Chapter Twelve. By Saturday afternoon Margo wasn’t sure if she should be worried or relieved

By Saturday afternoon Margo wasn’t sure if she should be worried or relieved. Eva’s information about Logan was disturbing, and her opinion of Logan certainly had changed—and not for the better. Grace would have a fit if she knew Logan was a drug user. That was an absolute deal-breaker for her. Margo had flipped open her cell phone at least ten times, but she couldn’t bring herself to call Grace. What would I do? Warn her? Tell her to fly home immediately?

“This is my fault, ” she mumbled as she pulled into Grace’s driveway. “If I hadn’t encouraged her and bought that potion…”

Grace had been gone for almost eighteen hours, and she hadn’t left Margo any frantic messages about her terrible weekend or pleaded with her to come to the airport and pick her up. Margo didn’t know what to make of it. She wasn’t used to Grace being away, especially under such unusual circumstances. She was the one who traveled while Grace stayed in Phoenix, keeping an eye on her condo, watering her plants and preventing the world from devolving into chaos for Margo. At least, that was how it had always been. She counted on Grace to keep her sane. It was Grace’s unspoken job, and now she’d abandoned her.

That’s rather selfish, she thought, particularly since she’d helped create the list. Still, she worried about Logan’s influence. Was she having any fun? Was she having too much fun? Would she be ready to kill her when she returned? She was curious as hell to know what was going on but she worried that if they spoke she’d feel obligated to share Eva’s story about Logan.

Grace’s BMW was still in the driveway, driven back from the Monastery by one of the waiters, and so was her newspaper. She would never leave her paper in the driveway. Margo found the spare key under the frog sculpture and deposited the paper and the mail on Grace’s spotless dining room table. She looked around the pristine house, both envious and repulsed. She would never have a house this clean or orderly, and a part of her was grateful.

“Only a sick mind is this neat, ” she mumbled.

She debated whether to snoop. Rarely did she get a chance to get this much dirt on a friend, but again, Grace had few secrets—of this she was sure. Grace was the straight arrow, free of skeletons in her closet.

Her phone chimed and Joseph’s picture appeared on her display. “Hey, lover.”

He laughed. “I wouldn’t go that far, but Ainsley is a terrific woman. We sat in that booth and talked until Cushy threw us out.”

“Talked? I give you a magic sex potion and all you did was talk? Or did you take her home and show her what she’d been missing? ”

“You mean my handsome black ass? ”

She chuckled. It was one of their ongoing jokes that white women always stared at Joseph more than black women did.

“Sorry to disappoint you, but we both kept our clothes on last night. I am a gentleman, you know.”

“Absolutely. If you were an asshole, I couldn’t see you socially. So is there anything to tell? ”

“We’re going out again tonight and I just wanted to thank you for helping me. I don’t know if there’s anything to that Root of Passion stuff, but I’m having a second date with an amazing woman.”

“Well, you’re welcome. Just call me the Sex Samaritan. I go about the world helping those with sexual needs and righting the unjust wrongs.”

She heard a knock on Grace’s back door and a young woman appeared and called, “Hello? ”

She recognized Dina, Grace’s neighbor. “I gotta go.”

“Hi, I’m Dina. I live down the street. I saw your car and the open back door and I thought I should check.”

A long-handled trowel protruded from the side pocket of Dina’s overalls. She was prepared for action if necessary. Margo liked that. She stuck out her hand.

“I’m Margo. Grace’s best friend. I was waiting in the car when your dog sacked Grace on the lawn the other night.”

Dina automatically looked down and scratched the side of her head. “I felt really bad about that. Pepper’s usually much better behaved.”

“I don’t mean to be blunt, Dina, but from where I was sitting, you seemed to enjoy the view.”

Dina opened her mouth to speak but nothing came out. She took a deep breath and said, “Well, she’s very beautiful, and when she had one of those, what would you call—wardrobe malfunctions—it was hard to miss.”

“So you think she’s attractive.”

Her cheeks reddened, and Margo imagined she was making her quite uncomfortable. So be it, if it helps Grace find the right woman.

“Of course. I mean, it’s not like I’ve ever told her. We hardly see each other except for a friendly wave.” She looked around.

“Since we’re having such a frank talk, where is she? Her routine seems pretty solid.”

“She took a trip.”

“Really? ”

Margo laughed at her surprise. “I know it sounds unusual. Grace isn’t one to travel on short notice.”

“Yeah, she hasn’t struck me as a spur-of-the-moment kind of person.”

Margo realized that they’d slid into the chairs surrounding Grace’s dining room table. She might as well continue the conversation. “Grace is definitely a creature of habit, but this time it was worth it. She was invited to Kazmar Edens’ wedding.”

Dina raised her eyebrows. “Seriously? She must know some pretty important people.”

“Friend of a friend, ” Margo replied, deciding instantly that she liked Dina and wanted Grace to dump Logan. Eva would have to get in line—after Dina. It would be good for Grace to have choices.

She leaned back and crossed her arms. “So what’s your story, Dina? It’s my job as Grace’s best friend to interview any potential dates.”

“I work for a landscaper. We mainly do resorts.”

Blue collar, she thought. That’s definitely a yin to Grace’s yang. “Do you like it? ”

She shrugged. “It’s a job. I don’t love it, but I’m happy to go to work in the morning. A lot of people can’t say that.”

“How long have you worked in landscaping? ”

“About a year. I assume you want to know what I did before that? ”

“Of course.”

“I worked at Starbuck’s, and before that I was a baggage handler for Southwest, and before that I was a wrangler at a ranch in Colorado.”

“Anything else? ”

She laughed. “There were several other little jobs. I did whatever I could to pay my rent and avoid college.”

Her radar perked up. Maybe this wouldn’t be such a great idea. “What do you have against college? ”

“Nothing, as long as I don’t have to go. It’s great for everyone else, but not for me.”

“Did you ever try it? ”

She looked away, frowning. “I went to NYU for a year.”

Okay, she’s back in the game. “Wow. That’s a great school. What was your major? ”

Staring out the window, she said, “I didn’t declare one. My father wanted me to go into finance or law, so he didn’t approve of the philosophy and women’s studies courses I took. When I refused to follow his prescribed program of study, he cut me off.”

Margo had heard similar stories before. “Shit. That sucks.”

“Dropping out didn’t suck. It was losing my parents’ faith that really sucked.”

“I’ll bet.”

Grace’s absence filled the room, and Margo rose to go, uncomfortable with the silence and the intimate conversation. She wasn’t good at sharing feelings. That’s what Grace does best.

An idea came to her. “Hey, do you think you could keep an eye on the place for me and pick up her newspaper in the morning? She’ll be home late tomorrow night but I have to work in a few hours and I know she wouldn’t want it to sit in the driveway.”

“Sure not a problem, ” she said with a wink.

This woman could be the one for Grace.

They both headed for the door, Margo locking up behind her. She showed Dina where the spare key was hidden and headed for her car. The conversation felt undone, as if there was more to say.

“And just so you know, ” she called, “Grace is someone who needs a woman who’ll make the first move. She’s not one to take the initiative. You know what I mean? ”

Dina nodded. “Yeah, I do. I’ve known a lot of women who were shy.”

She thought of the Root of Passion and the weekend in Vegas. “That’s a good word for Grace, but I think this trip will change her. The predictable Grace will be replaced by someone much more exciting.”