Mistletoe by Lyn Gardner Page B

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    “Yes, but her home number isn’t listed,” Diana said with a sigh as she leaned back into the sofa. “I guess I’ll just have to wait until Monday when she gets back to the office—”
    “Diana, she won’t be in on Monday.”
    “Why?”
    “She’s on vacation until after the first.”
    “Shit! This just keeps getting better and better.”
    “Calm down,” Gwen said with a snicker. “I’m sure the phones will be working soon, so just keep trying and when you get through, leave her a message. Since it’s the number she put on the invitation, I’m sure she’ll be checking it. I know it’s not the same as talking to her in person, but it’s better than nothing.”
    Drumming her fingers on the sofa, Diana thought about her options. “No, I’m not calling her.”
    “Why the hell not? I thought you liked her.”
    “I do.”
    “Then for God’s sake, call her. Don’t just stand her up. That’s not like you.”
    Seeing that Diana was retrieving her mobile from the coffee table, Gwen said, “Thank goodness you’ve come to your senses. Just leave her a message—”
    “I’m not calling Jamie,” Diana interrupted as she scrolled through the contact list on her phone. “I’m calling Brenda.”
    “Why?”
    “To tell her I won’t be up for Christmas.”
    “Hallelujah!” Gwen screamed as she reached over and squeezed Diana’s arm.
    “I swear to God, Diana, if you hadn’t just said that, I was going to take you by the shoulders and shake some sense into you!”
    “Really? I’m not being stupid?”
    “Diana, hand me the phone. I’ll dial the number for you.”

    ~~~

    Returning from the kitchen with another bottle of wine, Gwen asked, “Well, how’d your aunt take it?”
    “She’s fine and wished me luck.”
    “You told her about Jamie?” Gwen asked as she sat on the floor next to a pile of wrapping paper and bows.
    “Yeah, when I went up for Joanie’s baby shower.”
    “She’s okay with it?”
    “Apparently, she’s gay.”
    “Joanie’s gay?”
    “Not my cousin, my aunt.”
    “Your aunt Brenda is gay!”
    “Yep.”
    “When the hell did that happen?”
    Laughing at the wide-eyed look of surprise on Gwen’s face, Diana said, “Do you remember me telling you about a woman named Susan?”
    “Susan?” Gwen said, searching her memory. “Susan. Susan. Sus—oh, you mean the one that leases the apartment over your aunt’s gar—age.”
    “That’s the one.”
    “They’re lovers?”
    “Yep.”
    “She told you that?”
    “Yep.”
    “Can you say something other than yep?”
    “Yep,” Diana said with a giggle.
    Sending her friend a playful sneer, Gwen said, “Seriously, Diana, how did she keep it a secret for so long…and why?”
    “She told me that she was afraid that Joanie and I would suffer if people found out. She didn’t come to terms with it until she and Uncle David had been divorced for a few years, and then she met Susan, and they fell in love. So, Susan rented the apartment so they could be close without anyone suspecting anything.”
    “Didn’t Susan move out a few years ago?”
    “Yeah. Brenda said that she got tired of waiting for her to come out, but it sounds like they’re getting back together, which is the reason that Brenda finally admitted it to Joanie and I.”
    “Joanie knows?”
    “Yes, Brenda told her a few months ago, but she was waiting until she could tell me face-to-face.”
    “Wow.”
    “Tell me about it,” Diana said, chuckling as she refilled her wineglass.
    “Here I was thinking that my aunt was this prim and proper schoolteacher, and all the while she was banging a librarian over the garage.”

    ~~~

    When Jamie arrived home, she refused to allow her bruised heart to rule her mood. Pushing her disappointment aside, she focused on the task at hand.
    After calling all the vendors to make sure everything was in order for Christmas Eve, she changed into a pair of jeans and a red T-shirt, and in socked feet, began decorating