.

The U-shaped sofa had seating for maybe fifteen people. There was a square coffee table and a movie-theater-size TV on the wall.

“I sent the kids away,” Lela said as she poured different liquids into a martini shaker. “It’ll be quieter that way.”

“Thaddeus said you have three children,” Unity said.

Freddy handed Thaddeus a beer, then sat on the sofa. “Two girls and a boy. They’re a handful, but Lela does great with them.”

Lela brought over the margaritas, then joined her husband. She raised her glass. “Welcome, Unity.”

Unity raised her glass, thinking dinner with his friends was a much bigger deal than she’d realized. Her mind returned to the question she’d asked in the car—why her? Only there wasn’t time to consider it—not with Lela peppering her with questions.

“So you live in Willowbrook?” Lela asked.

“Yes. I grew up there. I have a small handyman business.”

Lela raised her eyebrows and looked at Thaddeus. “An entrepreneur. You have that in common.”

He leaned toward Unity. “She’s not subtle. Just go with it.”

“Hey, I heard that,” Lela protested, then leaned against Freddy and sighed. “Don’t they look good together?”

Fortunately for Unity, the cocktail hour of conversation quickly shifted to more general topics. Freddy and Thaddeus talked a little business, which Unity enjoyed. She didn’t know much about what he did and liked hearing about different projects.

Thirty minutes into her visit, Lela invited her into the kitchen to “help with dinner.”

Unity had a feeling that her presence was more about being grilled than offering assistance, but she didn’t mind. Lela seemed enthused, not mean-spirited.

“I hope you like Mexican food,” Lela said, sliding a 9-by-12 dish of enchiladas into the oven.

“I do. Very much.”

“Good, it’s a family recipe and I had them ready for tonight.”

They sat at the large island.

“You didn’t have to send your children away,” Unity told her. “I would have loved to meet them.”

“Next time.” Lela picked up her drink. “Thaddeus mentioned you were a widow?”

Unity nodded. “My husband was in the army. He was killed in the line of duty.”

“I’m so sorry.”

“Thank you. I always knew it could happen, but I still didn’t think it would, if that makes sense.”

“Did you have any children?”

“No.”

Lela glanced toward the family room. “I met Freddy when I was nineteen and married him when I was twenty. Six years later, we had three kids. As soon as the third was born, I told him to get snipped.” She pressed a hand to her mouth, her eyes wide. “I shouldn’t have said that. I blame the margarita.”

Unity grinned. “I won’t tell. Stuart and I got married at eighteen. He joined the army and I moved out to be with him as soon as he was done with basic training.”

“You were a young bride, too.”

“I was.”

Lela leaned close. “Thaddeus was married before. She wasn’t right for him. We never got along, which worried me, but I didn’t say anything. I’m just the best friend’s wife. But later, he found out she was being mean to his mother. What a bitch. I’m sure having your mother-in-law living right there isn’t easy, but she had own her suite of rooms on the main floor and she was such a sweet woman. She loved Thaddeus.”

Lela grinned. “When he was first starting out as a stripper, he would get paid in tips. After he moved his mom out to Las Vegas, she would take all the money he got and iron it for him.” She made an X over her chest. “I’m not kidding. Every morning she would iron the bills so they were perfect. Plus, the heat would kill the germs.” Her smile faded. “I miss her so much.”

“She sounds like she was a loving mother.”

“She was. I think she would have liked you. You’re normal and normal is good. You would not believe some of the women he’s gone out with.” She sighed dramatically. “If they get to the point of meeting us, we know it’s getting serious. Then it ends and they’re all hysterical. A few of them have come crying to me. Like I’m going to take their side. Boo-hoo. I miss him. Boo-hoo, the sex was so good. Ha! How much of that was because of him and how much was because of the money?”