"I thought you said you moved from Tchoupitoulas Street."

"I did." Her voice was low. "I stayed in the company apartment until I found a place to live." Hailey didn't move, though Fuzzy had gotten her second wind and was b.u.mping her ball against her leg. "Where in Georgia are you from?" I thought I knew the answer, but I wanted to make her say it.

Her shoulders sagged when she looked away from me.

"Atlanta."

"You knew about the Rainbow Room before I mentioned it, didn't you?" Hailey nodded but didn't look my way. "Why didn't you tell me?"

'"Keep up the lie and hope she never finds out. That's how the game is played.' Wasn't that your advice?" Hailey turned to face me.

I felt shocked, confused, and downright p.i.s.sed off. "How did you know it was me you were talking to?"

"You mentioned that you got a haircut. I wasn't completely sure then, but the coincidence was too uncanny to ignore. And then you talked about the Rainbow Room, and that sealed it."

"Why didn't you come out and tell me then? And weren't you married to a man that you loved?" A ton of questions whirled through my brain.

Hailey's face turned a deeper shade of red. "I was incapable of loving him like I should've. He deserved to be with someone who could give him what I couldn't."

I scrubbed at my face as the truth settled in. I tried to retrace all the conversations we'd had, but my mind was a complete jumble.

"You told me about the Rainbow Room after I told you about him. I wasn't completely sure that you were P.U. until that moment.

Then I was afraid to come clean after I'd just told you about my infidelity. I was afraid of what you'd think of me." Hailey took *the ball that Fuzzy was rubbing on her leg and threw it. "The other day when I invited you to dinner, I was going to tell you everything, but I was nervous, so I e-mailed you to see what you'd say, test the waters. Your response really surprised me."

"I was hurt. I asked if you wanted to meet and you blew me off, then you started talking about someone-" I thought back to the part of Hailey's e-mail that had hurt the most. I think she's someone I real y want to get to know. "Why did you choose the Rainbow Room? I thought you were straight."

"The affair was with another woman. I realized rather late in life the real reason I wasn't happy."

Part of me wanted to be elated with the revelation. The other part was appalled. "We'll, it's been nice talking to you, Newbie,"

I said as I turned and stalked toward the door.

"Shannon, please-" I could hear Hailey coming after me.

"Wait!" I turned and held my hands up. Hailey and Fuzzy skidded to a halt. "I don't want to hear anything else right now. I need some time."

Hailey opened her mouth, then closed it, deflated. Fuzzy watched the exchange between us and leaned heavily against Hailey's leg with a whimper. I turned and went into the building, hoping they wouldn't follow.

4.

Chapter 10.

Let's just be friends...blows.

I was furious when I returned to my apartment and the power still wasn't on. I wanted to go into my Rainbow Room account and reread all the messages exchanged between Hailey and me.

To further exacerbate the situation, I'd forgotten to retrieve my cell phone, and I wasn't going back after it. I threw myself onto the sofa and watched the moderate rain against my window.

I think she's someone I really want to get to know.

Was she referring to me? Or had she met someone else and decided that night to tell me who she really was? My mind started to answer . She did seem a bit put off when you told her about Marci. She asked a lot of questions. Stop that, leg!

I looked down and noticed that my right leg was dancing a nervous jig. I crossed my feet at the ankles as my fingers began to drum on my stomach. Hailey had played me nevertheless. Then I thought about her throwing my callous response to her question back in my face. Keep up the lie and hope she never finds out.

That's how the game is played. That's why she'd been so cold and distant.

My head started to ache as I thought back on our conversation the night before and the pained expression Hailey wore. Was I the cause? Yes, dumba.s.s, how obvious does she have to make it? My brain was certain, but my heart wasn't as quick to jump on the bandwagon. It whispered, tread lightly.

And then there was Marci. How much damage would I do to *whatever might be happening with Hailey if I went through with the date on Friday night? In my heart, I knew that I would be letting Marci down by the end of the evening. The connection I wanted to feel with her wasn't there. Instead, it was with a woman who had not been honest with me.

I went from being desperate for a date with anyone to this conundrum in a flash. Timing sucked, women sucked, and I just plain sucked at dealing with it.

I blinked as the power came back on. The handset on my coffee table was dead. I hoped that the one in the bedroom still had a charge as I went for it and dialed Kalen's number. "h.e.l.lo?"

Kalen's voice was soft and low, and I knew I had woken her.

"I'm sorry I woke you, sis. I meant to call you earlier to see how you were feeling, but the power's been out."

Kalen groaned. "s.h.i.t, it's almost two."

"Sounds like you needed the sleep. Mom always says that you heal faster when you rest."

"What's wrong? I hear something in your voice."

"I've got a problem." I returned to the sofa and sat down.

Everything about meeting Newbie online and finding out that she was Hailey came out in a rush. Kalen stopped me a couple of times and made me repeat a few things. Especially when I told her about the conversation I had with Hailey the night before.

"Oh, honey, it's you she's interested in," Kalen said when I had finished. "This has disaster written all over it."

"Because of Marci?"

"No, let's take her out of the equation for a minute. Hailey cheated on her husband. That shows she can't be trusted. She's been with one woman, and now she thinks she's gay. And she's been in that online dating thing where the psychopaths hang out-minus you and maybe Marci. Don't walk away from this woman, run. h.e.l.l, move out of the building."

Perhaps seeking Kalen's advice wasn't the smartest thing to do. Objectivity wasn't her strong suit unless it was regarding someone she fixed me up with. "She's extremely remorseful about what she did to her husband."

