Out in the living room, the front door opened and closed. Bing. Elizabeth straightened her shoulders and finger-combed her hair, hoping her face wasn’t too haggard. She ground her teeth, suddenly angry with herself for letting Jane guilt her into staying.
I should have begged off with an emergency meeting at work or claimed a sudden need to go to Mom and Dad’s to feed Mary’s parakeet while she’s out of town. I could stop on the way there to buy Mary a parakeet. Maybe I can chat with Bing for a minute or two and then fake an attack of gout or sudden-onset deafness.
Peals of laughter and the sounds of kissing emanated from the living room. Maybe an intense round of tonsil hockey would allow Elizabeth to slip out of the apartment unnoticed.
“Lizzy!” Jane called. “Bing’s here!”
Or maybe not. Elizabeth took a deep breath. I can do this. Sit and chat for five minutes and then notice a sudden urgent craving for tapioca pudding from 7-Eleven.
Somehow she slapped on a smile as she trudged into the living room. Bing’s blond surfer looks and easy smile hadn’t changed. She offered her hand, but he entrapped her in a hug instead.
“Elizabeth. It’s so good to see you.”
She merely nodded. Yes, and if I had my way it would be a long time before I saw you again. After an awkward pause, they all sat, Bing and Jane side by side on the sofa with their hands comfortably intertwined while Elizabeth took the stiff-backed wooden rocking chair. And then…
Crickets.
Surely there was some innocuous topic of conversation she could initiate, but Elizabeth’s mind was blank except for the incessant drumbeat of Will, Will, Will. “Great weather we’ve been having,” she finally blurted out.
Bing glanced at the overcast skies outside the window. “Er, it does make a change from all that sunshine.”
Well, that killed two seconds.
Elizabeth wracked her brain. Surely there was another topic that might not lead back to Will. Say something! Anything! She opened her mouth, unsure what would emerge. “How do you feel about tapioca pudding and parakeets?”
Jane’s eyes widened comically.
“How is your job going?” Bing asked at the same time.
Elizabeth latched onto the subject, pretending she hadn’t spoken. “Good. It’s good,” she said quickly. “I’m doing good work. Making a difference.”
“That’s good.”
Elizabeth nodded. “Yes, it is. It’s good.” Okay, this was possibly the stupidest conversation in the history of humankind.
Silence stretched between them again. Ugh, so awkward. It was like there was a huge hole in the middle of the living room floor, and yet they were all determined not to talk about it.
There had to be something to discuss besides pudding and parakeets. Elizabeth had stored away some interesting anecdotes about Indonesia, but she couldn’t recall any at this moment. “Did you know that Jane got a promotion at work?” Elizabeth said rather desperately.
“I did.” Bing squeezed Jane’s hand affectionately. “I’m so proud of you.” Jane gave him a fond smile that somehow hollowed out Elizabeth’s chest even more.
“Well, somebody will need to take charge of the USDA contract once we get it,” Jane said modestly.
“I’m sure it’ll be soon.” Bing’s tone suggested he had more to say on the topic. Dangerous territory.
“I hear you two have a hot date this weekend,” Elizabeth inserted quickly. Jane had already told her all about it, but she didn’t mind hearing about it again.
“Yeah,” Bing drawled, relaxing as he put his arm around Jane’s shoulders. “I secured a reservation at Le Reynard for Saturday. They say Chef Pierre Bessette is a genius…” He quoted a review about the restaurant, but Elizabeth was only half listening. Her mind was occupied with concocting escape plans.
Bing’s soliloquy petered out. Elizabeth wracked her brain for another safe topic. Taking a deep breath, Bing leaned forward, and Elizabeth had the bizarre sensation she was about to be subjected to a sales pitch. “Could you meet with Darcy while you’re here?”
I guess we’re going to talk about the hole after all.
The mention of his name was akin to a mild electric charge through her body. She bolted upright, not
icing at the back of her mind that all her extremities were tingling. “That wouldn’t be a good idea.”
Bing jumped up from the sofa and started pacing around Jane’s sparsely furnished living room. “He doesn’t have enough votes for the renewable energy bill.”