That kiss with Mark was a one-time thing. I learned my lesson.
Sean heads back inside the house, and I hurry the rest of the way to Julie’s place. She’ll kill me if I’m late, and I’m already in dangerous territory. Julie cannot be charmed with delicious apple turnovers.
I’m the last one to arrive, but everyone is still standing around, so we haven’t officially begun yet. I place the tray of apple turnovers on the dining table with the other food and go around to greet my neighbors.
“April!” It’s Chelsea Buerger, who lives at the end of the block. I haven’t seen her since the start of the school year because her nanny has been getting the kids, and she looks great. Her forehead is so smooth. I wonder if she got Botox. I can’t ask though. Her husband works for the Yankees, and they’re loaded.
“Hi, Chelsea.” I give her a hug. We hug a lot in the club for some reason. Hug hello and hug goodbye. “What’s up?”
“You’re doing the silent auction again this year, right?” she asks.
I nod. “That’s right.”
“Are you still taking donations?”
“Absolutely. What do you have to donate?”
Chelsea’s face is shining. “How about four box seats for a Yankees game?”
Wow. We could get thousands for that. “Chelsea, that’s amazing!”
A few of the other women are listening in, and this announcement has gotten everyone’s attention. “I’ll definitely bid on that,” Leah Morgan says. “My husband would be over the moon.”
“And I’ll outbid you,” Jean Rothenburg pipes up.
“I’ll put it up on the website as soon as I get home,” I promise.
Julie rolls her eyes, but she’s got to be secretly pleased. Parents at the school can bid on items in the auction similar to eBay. They know what other people are bidding, and they all try to outbid each other to get what they want. Sports tickets are always a big item. That’s why the silent auction earns so much money for the PTA.
“All right.” Julie claps her hands together. “Let’s take a seat and start our discussion.”
We all take our seats around the dining table, and I make a point to sit down next to Maria. It will be fun to exchange meaningful expressions with her during the book club. She winks at me. “I see you went with the turnovers.”
“Yes, they came out really delicious.”
She licks her lips. “I can’t wait to try them.”
“I gave a couple to Sean on the way over, and he thought they were really good.”
Maria frowns. “You gave a couple to Sean?”
Why did I say that? It seemed innocent enough, but now that I’m hearing the words on my lips, I wish I could take them back. “He was raking leaves in the yard, so…”
“Oh.”
“I mean, just to thank him for helping Bobby with soccer. You know?”
Kathy Tanner is sitting across from us at the table, and she seems to have overheard our exchange. “April is just so generous,” she says. “She’s always got a treat for anyone who wants it.”
I cringe at the edge in her voice. She suspects something happened between me and Mark. But she doesn’t know. Not for sure.
Or maybe she does know. Maybe she’s the one who texted me that photo. To torment me.
But no. If Kathy knew for sure, she would skip the barbs and go straight to scratching my eyes out. And anyway, nothing happened between me and Mark. It was just one kiss, for God’s sake! And nobody needs to know about it. Not if that picture doesn’t get out.
Maria gives me another strange look, but she doesn’t say anything else. She can’t possibly be jealous. All I did was pass her husband on the street and offer him some pastries. And his hand brushed briefly against mine, but she doesn’t even know that part. I mean, I’m married. So…
“Maria!” Carrie is sitting across from us and looks like she’s already had a glass of the wine Julie put out. I also notice the chips and jar of salsa from the supermarket on the table. “I heard you did something amazing. The babysitter is now out on bail!”
Grateful for the change in subject, I say, “I wish you could’ve been there, Carrie. Maria is my new hero.”
Maria glances at me, then smiles at Carrie, making her dimples pop. “I didn’t do anything. We were just upholding the law.”
Carrie giggles. “Well, then I have to thank the law. Apparently, this isn’t her first offense and she might actually go to jail. Or at least get probation. My lawyer says it will give me a great argument for getting full custody. So thank you.” She winks at Maria. “The law.”
For a moment, I feel uneasy. Of course, I loved the idea of getting revenge on this woman who stole Carrie’s husband. But it seems wrong that she should be going to jail for something she didn’t even do. I didn’t even think about it that way. I figured she would just get a slap on the wrist and maybe some embarrassment.
“All right,” Julie says. “It’s time to discuss the book. That is what we’re here for. You all read it, I assume?”
Everyone says yes, including me. Even though I didn’t.
“So.” Julie folds her arms across her chest. “What did you think?”
“Well, it was interminably boring as usual, Julie.” Carrie rolls her eyes. “There was literally nothing I liked about it or want to discuss.”
“But you have to admit there was an interesting symbolism with the bird,” Julie says.
“What symbolism?” Chelsea says. “I thought it was just a bird.”
Julie clucks her tongue. “The bird was clearly a symbol for the child Tom always wanted to have.”
“And what were the worms a symbol for then?” Jean asks. “His penis?”
The other women dissolve into giggles. Just as the laughter is dying down, Chelsea says, “Speaking of worms, you’re not going to believe what I found in the pocket of David’s coat yesterday when he got home from school. Beetles! Like, six of them!”
Oh, thank God. We’re done discussing the book. Julie’s lips are set in a straight line, but there isn’t much she can do about it. We don’t come here to discuss the book. We come here to drink wine and chat about our lives. The book in book club is arbitrary.
But just when I think I’m home free, Maria picks up her copy of the book and starts flipping through it. “Actually, I really liked the part of the book with Gisele. That was my favorite part.”
Julie’s eyes light up, excited that for once, somebody else wants to discuss the book. “I agree. I thought that was so moving.”
Maria pivots in her chair and rests her brown eyes on my face. “What did you think of Gisele, April?”
I freeze. I can’t believe Maria is doing this. She knows I didn’t read the book.
“Well,” I say. “I thought Tom’s relationship with Gisele was really nuanced.”
Julie is nodding. She loves it when people say things are nuanced. “Oh, I agree.”
Thank God, I somehow bullshitted my way out of that. I’m off the hook.
“Which particular nuance did you find most interesting?” Maria asks me.