Fuzzy Logic (7 page)

“They were really nice and Rosa seemed to like the owner. I think it was fine. Actually, I called because I want to ask you something.”

Steve sighed and Jan could imagine the long-suffering pained expression on his face. “What now? Do you have something scheduled that I have to do? Sometimes your super-organized Type A thing is annoying.”

“No. I have nothing scheduled for you or with you. And, by the way, my mother asked why you weren’t at her wedding. I made excuses and apologized for you. But that’s not why I want to talk to you. I heard from Jill that you were here in Alpine Grove this weekend. And then someone else said they saw you, too. At the store. With a woman. Who definitely wasn’t me.”

“Oh, you know I entertain clients all the time.”

Jan looped the phone cord around her index finger. “The last I heard you didn’t have any clients in this ‘backwoods town,’ as you like to call it. And most people buying drywall aren’t dressed in heels and a slinky red dress, either.”

“Oh come on, babe. What? You think I was cheating on you with someone there? That would be stupid.”

“So are you saying you’re cheating on me when you’re at home as well?”

“No. Jeez, that’s not what I meant. Don’t put words in my mouth, Jan. I just had to meet the daughter of a client. She was visiting Alpine Grove, and I told the guy that I spend a lot of time up there, so I could show her around. You weren’t there, so it wasn’t my fault I had some free time.”

Tears were running down her cheeks and Jan choked back a sob. This had to be the worst pack of lies she’d ever heard. Sure, Steve was a rotten liar, but this was pathetic. How stupid did he think she was? “Entertaining this woman here in Alpine Grove was your
business trip
? The reason you missed my mothers wedding? I’m guessing your client, if there is one, didn’t ask you to show the woman the inside of the H12 or how to buy wine at the grocery store.”

“Aw come on, Jan; you know me. I wouldn’t do anything like that. We’ve been together for a long time and little Rosie is my favorite dog in the whole world. I’d never do anything to hurt either of you.”

Jan wiped her eyes and said stiffly. “Do I know that you wouldn’t do that? Do I really? I’m not so sure anymore. Maybe you’ve just been lying to me all this time. At this point, one thing I do think is that you like Rosa better than you like me. Maybe that’s appropriate. I know for certain that I like her better than I like you right now.”

“Hey, that’s not true. You know how I feel about you. I’ll tell you what. I’ll make a special trip up to see you this weekend. We can go to the fancy restaurant. You don’t have to cook. I’ll take you out to dinner. You know we always have a good time. We’ll talk about everything. I’ll stay over and it will all be fine.”

Even though the idea of a potentially conflict-laden scene made her anxious, she did want to see him again. It seemed only fair. In small towns, people gossiped. Maybe it wasn’t really his fault. “Okay. I’ll give you a chance to explain. And it will be nice to see you again.”

“Yeah, it’s been a while. That sounds good. I’ve gotta go now. A client is coming in for a meeting and I need to prep for it. Talk to you later. Love ya.”

Jan sank back into her chair, leaned down, and put her face in her hands. She had been complacent about her relationship with Steve for a long time. When they’d met in college, he’d been so romantic and charming, taking her out on dates to restaurants and bringing her flowers. And it didn’t hurt that she found his Scandinavian blonde hair and athletic build so attractive. Plus she got along great with his family. He had a big family and holidays were such fun. She’d help his mother cook fantastic meals. Jean was one of her favorite women in the world. On the walks Jan took with Steve and Rosa around the neighborhood after dinner, they used to joke that they were like an old married couple, settled into a comfortable routine.

They’d been together for so long that until now it never even occurred to her that he might be seeing other women. The security of having a steady boyfriend was convenient. Was she just taking it for granted now? Was he? Jan never had to worry about having a date for Valentine’s Day or a wonderful extended family to visit during the holidays.

But as she mentally went back over the conversations she’d had with Steve recently, some of the business trips seemed suspicious. He usually called her on Wednesday nights. But what if he wasn’t calling from his home? Steve had always said that she was exactly the type of girl he wanted to marry. That made her feel cared for and happy, but he never mentioned an actual date for them to get married. Of course, given her mother’s track record, Jan had never pushed to set a date for the wedding, either. Maybe she should have. Now, after all this time, maybe Steve was looking for more excitement. And finding it somewhere else.

Rosa got up, came over to Jan’s chair, and placed her muzzle on Jan’s thigh. Jan sat up again in the chair and stroked the dog’s head. “Thanks for the sympathy, Rosa. I needed that. At least I always have you.”

After a few bouts of berating herself and some time crying on Rosa’s shoulder, Jan decided that there was only one solution to this problem: ice cream. She washed her face, changed her clothes, and set out on a mission to the store to acquire some frozen goodness. Healthful things like soup could work as comfort food for small stresses, but for a relationship implosion like this one, it was time for some serious caloric intake.

Jan stared down into the ice cream case pondering her options. She picked up a carton with a smiling cow on it. In this instance, it might be necessary to go all out and get the obscenely expensive designer-style Rocky Road made with pristine cream from only the happiest of bovines.

The sound of off-key singing came from the back of the store, and Jan looked away from her ice cream label. Near an end cap stacked with cans of chocolate syrup, Kat was grinning at another woman with a big mop of curly hair who was doing the cha-cha down the ice cream aisle toward Jan. Kat waved at Jan, smiled, and shrugged slightly.

Kat pushed her cart up to Jan and introduced the other woman. “Hi Jan. This is my friend Maria. We used to work together. Now she comes up here to tell me stories of Corporate America to ensure I never lose my mind and consider returning.”

