Honey on Your Mind Part 34

I'd a.s.sumed she was talking about Paige, but apparently, I was wrong.

I covered my eyes with my hands.

She was talking about Tanya.

I stood up and poured myself a cup of coffee, doctoring it with half-and-half and sugar.

Wendy and Gary clearly had a troubled marriage, but it had never occurred to me that Wendy was the one rocking the boat.

I sat back on the couch and leaned into the cushion. Does anyone else know?

Suddenly, I sat up straight.

Scotty knows.

I thought of all the times Wendy had snapped at him, or said something critical for no apparent reason. He always let it roll off his back, which I admired. I'd just a.s.sumed she was h.o.m.ophobic.

That's why she is so mean to him. Scotty was living in the open about something she was clearly trying to hide. Did she resent him? Envy him? Was she projecting her own internal struggle onto him? I couldn't imagine what it would be like to live like that. To live, as Wendy herself had told me, a lie.

That's why Scotty cuts her slack. He knows what she's dealing with.

Scotty Ryan. Boss, friend, confidant, all-around stud, was also a world-cla.s.s diplomat. They sure threw away the mold when they made that one.

a a a At quarter to eleven, I left my apartment and walked over to the new office in Dumbo. I still hadn't connected with Paige and could only hope she would show up. The streets were practically deserted, the crisp air quiet and peaceful. Just as I reached Cadman Plaza Park, it started snowing again, so I pulled an umbrella out of my purse and opened it. I loved walking in the snow with an umbrella. It was one of those things I'd never even known that people did on the East Coast when I lived in San Francisco. Now it made me feel like a smart New Yorker. Like part of the club.

Fifteen minutes later, I arrived at the lobby of our building. I looked up at the number for a moment, then pulled off a glove and dug around in my purse for the keys. I hiked up to the third floor and unlocked the door to the new office of Waverly's Honey Shop.

It was small, but it was bright, open and inviting, with a hardwood floor, large windows, and freshly painted white walls. A small conference table sat in the center of the room with four chairs around it.

I took a seat and waited.

a a a At 11:13, Paige walked through the door.

"Happy New Year," she said with a nervous smile. Even in the most awkward of situations, Paige was always kind. "Sorry I'm late."

I stood up and ran over to her, throwing my arms around her. "I'm so glad you came. I'm so sorry, Paige."

She hugged me back, and then held me away from her, her hands on my shoulders. "Whoa, down girl, are you OK? What are you sorry for?"

"A lot of things. I've been a little...confused."

She didn't say anything for a moment.

"Confused about what?" she finally said.

Now it was my turn not to say anything, because I didn't know what to say.

"Waverly?"

I looked out the window. "The name of this neighborhood is appropriate for me, don't you think?"

"Huh?"

I kept looking out the window. "You know, Dumbo? G.o.d knows I've acted like a dumb a.s.s lately."

She laughed. "Waverly, what are you talking about?"

I turned to face her.

"I know," I blurted. Ugh, so graceful.

She raised her eyebrows but didn't reply.

After a few seconds of awkward silence, she finally spoke.

"You know?"

I nodded.

"You know...what?"

I didn't want to say anything compromising. What if she didn't know?

I thought for a moment.

What should I say?

How can I put this without giving anything away?

I walked over to the conference room table and sat down, interlacing my fingers in front of me. Paige took off her coat and hung it over her chair as she took a seat across the table.

"Waverly, will you please tell me what you're talking about?"

I finally looked up from my hands and made eye contact.

"I saw her last night...with Tanya." I said softly.

A light went on in Paige's eyes.

"Wendy?"

I nodded.

"You saw Wendy with Tanya?"

I nodded again.

She scratched her cheek. "So you do know."

"Apparently so."

She smiled. "Things aren't always what they appear to be, are they?"

I put my hands on my forehead. "You can say that again. I'm so sorry for judging you, Paige. I had no idea."

She shrugged and pushed her hair behind her ears, and for a brief moment, she could have been Andie. "It's OK. You didn't know. And it certainly wasn't my place to tell you."

"So you just let me think you were a...home wrecker?"

She laughed. "What else was I supposed to do? He didn't want anyone to know. He does love her, you know."

And you must really love him, I thought. I was so impressed that she'd kept quiet about everything.

"So um, how long...or has it always been..." My voice trailed off.

She sighed. "I guess I can tell you the whole story now. Do you mind if I get some water first?" She looked over at the water cooler, our one piece of office furniture other than the table and chairs. A few paper cups were stacked on top of the plastic jug.

"Of course not. Go ahead."

"You want some?"

"Sure, thanks."

She poured us each a cup, then handed me one and sat down.

"So?" I said, my eyes getting big.

"From what Wendy has told Gary, it started in February, when she appeared on the Today show."

"You mean the Valentine's feature? When I first met her?" I'd never forget how awful Wendy had been to me that day.

She took a sip of her water. "Yep. Tanya did her makeup."

"Tanya did her makeup, and she suddenly became a lesbian?"

Paige laughed. "I don't think so. But that was the first time she acted on it, although apparently it was just a kiss, and they didn't start seeing each other until after she moved here for the Love, Wendy job." She lowered her voice. "Gary and Wendy hadn't slept together in five years."

"Five years?"

She nodded. "Wendy always had an excuse. Too tired, need to get up early, have to help the kids, that sort of thing."

"For five years?"

"For five years."

"And he never suspected the real reason?"

She shook her head. "He thinks even Wendy didn't know the real reason, or that she'd buried it so deep inside that she couldn't bring herself to consider it. I mean, look at where she's from. They've been together since high school. She was head cheerleader, then Miss South Carolina, then a famous relationship expert with a huge heteros.e.xual fan base, and a conservative one at that. What would happen to her world if it turned out she was gay?"

"I can't even imagine."

"Exactly. So anyhow, for a long time something was clearly wrong, yet Gary couldn't figure out what, and she wasn't talking. But after she came back from the Today show, he could tell something had happened, and he thought she'd been with another man. For a while, Wendy denied it, but then she finally broke down and came clean."

"And he agreed to stay with her?"

"She begged him. She'd just been offered the Love, Wendy gig, and she was afraid that getting divorced or even separated would ruin it for her. So he agreed to stick around and keep up the charade for a while, but only under one condition."

"What was that?"

"That if he met someone else, Wendy wouldn't get in the way."

"And then he met you?"

She nodded. "And then he met me."

"Wow."

"I know. Crazy, isn't it?"

"When did he tell you the truth about his situation?"

"The night I met him."

"No way. He really did?"

"He really did."

"But wasn't that jeopardizing Wendy? I mean, what if you'd never seen him again?"

She shook her head. "He didn't tell me her name or what she did for a living or anything, but he was completely honest with me. He's an amazing guy, Waverly."

I slouched in my seat. "Wow, and I was such a b.i.t.c.h to him at the holiday party."

"It's OK, he understands. We both know you've been in an extremely awkward situation. It's not like this has been a bowl of ice cream for anyone."

"I could use a bowl of ice cream right now."

She looked at her watch. "At eleven thirty in the morning?"

"Hey now, it's never too early for ice cream. So, you're sure you don't hate me?"

She laughed. "Of course not."

"And Gary doesn't hate me either?"

"Definitely not. How were you supposed to act toward him? You thought he was cheating on your boss and s.c.r.e.w.i.n.g over a good friend of yours. Why wouldn't you be a little rude to him?"

I smiled weakly. "So you still consider me a good friend?"