Page 128 of Jesse's Girl

Ada turns to me and swallows. “Gloria Nicolosi.”

It takes me a beat, but I straighten in my chair. Mrs. Nicolosi. The one who saw us together last weekend in Seattle.

“Come on in, Gloria!” Maria calls out from down the hall. “It’s in the kitchen, through here.”

I lower my fork with an uneaten bite of lasagna and wipe my hands slowly on my napkin.

Beside me, Ada prods at her salad, attention fixed on her plate.

“You can say hello to Ada!” Maria calls over her shoulder as they enter the dining room.

“Oh, goodness, I’m interrupting your dinner! Sorry!” Mrs. Nicolosi says. Her gaze then shifts between me and Ada with a flash of recognition. “It’s you again!”

“Again?” Frank asks.

“I ran into these two in Seattle last weekend,” Mrs. Nicolosi explains. “What, didn’t Ada mention it?”

All eyes turn on us.

“I forgot to tell you,” Ada says to her mom, her voice flat.

“They make such a lovely couple, don’t you think?” Mrs. Nicolosi lifts her chin at us, then does a giddy shrug before turning to Maria for a response.

“Couple?” Maria echoes in confusion, cutting a look across the room to Ada, then me.

“Yes! They were so sweet. So wrapped up in each other like that, you know.” The kitchen door swings open and I wince. “Kissing on a busy sidewalk like they were the only two people in the world!”

Marcus drops his car keys on the table. “Oh, hey, Mrs. Nicolosi! I didn’t know you were here.” He pulls out his chair and sits down. “Sorry I’m so late, Mom.” A beat passes. “Who was kissing?” Marcus asks as he takes his seat, then seems to clock the gobsmacked silence in the room. I can almost see the question in his eyes followed by a quick grasp at denial when the answer is clearly written on my face.

Unfortunately, it takes another moment for the other shoe to drop for Mrs. Nicolosi. “Ada and Jesse!”

I wince. Shit.

“I was just saying they were…” she trails off, finally picking up on Marcus’ reaction.

“What?” Marcus sits back in his seat.

“Marcus—” Ada tries.

“Is she serious?” He stares at me, then at Ada. When nobody immediately denies it, he adds, “What the fuck?”

“We didn’t wanna make a big deal—” I try.

“Oh, you don’t think this is a big deal, Jesse?” He pushes away from the table and stands, his food untouched.

“It’s none of your business, Marcus,” Ada says. “We’re both adults!”

“In what universe is it not my business that my sister is hooking up with my best friend?” He flings an arm my way, barely able to look at me, and runs both hands through his hair.

“Gloria,” Maria says softly, putting a hand on her friend’s arm, “let me grab you that tray.” She guides an apologetic Mrs. Nicolosi into the kitchen.

“How long has this been going on?” Frank asks. Both Ada and I turn at his voice like we’d forgotten he was here.

“Uh, a few weeks, I guess?” Ada replies.

“A few weeks?” Marcus asks, incredulous. “You know what? After the day I’ve had, I can’t deal with this shit right now.” He turns to leave.

“Marcus, would you fucking relax?” Ada tries again. “We can talk about?—”