Knowing Her Read online

  “I’ll check and see what’s available,” Lian said slowly, “but I won’t mind sharing as long as you don’t mind if I game a bit during downtime.”

  Teresa chuckled. “Not at all. You’ve been so generous with your time since, you know. Sometimes I feel guilty about how much you come over.”

  “Like it’s such a sacrifice, especially on nights you cook.” Lian rolled her eyes, then sighed. “Besides, everyone in my usual gaming group has been kind of busy lately. They all have lives now, except for me.”

  “Ha!” Teresa grabbed one of her decorative pillows and tossed it at Lian. “Nice to know I don’t count.”

  Lian caught the pillow, her lips twitching as she tried not to smile. “Well, you know, you’re just as boring as I am.”

  Teresa narrowed her eyes and grabbed the last pillow within reach. It was hard to keep a straight face. “Watch it, gumshoe. I’ve just been out of step the last month or so.”

  “Gumshoe?” Lian snorted out a laugh. “What century are you living in?”

  “This one, jerk!” Teresa declared as she aimed for Lian’s head, throwing it at quarter-strength. She didn’t want to actually hurt Lian.

  Lian deflected the second pillow with the first, chuckling as it bounced and smacked Teresa back in the face.

  Teresa’s eyes watered from the surprise of the hit more than anything.

  Lian’s eyes went wide. “Oops?”

  They looked at one another and burst into laughter. Teresa laughed harder and longer than she thought the situation merited, but every time it began to wane, a snort would sneak into Lian’s laughter and her own would kick off again.

  By the time Teresa managed to catch her breath, her face and abdomen hurt, and the corners of her eyes were wet from reflex tears. As she calmed, she realized she and Lian had ended up half-on the middle cushion of the couch. “Lian,” she said as she glanced to her right, “I’m glad we’re friends.”

  Lian’s smile was full and genuine when their eyes met. “Me too.”

  Teresa released a pleased sigh, a giddy feeling blooming in her chest. “Good.”

  ***

  Perfect Fit was busy when Lian arrived. She’d called a few days earlier to confirm an appointment, but weekends were usually hectic. She found a quiet corner as she waited for Carla to become available.

  Lian’s attention wandered all over the store, admiring the numerous mannequins displaying suits cut for women. Finally, she spotted Carla returning to the main floor with a customer in tow.

  It always amused Lian how much Carla and Zoe looked alike. Though technically fraternal twins, the only strong physical differences between them were their hair types and individual styles. Their personalities clashed, but like all the Barreras Lian knew, they were very loyal to one another.

  Having worked with Vivian for nearly eight years, Lian was acutely aware of what that loyalty meant. They’d adopted her into the clan. It came with a lot of benefits, the Barreras being a diversely talented (and large) family. Since Lian and Caroline had moved away from their own extended family, the extra security was welcome.

  And, Lian admitted with a small smile, probably the only reason her closet was full of tailored clothes instead of cheaper off-the-rack things. She hadn’t been to Perfect Fit for a while, consciously avoiding more of the Barrera clan than she normally would. It was difficult being friends with Teresa and not being able to tell the rest of the family.

  “Lian! It’s been a minute since you’ve been here,” Carla said as she half-hugged Lian and brushed a side-kiss to her cheek.

  “Hey.” Lian dutifully accepted the greeting. “What can I say? I haven’t really needed anything new.”

  “Until now.” Carla grinned. She looked as chic as always in high-waisted pinstripe trousers and a white portrait-neck top, a pair of heeled boots leaving her several inches taller than Lian. Her wavy dark brown hair was twisted up and away from her face, a sleek black clip keeping it in place.

  Lian ran a hand over her white Oxford, wishing she had an ounce of Carla’s sense of style. She didn’t want to stand out quite like Carla did, but she wouldn’t mind knowing how to better pick things. “Right, yeah.”

  Carla clapped her hands together and shimmied in place. “I think you said on the phone you need something for a nice dinner?”

  “That’s right.” Lian shifted her weight from foot to foot, forcing herself to continue looking at Carla. Teresa had told her she could skip the dinner, but that meant potentially leaving Teresa open to Holly’s advances. “I just don’t know what. You know I’m not into a lot of this stuff.” She waved a hand around the store.

  “The range of what you like is very narrow,” Carla agreed with a nod, “and we absolutely want you to be both comfortable and happy.” She curled a hand against her chin. “What kind of dinner is it?”

  “Oh, um. A work thing.” Lian stuck her hands into her pockets. She paused and bit the inside of her cheek; one of the biggest reasons she’d ended up getting most of her clothes from Perfect Fit had been the pockets. Off-the-rack stuff usually had tiny, or even fake pockets. It made no sense.

  Carla dropped her hands to her hips and shrugged. “Oh, just a PI thing? Then it’s easier.”

  Lian frowned and angled her head. “No, that’s not—uh, I should clarify. It’s a friend’s work thing. I’m going along as her plus one.”

