Blind Kiss(74)

“Not happy. Of course not. I don’t want to see you two go through this. But I must say, I didn’t think you’d ever go through with it, Penny.”

“I didn’t. He’s the one who filed for divorce,” I said. “And I haven’t signed the papers yet.”

“What?” my mother and sister said in unison.

“He’s got someone else!” Kiki shouted. “That bastard.”

Milo rolled his eyes.

“Stop it, Keeks. He’s not a bad guy—and you don’t know the whole story.”

“He’s leaving you,” she argued.

“It was mutual.”

My mother was still speechless.

“What did Gavin say?” Kiki asked.

I called the waiter over. “Let’s get some drinks. And before you ask, Gavin is a nonfactor. He doesn’t even know yet.” The waiter arrived at our table and I ordered a bottle of champagne for the table.

“You want to celebrate that Lance is leaving you?” my mom said, aghast.

Kiki turned to my mom, “Is she losing it?”

“I think so,” my mother said.

“I’m right here,” I told them.

“She’s not losing it,” Milo chimed in. “She’s just being herself.”

“Listen to Milo. Don’t be sad for me. Lance and I are ending a shitty marriage amicably and respectably to give ourselves a chance at happiness. What’s wrong with that?”

The waiter popped the cork and poured three glasses. “A toast!” I said, holding up my glass. My mother and Kiki held up theirs as well, though they still looked stunned, and Milo raised his Coke. “To family, to respect, to accepting change, and to new beginnings!”

When we clinked our glasses, something hit me: a brief burst of sadness . . . and a longing for Gavin to be there.


ON THE WAY home, I pulled over into a strip mall and turned toward Milo. “I’m getting my first tattoo, and I want you to come with me.”





35. One Hour Before the Lunch Heard ’Round the World


GAVIN

After fixing a little electrical problem in my dad’s house, I thanked the renters and referred them to the property management company who’d be handling the house while I was away.

I walked down to Penny’s place and Milo answered. Hugging him, I said, “Hey kid. Shouldn’t you be at school? Where’s your mom?”

“I think she forgot I have a half day at school today for teacher conferences. I have a pretty good idea of where she is, though.”

“Where’s that?”

“Has Mom ever told you about the old dance studio she used to go to when she was a kid?”

“Sure. But isn’t that a Subway now?”

“Yeah, but it’s going out of business.”

“Seriously? A Subway near a college is going out of business? Huh.” I shrugged. “Is she eating lunch there?”

“She said she was gonna go check it out, but I think she just goes down there and sits on the bench outside.”

I’d never heard of Penny doing this. “What? Why?”

“I don’t know. I think it’s nostalgic for her or something.”

“Is your dad here?”

“My dad?” Milo looked at me strangely.

“Yeah, your dad.”

“No, he’s not here. Um, I don’t mean to be rude but I have a shit-ton of homework to do and then I’m going to stay at my friend’s house tonight. Do you want me to tell Mom you stopped by?”

“Hey, wait a sec. I’m glad I ran into you, Milo, because I have some big news. I’m leaving for a bit. In fact . . . I’m going to France.”

He blinked for several seconds, his expression blank. “Why?” he asked.

“My girlfriend, Briel, is from there. She’s going back home . . . and I’m going with her.”

“Oh . . . that’s great, G. Does Mom know?”

“No, I need to tell her. That’s why I came by. Do you really think she’s down at the Subway?”

“Yeah.” He was apprehensive and I had no idea why. “Did she know you were coming down?”

“No.”

“Try her there, I guess. If you can’t find her, you can always come by tonight. Like I said, I’ll be sleeping over at my friend’s house.”

We hugged and he held on to me longer than usual. “This isn’t good-bye just yet. I’ll see you at your game tomorrow, okay?” I said.

“Sure. See ya, G. Good luck with Mom.” He gave me a long look before he shut the door.

My stomach was churning. I was finally going to tell Penny my news. I’d been avoiding her for a couple of months, but I couldn’t put it off any longer.

When I pulled Charlize into the Subway parking lot, I spotted Penny right away. She was staring into the distance blankly, holding a manila envelope and spacing out. When I got closer, she must have recognized the familiar purr of my engine because she turned her head and stared at me as I pulled into the parking space.

I got out and walked up to her. When she stood, she seemed taller. I looked down and noticed she had heeled boots on, tight jeans, and a fitted sweater. Her hair was done and she had makeup on. I hadn’t seen this side of Penny in a long time. She looked amazing.