Maria was wearing a very tight leopard-print dress that showed off her shapely form. Jan was impressed she could dance so well in the stiletto heels she was wearing.

Jan put out her hand. “Hi. I’m Jan.”

Maria shook her hand and said, “I’m thinking you’re having a relationship situation. Your hand is cold and you’ve been fondling that ice cream. Women don’t stand in front of the ice cream case deliberating like that unless they’ve got a man problem.”

Jan glared at Kat. “Did you
tell
her? Are you spreading my business all around town?”

Kat shook her head. “No. My lips are sealed. Maria is gifted in the relationship and food departments. If it involves men or junk food, she has a wealth of insights.”

Maria put her hand on her hip. “You betcha. I’m like a sleuth. I can spot a bad man situation anywhere. Here’s what I know. Your eyes are red. You were crying, right? That means your man...okay, maybe your woman...I’m cool with that, too. But whatever. Your ‘significant other’ has done you wrong. Do you have a POSSLQ? Did he just move out? Okay, maybe not that. But it’s something bad. I don’t even know you, but I can tell you’re just way, way too close to that over-priced Rocky Road right there.”

Jan’s eyes widened. “What’s a possle-que?”

Maria smiled. “Aw, come on. Everyone knows that. It’s an acronym. Person of Opposite Sex Sharing Living Quarters. So do you have one? Did he move out? Or she. Sorry. But then it would be a person of the
same
sex, or PSSSLQ, but that just sounds like hissing in the middle because of that extra S, so it’s hard to say without sounding creepy.”

Jan straightened. “No, my boyfriend is not my POSSLQ. He lives in the city, but I see him on weekends quite a bit.”

Kat said, “But he’s your fiancé, right?”

“Yes.”

Maria nodded knowingly. “Okay, there you go. He’s your man, even if you aren’t living together. Now what did he do? Because I know he did something.”

Jan stammered, “I’m not sure exactly. I don’t think I want to talk about it. I should just get my ice cream and go home.”

Kat reached out to touch Jan’s hand. “Maria and I are having a Wine and Whine event tonight. Would you like to come?”

“Wine and what?”

Maria pushed a chunk of unruly hair back behind her ear. “A Wine and Whine. We drink wine and we whine about whatever we want to whine about. Stupid bosses. Bad boyfriends. Uncomfortable shoes. Whatever is on your mind. We are equal-opportunity whiners.”

Kat leaned on her cart. “What she means is that it’s kind of a free-for-all. Talk about what you want. Or nothing. You can listen to us gripe about people you don’t know. But the wine will flow. You might feel better if you have a little company. I’ve spent some time sitting in an empty house with a bunch of dogs feeling sorry for myself, so I know what I’m talking about here. If you’re gonna have a pity party, sometimes it’s better not to be alone. More people can help.”

“And more wine,” Maria added.

Kat said, “Think of it as a ‘girls’ night’ or something, if that makes it sound better to you. We’ll be at my house and Joel is off doing something nerdy, so he won’t be around, either. Just my dogs and cats. You can even bring Rosa. Everyone likes her.”

Maria bent over the counter and looked down at the colorful cartons of ice cream. She turned to Kat. “I think we need some of that Rocky Road. So what’s in Rocky Road, anyway? Do we know what makes it rocky? It’s all frozen. They could have put anything in there. Rocks, even.”

Jan said, “Originally Rocky Road was just chocolate ice cream, but now it usually has chocolate chips, almonds, and marshmallows. It was invented by William Dreyer in 1929.”

Maria gave Jan a blank stare and then turned to Kat. “Wow. How does anyone even know that?”

“She’s a librarian,” Kat replied.

Jan blushed slightly. “I’m sorry. Steve hates it when I spout off facts like that. I tend to remember little tidbits of information. He says my brain is wired funny.”

Maria squinted slightly at Jan. “Hmm. We need to talk about this Steve guy. Time to cha-cha back to the wine aisle! We’re gonna need the extra-big bottle for tonight.” Maria started to move forward, saying, “One-two-cha-cha-cha!” as she sashayed down the aisle.

Kat turned to Jan. “She’s taking dancing lessons.”

“I see.”

“I need to catch up with Maria. Will we see you later?”

Jan nodded. “Sure. Okay. Do you want me to bring anything?”

“No, Maria has only just begun to shop. She’s a power grocery shopper. Joel and I will be eating slightly odd food for the rest of the week. I just need to try to keep her away from the Twinkie display. See you later!”

“Okay.”

Kat looked over her shoulder as she hustled down the aisle with the cart after Maria, “And don’t forget Rosa!”

Jan scowled at herself in the mirror as she reapplied her face. She hated her freckles and unmanageable wavy hair, so she spent a lot of time trying to get both of them under control. When applying cover-up, there was a fine line between “flawless-and-fresh” and “zombie-pancake.” Given that today was clearly a bad hair day, she gave up and yanked her hair into a ponytail. She twisted her wavy hair up into the standard knot she usually wore to work and jammed in a few bobby pins for good measure. It would have to do.

She looked down at Rosa, who was sleeping next to the bathroom door. “Okay Rosa, it’s a good thing you ate earlier because we’re going for a car ride.”

Rosa lifted her head, looking concerned.

“Don’t worry. You will eat again. I’ve never missed giving you a meal, have I?”

Apparently accepting the idea that she would get food someday, Rosa put her head back down on her paws and sighed heavily.

Jan leaned toward the mirror and dabbed a tissue on her lower lid, trying to remove the extraneous mascara around her hazel eyes. She jammed the mascara wand back into the tube and threw it into the drawer. “Okay, I give up. Let’s go.”