*"Not everyone brags about their infidelity, especially if they're trying to impress someone else."

"She could've left that out..." like she did everything else.

"Shannon, go out with Marci and see where it leads. If you don't feel a spark, then be upfront and tell her so. Leave Hailey alone. I'm telling you, she's trouble."

"Okay, okay," I said, ready to be finished with the conversation.

"I need to go now and do some work. I've been out of the loop all morning."

"If I didn't feel so s.h.i.tty, I'd be on my way over there," Kalen said. "Bye, sis," I said quickly before I disconnected.

I debated sending Marci a text message and telling her the date was off, but I couldn't make myself take the cowardly way out. I'd put that call off for another day, though. I knew that I wouldn't be able to work with Hailey being so close. Now that I was somewhat calm, I wanted to hear what she had to say, so I took a trip downstairs.

Hailey opened the door on the second knock and held it open wide. I walked in and scratched Fuzzy on the head before taking a good look at her. She looked more composed than she did in the garage earlier, but she seemed nervous as she offered me a seat. I sat on the sofa while she took a chair across from me. Fuzzy went to her immediately and laid her head on Hailey's leg.

"If you were in my shoes, would you be upset right now?" I asked.

"Yes."

I nodded and looked away. That's all I had in my a.r.s.enal. I was full of things to say as I rode down on the elevator, but once I was in Hailey's presence, I went blank.

"I should've told you who I was the minute I figured out who you were," Hailey said. "I'm sorry that I didn't."

I forced myself to look at her. "The other night after I went out with Marci, were you talking about me when you said you were taken by someone?"

Hailey looked away then; I could see a slight flush begin to sweep over her cheeks. Her lips twitched. "It's a moot point, isn't *it, really?" Something in her tone seemed like she wanted me to argue the point.

"Why?"

"Look." She rubbed her hands together. "I would really like us to be friends." Her lips twitched again. "I know we've gotten off to a bad start. The reasons I wasn't upfront pale in comparison to what I've done, but I really want-need-your forgiveness."

"Friends, like playing tennis and chatting in the courtyard?"

I asked as my chest filled with pain.

"That's all I can offer right now." Hailey's eyes grew watery, and as bad as I wanted to press her for more, I let her off the hook.

"I forgive you," I said as I stood. "Sure, we can be friends."

Hailey stood and followed me to the door. Fuzzy stayed close at her side. "Thank you," she said as she pulled me into a hug. She held me in her arms for a minute before squeezing me gently. "I hope you have a good time on Friday."

That hurt. I pulled away from her grasp and walked out the door without looking back.

Chapter 11.

Honesty sucks.

As I waited for Marci on Friday, I prayed that we wouldn't run into Hailey. I'd waited at the courtyard gate, nervously looking back at the door, hoping for the first time that Hailey didn't appear. I looked up at her window. The room was dark, but I had a feeling I was being watched.

I'd picked up the phone a dozen times to cancel the date but changed my mind. Maybe Kalen was right. I spent too much time crushing on Hailey that I couldn't allow myself to be interested in anyone else. But there was a part of me that wished Hailey would burst through the door and beg me not to go.

Marci had made reservations for Ralph's On The Park. Kalen had been there and told me about it. I'd always wanted to go, but I couldn't get excited about it now. I knew the minute I got into Marci's car and looked into her eyes how the evening would end, and I felt like a first-cla.s.s cad.

"This must be the hotspot of New Orleans," I said, looking around at the crowd.

Marci nodded enthusiastically. "I've been here a couple of times, and the food is fantastic. Why don't you order the tuna two ways and I'll order the disgruntled shrimp? We can share."

I'd hardly opened my menu, and she was already picking out dinner for us. It grated my nerves. If Kalen, or I dare say even Hailey, had suggested it, I wouldn't have batted an eye, nor would *I have hesitated to say that I hated tuna regardless of how it's served. But there I sat nodding like an idiot because I felt guilty for being there in the first place.

I listened as Marci ordered a bottle of white wine when the waiter asked us what we'd have to drink. The wine she chose was the perfect complement to seafood, but I didn't care for it. Of course, it's considered by some to be unsophisticated to drink an inappropriate wine with dinner, but I never cared for convention and always chose red over white regardless of the meal. I'm sure there are women out there who like for someone to take charge when it came to ordering, but I wasn't one of them.

I blinked a few times when Marci interrupted my internal b.i.t.c.h session. "You look lovely tonight." I was about to return the compliment when she tilted her head to the side and said, "Have you ever considered wearing your hair shorter?"

"I...um...no. I don't care for short hair...on me."

"I just asked because I think it would make your face look fuller and," she smiled, "you have beautiful eyes, and I think they'd stand out even more."

"Thank you," I said as the waiter arrived and opened the wine. For a fleeting second, I had a vision of sitting around in my underwear waiting for Marci to dress me. I knew I was being unfair and looking for anything to cling to that would make it easier for me to pull away.

"How was your week?" I asked when we were alone again.

"Very busy, which was especially difficult because I was distracted."

"How so?"

"I was nervous about tonight," Marci admitted with a shy smile.

"Me too," but for different reasons, I was sure.

Marci smiled and toyed with the stem of her gla.s.s. "That makes me feel better."

"What is it you do? I neglected to ask the night we met."

"I'm a veterinarian. Cats are my specialty."

"Do you have a cat?" I had flashbacks of the cat that didn't approve of me.

0.