Hold Me Close(77)

“You did a great job,” he said.

“So did you.”

Then for a moment their fingers linked and squeezed. She could’ve kissed him then, if things were different, but they weren’t, and so Effie let go of his hand so she could move into the kitchen to help serve the food. Her mother was there, dishing up pasta and vegetables.


“How’s it going out there? Look at this. What a lovely presentation.” Her mother gestured at the platters Heath had brought. She didn’t look at Effie when she added, “He’s very talented.”

Effie paused, sure she hadn’t heard that correctly. “Who? What?”

“Heath.” Her mother straightened. “He’s talented.”

“Yes,” Effie said. “He is.”

“And Polly clearly adores him.”

Effie eyed her mom. “Uh-huh.”

“Well. I’m just saying.”

Effie didn’t reply. She helped her mother finish dishing up the portions and took them into the dining room to serve with a flourish and a fake French accent that had Polly rolling her eyes but all the other girls guffawing. Effie gave a grandiose bow.

“Would Madame require any-zing else? More cham-pan-yuh, perhaps?”

Polly gave in to laughter. “Mom!”

“Fine, fine. We’ll get out of here and let you girls have your privacy. C’mon, you,” she said to Heath. “Let’s go have an adult beverage.”

In the den, she poured them both glasses of gin and added sweet lime and club soda. Heath sipped his with a grimace and shook his head. Effie laughed.

“I’m trying to expand your palate,” she said. “Man cannot live on beer and Mad Dog forever.”

Heath took another slow sip but didn’t laugh. “So, cake and ice cream after dinner? Then I’ll head out.”

“Oh.” Effie looked toward the dining room to the rising sound of girlish hilarity. Then to the kitchen, where her mother was still presumably puttering. “I thought maybe you’d stay.”

“Nah. I have some plans.”

“Ah.” Effie drank. If he was waiting for her to ask him what plans, he’d be waiting a long damned time.

Heath didn’t offer any more information. He gave her a steady, solemn look, though. That was answer enough.

She didn’t care, Effie told herself as she polished off the drink but did not make another. She couldn’t get shit-hammered with a house full of other people’s kids. She didn’t care what Heath was doing when he wasn’t with her.

When the doorbell rang, they both turned in the direction of the sound. Oh no, he did not invite her here. With a scowl, Effie set her glass on the end table and went through the living room to answer the front door.

“Mitchell!”

“Hi.” He grinned, holding up a pizza box and a paper sack that clinked inside, like glass. “I brought... Oh. I didn’t realize you had company.”

From behind her, Heath said, “I guess I’ll just get going now, then.”

“No. Wait.” Effie turned, her cheeks flaming. “Um, Mitchell, come in.”

He stepped through the doorway. Rapidly melting snow coated the shoulders of his navy blue peacoat and clung to the dark strands of his hair, falling over the top rims of his glasses. He shook it, set down the bag on the stairs to hold out his hand.

“Hi. I’m Mitchell.”

“Heath.”

The men shook firmly, one-two pumps of their hands before Mitchell stepped back to look at Effie. “I should’ve called first. Sorry.”

“It’s okay. We’re having a birthday party for my daughter. Heath made pasta. My mother’s here. It’s a family thing.”

“Oh,” Mitchell said and seemed relieved. He gave Heath a chin tip. “Nice to meet you.”

Heath stepped backward, out of the foyer. “I’ll say goodbye to the Pollywog and head out. Nice to meet you, too.”

Shit.

Effie held out her hands for the pizza box. “Let’s take this into the kitchen.”

“You sure I shouldn’t leave, too? I don’t want to interrupt.” Mitchell followed her into the kitchen, where her mother looked up, startled, from her place over the birthday cake she’d been decorating with candles.

“Mom. This is Mitchell.” Effie put the pizza box on the counter.

There must’ve been more awkward silences in her life, but at the moment Effie couldn’t remember any. Heath came through the dining room door and grabbed his coat from his hook. Her mother looked from one man to the other, frowning, before she caught herself and gave Mitchell a wide grin.

“Mitchell. So nice to finally meet you. Effie’s said so many nice things about you.” As she moved forward to shake his hand, Heath opened the back door and Effie moved toward him.

She followed him onto the back porch. “Hey. Listen...”

“It’s fine. He seems like a nice dude. I have to get going anyway.” Heath looked past her, into the house. “You should get back inside. You’re going to catch a cold.”


Effie shivered and looked up at the dark sky and the snow coming down like cotton balls. Heavy and wet, it was sticking to everything, and the bite in the air promised there’d be ice later. She sighed.