Willa and Louie 11 страница

Willa thought about Cathy. " Yeah, I guess she was always intense—but I kind of liked that at first. Dumb, eh. "

" Did you love her? "

Willa sighed. " I thought so. I don't know. " She looked up. " Not like you. "

Louie stared into Willa's opal eyes and thought how she loved her so much it hurt. " You looked so beautiful at the ball, " she said, shaking her head. " I wanted to kill that guy. "

" I thought you were going to. "

" No. I realised in time who it was I wanted to kill. "

Willa swallowed. " Did you drive off the road deliberately? "

Louie tried to remember how it had happened. The wild drive, the wet, the desperation. " Sort of, " she said, not wanting to scare Willa. " It was a type of madness. "

Willa reached across the table and touched Louie's face. " So, " she said, " dare truth or promise. "

Louie quickly glanced around the restaurant. She was going to have to get used to this. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes. " Promise. "

There was a long silence. Willa's voice ran through her like warm wind. " Promise to love me, Louie Angelo. "

Louie's lips spread in a slow smile. " I promise. "

Willa's hand traced her neck and faded. Louie opened one eye and looked at Willa wickedly. " My father didn't happen to slip some money into your pocket for a cheap hotel room by any chance did he? "

" Afraid not. "

" An expensive one? "

Willa shook her head. She was stroking Louie's wrist now, a light, cool touch that was driving Louie mad.

" Then I'd have to say my mother is right on another thing. "

" Which is? "

" It's not easy being gay. "

" She said that? "

Louie grinned. " I asked her if she was going to break into song. "

" What did she say? "

Louie raised her eyebrows coolly like her mother and mimicked her voice, " i wouldn't go that far. '"

Upstairs at the Metal Petal Susi sat reading a magazine, trying not to think about what Louie and Willa were up to. In the garage, Tony inspected his newly repaired and painted Mercedes and patted the steering wheel in relief. At the Duke, Jolene was confiscating a plate of chips Sid had helped himself to. Cathy was writing a long letter to her therapist; Keith was sitting in a cafe watching a small red-headed girl wipe the tables. Kevin was trying to find an important memo from head office in the piles of papers drying on his office floor; Joan was laughing like a drain at Kelly's joke. And if anyone had been looking, they would even have seen Deirdre smile at the picture of herself as the Burger Giant's Employee of the Week.

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