  “A friend you say?” Carla studied her for a long moment. “You’re voluntarily going to a semi-formal social gathering for a friend?”

  Unable to endure Carla’s searching look, Lian glanced around. One of the other tailors was helping a gay couple at the furthest corner of the store, apparently discussing tuxedo options. A salesperson was behind the counter ringing a stately older woman up, and the other salesperson was roaming the store with a harried looking middle-aged man. The last tailor on staff wasn’t in view, either on break or fitting someone in the back.

  Carla laughed, prompting Lian to return to their conversation. “Must be a special friend, Lian.”

  Lian shrugged, knowing she couldn’t say, Well, yeah, it’s for your cousin—you know, the one that ran away at fifteen? We’ve become pretty good friends.

  No doubt coming to her own conclusions in the silence, Carla waved a hand as if to dismiss the conversation. “Alright. Considering what you like and what you normally want, how do you feel about getting a full suit?”

  “A full suit?” Lian winced. “Like, with a tie?”

  “We can skip the tie if you want. I bet you’d look great in a three-piece.”

  Lian counted in her head: jacket, pants, and… “A vest? Do you really think I could pull off something like that?”

  “Darling,” Carla said with a glint in her eyes, “you’re talking to me. You can absolutely pull off a three-piece suit.” She rubbed her hands together gleefully. “What color is your date wearing?”

  “I don’t—she’s not my date. We’re friends.” Lian sucked on her teeth, wishing she could push her hands deeper into her pockets.

  Carla rolled her eyes, a toothy smile on her face. “It’s just a figure of speech. Now, what is she wearing?”

  Lian opened her mouth. She closed it. “Give me a minute, I’ll text her.” For an incomprehensible reason, Lian’s hands were sweaty. Having to avoid sharing details about Teresa was taking a greater toll on her than she had anticipated. She worried about dropping her phone as she tapped out the question, hoping Teresa wouldn’t think she was weird for asking.

  She cradled her phone as she waited for an answer, both hoping and not hoping Teresa would answer quickly.

  The response, when it came, made Lian burst into laughter.

  ‘You’re not getting something with a cummerbund, are you? It’s not that formal, Lian.’

  Her shoulders no longer hunched, Lian shook her head and typed. ‘No. I’m with my tailor and she wants to make sure we complement each other.’

  The next response, ‘Well in that case,’ came with a picture
of a swatch of fabric.

  Pleased to have such a specific answer to Carla’s question, Lian opened the photo so it would display in her gallery, rather than in her messages. She proudly held her phone up and out toward Carla.

  Carla grinned and gave her a pointed look she didn’t understand, then accepted the phone. “Oh, I love this color. I think with such a nice shade of red, we should just do something in basic black for you. Oo, we can do the vest and the inside of your jacket the same scarlet to subtly bring it all together. You still going to pass on something with a real heel?”

  “Absolutely.” There were some things Lian knew she utterly didn’t like.

  “Okay, then come with me and we’ll look at some different cuts that go with your figure.”

  “What figure?” Lian asked flatly.

  Carla clicked her tongue. “Even a stick is a figure.”

  “Thanks for calling me a stick.”

  “Keep it up and I’ll find one to hit you with.”

  Chapter Eight

  It was a glorious morning for a road trip, Teresa thought as she pulled her sunglasses onto her face. They’d just stopped for gas and coffee outside of town. She closed her eyes and soaked in the early morning sun, its gentle warmth slowly replacing the lingering cool of night.

  “I feel like I should kiss the pavement.”

  Teresa shook with silent laughter. She took a breath and forced the smile from her face. With her hands on her hips, she turned to playfully glare at Lian. “What are you insinuating?”

  “I’m not insinuating anything,” Lian said with raised eyebrows. “You somehow drive like you’re putting on makeup, swapping the radio station, eating fast food, and are also late for work, all at once.”

  “I’ll have you know I’ve never gotten a ticket,” Teresa retorted. She narrowed her eyes. “What do you have to say about that?”

  Lian crossed her arms, paper cup of coffee braced carefully against her chest. “I notice you didn’t say you’ve never been pulled over.”

  Cheeks flushing, Teresa spun on her heel. “It doesn’t count unless you get a ticket.”

  The sound of her footsteps following in Teresa’s wake, Lian obviously hadn’t given up. “So, if you had to guess, how many times would you say you’ve been pulled over?”

  Teresa fumbled with her keychain as she unlocked the doors to her Camry. “We should get back on the road if you still want to stop at that place in New York for lunch. What was the name of the town, again? It better be worth the detour.”

  She ducked inside the car before Lian could respond, hurriedly putting her coffee into a cupholder and starting the car.

  Lian got in at a more sedate pace, then attentively put her cup in the holder adjacent to Teresa’s. “I’ll allow the subject change, but don’t think you’ve won.” She buckled her seat belt in precise motions. “And, according to the reviews, the deli is worth the very slight ten-minute detour.”

