Mateo grabbed the sunglasses sitting in his shirt pocket as he walked out of the sliding glass door; leaving Lucy in the kitchen. The sun was high and he had to squint his eyes as he searched for Lillith. He wasn’t exactly eager for her company, but he was eager for some answers.
Both of the girls are lying, but why? What are they hiding and does it have to do with me? And how do they know each other? Is it just because Lillith works with Lucy’s friend? Did Lucy ever say where she worked?
His mind was a chaotic mess as he searched the backyard, but Lillith’s blonde head wasn’t within sight. With a sigh, he headed towards the cooler to grab something to drink. Everyone had been very nice to him, but he felt a little awkward by himself, since he didn’t really know anyone.
Popping the top of a soda, he took a long gulp.
“And just who are you?” An alto voice asked.
Mateo looked over and saw a tall, lean woman. Her black hair and bright blue eyes were a striking contrast, giving her an exotic air. She stood with her hands on her hips; eyeing him up and down, in a perfunctory manner.
Amusement shot through him as he watched her size him up. Her manner wasn’t flirtatious, just curious.
“My name is Mateo, I came with Lillith Gresham. And you are?”
The woman raised an eyebrow. “You came with Lillith? Well that’s certainly a step up for her. I’m Ruby. I work with the bride and groom.” Ruby put out her hand to shake.
Mateo smiled at her firm, business-like handshake. “Nice to meet you.” Mateo looked around. “So, I’m discovering a lot of you work together. Most everyone here?”
Ruby followed his line of sight and eyed the crowd. “Yeah. Piper and Nash invited the whole school, I think pretty much anyone who was in town came, with just a few exceptions.” A smirk played on Ruby’s lips, making Mateo curious as to who had stayed away.
“So what do you do at the school?” He asked.
“I teach Middle School math.” She eyed him sideways. “Numbers fascinate me and tweeners make me laugh, so it’s a good fit.”
“Sounds like.”
“Have you met most of the people here? It appears your date left you high and dry.”
“I’ve been fine. And I’ve met a few. I was just talking with Lucy—”
“Yeah, she teaches fourth grade.” Ruby interrupted, then took a sip of her water.
Mateo froze. Lucy is also a teacher? Why didn’t she say that? “Oh ... I’ve obviously also met Piper and Nash. Plus a few others.”
“Piper is our librarian and Nash teaches high school math, plus coaches the football team. They had a great season last fall. But you came with Lillith, huh? I’m surprised that woman even showed up.” Ruby made a snorting noise.
“What do you mean?”
“Well, Lillith isn’t really a teacher at the school. She only subs once in awhile. Although she’s been trying to get a full time job for ages it seems. In fact, she’s after Lucy’s job. Not that Principal Grimm would ever swap them out. All the kids love Ms. Gozling, it would be ridiculous, even if Lillith did sub this summer when ...” Ruby looked over and trailed off, narrowing her eyes. “Hey, are you okay?”
Mateo had felt all the blood drain from his face and he suddenly felt light headed. Giving it a shake, he quickly answered her. “Fine. Thanks. Um ... I’m afraid I have to run. Didn’t realize the time.” Nodding to Ruby, he walked as fast as he dared toward the side gate, heading towards the front yard and his parked car.
By the time he got home, he felt exhausted. His emotions were in such turmoil that they were affecting his physical energy. Throwing himself down on the couch, he tried to reprocess the information.
Lucy worked at the school
Lillith worked at the school, but only as a sub.
Lillith’s last name was Gresham. L.G.
Lucy’s last name was Gozling. L.G.
Both women were blonde, slim and average in height.
The chemistry he felt in the emails wasn’t there with Lillith ... but it was with Lucy.
What was the last thing Ruby said? Something about Lucy not being able to ... to what? Dang it! He hit his fist against the couch. I should have stayed and asked her some questions. He closed his eyes and rubbed his temples, fighting a headache.
Could it be that? No. That’s impossible, right? I mean ... the odds ... they would have to be astronomical. He ran his hands through his hair, gripping and pulling a little in his frustration. Jumping up from the couch he started to pace. “Why wouldn’t Lucy just say something? If she was the real L.G., why not just clear it up?” He thought back to the tension that was in the house when he followed Lillith inside. “What the heck is going on?” He threw up his hands.
He thought back on his plans to break up with Lillith after the barbecue and sighed harshly. I should probably wait. At least until I figure everything out. He snorted. If I can actually get anybody to talk about it.
“Oh shoot.” He grabbed his phone and sent a text to Lillith.
Sorry, had to bail. I’ll talk to you later.
She answered back almost immediately.
I can’t believe you left. You can take me to dinner to make up for it.
Mateo rolled his eyes. What if I don’t want to make up for it? He shook his head.
Sounds fine. Let me look at my schedule.
Lillith send back a heart emoji, making Mateo crinkle his nose. Stuffing his phone back in his pocket, he grabbed his briefcase from the corner of the room and sat down. Maybe some work will get my mind off everything and help me think straight.