It was still red and punctuated by the marks the stitches made."Is this how you got your Purple Heart?"She leaned in again to examine it. This time I ...new the kiss was coming.The door to the employees lounge opened and Jessica came out."Matt ... sorry to have..."She stood there looking like a December fashion cover in a short red fox jacket and matching hat and with black knee-high high-heeled boots on.The look on her face was much different though."Pru ... what are you doing?"I almost smiled. ..”“What?”“This is going to sound really stupid now, and I believe you, really, but I need you to know why I just asked that.”“Okay.”“I was just wondering if it was really Pete with you that one night in the cabin.”Lara turned back and looked at me, a frown on her face. “Wait, you mean that time when you were in the darkroom listening?”“Yeah.”“Of course it was with Pete. What made you think it wasn’t?”“Just the weird way you acted when you found out. Part of me has always wondered if you were. We really like them both, they are outgoing and funny.Well, during the conversation Janice let it slip about Ted and Polly replied that she knew already. This took us back a bit, but not anymore than when Ray announced that they were swingers over the past couple years. Ray continued by saying he wouldn't mind helping out if we needed help. Polly concurred by asked for the same caveat as Ellen next door, would I be available for her if needed. Dancing in my head was the thought of petite Polly. E so wanted her husband to bear the cold front which they would haveto endure for the first part of the gathering. She knew that hisfriends would start to warm up to them. They would not have beeninvited if Jessie was not open to reconnecting, and the others wouldnot have shown up if they never wanted anything to do with Steveagain. Also, in a couple of hours they would all have a couple ofbeers, the lubricant of male social bonding.Unlike the others, Melody was excited as the lucky seventh.