  “How is it you always find these places? I know it’s not just one blog or Twitter or whatever.” Teresa adjusted the strap of her seat belt so it wasn’t digging into her neck. She checked traffic before pulling out of her space, then waited for her turn to pull onto the street.

  “I follow a few different things. Plus, the cooking shows I told you about? There are a few that involve traveling around to try particular eateries and their specialties,” Lian finally answered once they were on the road again.

  Teresa glanced her way. “I knew you loved food, but it’s really a passion of yours, isn’t it?”

  There was a beat of silence before Lian spoke. “I suppose you could put it that way. I’ve never really thought about it too much—I just like what I like, you know? Maybe that’s a personality flaw of mine.”

  “How so?” Out of the corner of her eye, Teresa noticed Lian shifting in her seat. She touched the side of her coffee cup to gauge the temperature. It was still too dangerous to drink if she wanted to have taste buds left for lunch.

  “Well, I guess because I do that with everything. My clothes, friendships, and whatnot. It’s kind of why I have trouble with Pride, sometimes. Unlike you and Viv and Sharon, I don’t really have my labels figured out.”

  Teresa snorted but didn’t verbally respond.

  “What?” Lian asked, sounding irritated.

  Teresa tapped her thumbs against the steering wheel as she deliberated the pros and cons of speaking her mind. She sighed. “You know it’s not a competition, right? You don’t need to compare yourself to everyone. Humans are fluid creatures, our perceptions constantly changing as we have new experiences. You don’t have to give yourself specific labels if you don’t want to, or simply can’t. There’s a reason umbrella terms exist.”

  “Yeah, I just,” Lian’s voice trailed off.

  When she didn’t continue, Teresa cast a side-glance her way. Lian was gripping the top strap of her seat belt in both hands as she stared out of the passenger side window.

  Lian licked her lips and faced forward. “I just wish I could be… better.”

  “Come again?” Teresa blinked and frowned.

  “I, it’s,” Lian audibly swallowed. She shook her head. “It’s difficult to explain. Can we just listen to music or something for a while?”

  “Okay but, for the record, there’s nothing wrong with you, Lian.” Before Lian could argue, Teresa turned the radio on.

  She didn’t want to pressure Lian, but at the same time it seemed to be something Lian wanted to talk about. Otherwise, why would Lian bring it up at all? Maybe she could convince Lian to have a little wine at dinner. Not too much, just enough so that Lian would feel she could talk freely. She wanted to be someone Lian could confide in. She’d already confided so much in Lian; it would be nice to return the favor.

  “You call this music?”

  Teresa jerked her head and sent Lian a hard look. “Exsqueeze me? This is Janelle Monáe, an actual queen and badass.”

  “Am I supposed to know who that is?” Lian asked with an innocent expression.

  Forcing herself to pay attention to the road, Teresa narrowed her eyes and gripped the wheel with both hands. “Lian, you’d better think twice about messing with me right now. I have your life in my hands.”

  “Maybe instead of tickets, I should have asked you how many car accidents you’ve been in,” Lian mused aloud.

  “I am a safe driver. However, if you insult my music, you might find yourself regretting that in big ways.”

  “In what ways?” Lian inquired, almost sounding bored.

  Teresa straightened her shoulders. “Imagine the most horrible, terrifying, evil thing you can think of,” she paused for dramatic effect, “and multiply it by six.”

  “Why does that sound so familiar?”

  Seed planted, Teresa smiled to herself. “Hm, I wonder why.”

  During her time spent bonding with Vivian and Makayla, Teresa had been exposed to more children’s movies than she’d previously known had existed. On one such occasion, Vivian had groaned and admitted that Makayla had been obsessed with Megamind for about a month, playing it in the lobby at MBI practically every day after she’d finished with her schoolwork. The conversation had promptly made Makayla put the film on, almost driving Vivian to the brink.

  “No, seriously. What’s that from?”

  Teresa hummed along as the song finished. She picked up her coffee cup, certain it had cooled to an optimal drinking temperature. It tasted perfect with just a dollop of milk and two sugars. “I don’t know Lian, you tell me. If you google it, you lose.”

  “You’re a vicious woman, Teresa Barrera.”

  Setting her cup down, Teresa shimmied gleefully in her seat. “Thank you.”

  ***

  When Lian had volunteered to join Teresa on the trip, she hadn’t actually expected to enjoy it. The night of the show? Probably. The drive to Baltimore? Not at all.

  Though Lian drove a lot for work, or perhaps because of it, she didn’t like being in a car for longer than she
needed to. She’d expected to be aggravated by the time they reached Baltimore, unfit for enduring the company of others without distraction for several hours. It was partly the reason she’d suggested the stop in New York. She liked Teresa and didn’t want to snap at the other woman if she could avoid it.