Page 27 of Fight

Then I snapped my mouth closed, but the woman just laughed and closed the door again.

I stood stock-still, not sure exactly what to do, and a few minutes later, she reentered, accompanied by two other women.

“These are my friends Esther and Lily. Oh, and I’m Fawn,” she said.

Fawn, who was closest to me, reached out and shook my hand after she’d deposited the small tray she’d held on the table, and each of the other women did in turn as well. I returned the greeting but put my hands behind my back. I hadn’t noticed how rough they were, covered with scratches and scrapes that hadn’t even been worth noticing before.

But here, in this lovely room, with these lovely women, each felt conspicuous, yet another sign that I was no longer in the gutter where I belonged.

The women watched me expectantly, and I blinked and then finally spoke. “I’m P. Um, Patricia.”

“Pleased to meet you, Patricia,” the tallest woman, Esther said.

“Let’s sit,” Fawn said, moving to the two-seater settee with Lily, while Esther sat in the taller chair.

“Too low for me,” she said, settling into the chair. It was only then I noticed her baby belly and then looked to Lily and saw her slightly smaller bump.

“Please, Patricia, have a seat,” Fawn said.

I realized I had been staring and quickly moved to sit in the chair opposite Esther and met three pairs of smiling eyes when I looked up.

My heart was galloping so hard, it hurt my chest, and I found it more than a little ironic that these Better Homes & Gardens bitches were making me more nervous than the men with guns.

“That’s a new one,” Fawn said on a loud laugh.

Esther and Lily joined her and both nodded their agreement.

My stomach began to sink with the realization. “Did I say that out loud?” I asked.

“Yes, you did,” Esther said, but instead of being offended, her eyes sparkled with mirth.

“I’m so sorry,” I said, shocked at the way I let my tongue get away from me.

Fawn shook her head. “Don’t worry about it. Have some tea.”

I looked down at the dainty glass she pointed to, afraid that I would break it, but unwilling to show even more discourtesy. So I reached for the small glass, held it in my hand so tight, I thought I might break the stem.

“Patricia, we won’t bite you,” Lily said softly.

I laughed out loud, relaxing my grip. “Sorry, I’m not usually this…”

I trailed off because I couldn’t think of a good word. And truth was, I was usually this…

But the women just laughed.

“We get it. Trust us,” Esther said.

Then the three of them reached for their glasses and drank. “Oh, I’m sorry. Do you like tea? I can get you something else? Water, maybe?” Fawn said.

“No, tea is fine…” I looked between Lily and Esther. “I think.”

Esther’s uproarious laugh filled the room, and a second later I joined in, the ball of nerves that twisted my gut loosening.

We sat for a few moments longer, and then Fawn cleared her throat and looked me squarely in the eyes.

“What?” I said, before I jammed my mouth shut again. “Sorry.”

“No, it’s fine. But can I ask you a question?” she said.