Three Little Words

“after they’d already been drinking, but that seems kinda underhanded. We don’t really want to go to a club, so… I thought we could do it here instead, where it’s safe.”

“That’s… a very wise decision,” Mom said when she recovered. She glanced at Dad. “I’m okay if you are.”

“Sure. I’m easy.”

“Thanks,” Erin said to them before she glanced at us. “Okay, two down, two to go. But you can totally object if you want to, Christy.”

“Why would I?”

“I dunno. Leah just said you might. But I guess I’m getting ahead of myself. You probably don’t even know who she is.”

“No, I’ve met her,” Christy said. “She came to Knoxville after the thing with that guy. And… didn’t she have a fight with her mother?” She glanced at me and said, “You made her call home. Remember?”

I nodded. Leah had also spent the night with me, which Christy certainly remembered as well. Her memory was as good as mine, maybe better.

“Oh, yeah!” Erin said in surprise. “When she ran away and no one could find her. The Gary incident. Ugh, what a jerk.”

“No kidding,” Christy agreed, “Wren told me about it. One of those guys.”

“Totally,” Erin said. “A real asshole. So you understand.”

“I think we all do,” Mom said. “The Garys of the world are a stain on mankind.”

“They make the rest of us look good by comparison,” Dad said lightly.

“Because we don’t kiss and tell,” I added.

“Amen,” Christy said with feeling.

Mom, Erin, and I exchanged a grin.

“Okay,” Erin said as she picked up where she’d left off, “so you know who Leah is. I guess that explains why she wants to see you. I forgot you met already.”

“We did, sort of, but I wasn’t very friendly.”

“Really? Why not?”

I jumped in, “She was annoyed with me. I wasn’t being a jerk—not at the time—but…”

“I did something I wasn’t really proud of,” Christy said. “I… um…

started some rumors too. A former friend gave me some bad advice, but it was my fault for taking it.”

I nodded and left it at that. Then Christy touched my hand and squeezed gently.

Erin’s eyebrows twitched at the possessive gesture.

“That’s why she’s a former friend,” Christy said.

“Ah, okay,” Erin said. “But… you’re okay if Leah and Mark come over?

I thought we could hang out in the hot tub and just chill.”

Christy looked at me.

“It’s up to you,” I said. “You’re the new nudist.”

“Hold on, we’ll be…?

“Nude,” I finished for her. “Unless you don’t want to.”

“No one’s going to force you,” Mom assured her.

“Totally,” Erin agreed. “You can wear a suit if you want. I probably have one that’ll fit you.” She sized her up. “Okay, maybe not. But a string bikini, at least. We can make it work.”

“Or you can just say no to the whole thing,” Mom added, followed by a nod from Erin.

“No, I’m… okay,” Christy said. “I did fine with Susan and the others.

Besides, I’d like to meet Leah when I’m not being a you-know-what.”

Erin smiled and leapt up. Then she slid back into her seat. “Sorry, Mom.

May I be excused? Just for a minute? I wanna call Leah and tell her.”

“Go ahead,” Mom said with a laugh.

Erin used the kitchen phone, but she stretched the long cord into the living room.

“Sometimes she goes a bit overboard on the maturity thing,” Mom said to the rest of us.

“It beats the alternative,” Dad said.

“No kidding.”

“Besides,” he added, “it makes me happy to see you getting along.”

“Me too,” I said.

“Took us long enough,” she muttered.

“You’re both stubborn, strong-willed women,” he said.

“You can say that again,” I said with a laugh. Then I sat upright and glanced sideways at Christy. “Uh-oh. I just realized something.”

Her brow knitted. “What?”

“You’re stubborn and strong-willed too. Sorry, I have to break up with you. I can’t date a woman like my mother.”

The mother in question swatted my arm. “That wasn’t very nice. To me or her.”

“Sorry, I couldn’t resist.”

“Try harder next time.”

“Mom, you’re the second most-wonderful woman in the world, and I love you more than I’ll ever be able to tell you.”

“Thank you, but… only the second most-wonderful? I must be slipping.”

“No, you’ve been one-upped.”

“Oh? By whom?”

“You’re lookin’ at her.” I sat back and put my arm around Christy, who looked up at me in surprise.

Dad burst out laughing. “That’s my boy!”

Leah and Mark arrived about an hour later. He carried two brown paper grocery bags into the kitchen and set them on the counter.

“Great to see you, Mark.” We shook hands.

“You too, man.” He pulled me into a hug. “You look great, as usual.

Merry Christmas.”

“You too. Merry Christmas. Hey, Leah. How’s it going?”

“Good. Don’t I get a hug too?” She glanced at Christy. “Do you mind?”

“No, not at all.”

Leah gave me a sisterly hug and then stepped back. Any other time she probably would’ve kept her arm around my waist.

“I know you’ve met,” I said to her and Christy, “but I don’t seem to do a good job of introducing people.”

“In your defense,” Leah said, “you were a bit distracted last time.”

Christy nodded.

“Right. So, Christy Carmichael, meet Leah Coulter. Leah, Christy.”

The girls shook hands.