Chapter Eighteen
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
AUDREY
I watch Toni and Greta at the bar, obviously in a tense conversation, no doubt about what happened a few hours ago. The four of us have spent the last hour listening to bad karaoke and drinking beer, talking about lighthearted subjects.
“The answer is yes,” Willa says.
I tear my focus away from the bar and lift my beer bottle almost to my lips. “What was the question?” I ask, downing the lukewarm dregs of my IPA.
“Are they talking about me. Me in this question being you.”
“I gathered,” I say. I set the empty bottle on the table with a clink. “There’s something else.” I tell Willa about the kiss in the break room and how Toni ended it.
“So now you want her, but she doesn’t want you,” Willa says.
I bristle. “I wouldn’t put it exactly like that.”
“Sounds like it to me.”
“I love you, Willa, but you don’t always have to be so blunt.”
Willa rolls her eyes. “Yes, I do. Would you really want to be with a woman who witnessed that dumpster fire and then wanted to jump right into bed with you? You know who would do that? Shae, that’s who. Toni is respecting the boundary you set the night you two fucked like rabbits?—”
“Really, Willa.”
“—and you’re too horny to see her rejection for what it is.”
“What is it?”
“Love, dumbass.”
“I’m not ready for that.”
“Toni is smart enough to get that, which is why she put the brakes on.” Willa watches me and must not like what she sees in my expression. She leans forward. “Instead of being pissed that you aren’t going to get laid, why don’t you appreciate the fact that you have a woman who is putting you and what you need first.”
I inhale. “You’re right. Of course, you’re right.”
“I usually am,” Willa says. “I don’t know if it’s this new career direction we’re on, being out of that toxic bitch Shae’s orbit, or Toni, but you’ve been happier in the last few weeks than I’ve seen you in a long time. A long time. I’ve finally gotten my sister back and you better believe I’m going to do whatever I can to make sure she sticks around.”
“I could say the same about you,” I say, and glance at Greta and Toni, who are still in deep conversation.
Greta looks our way and Willa motions for another beer. Greta nods and holds up one finger. Willa returns her attention to me, and I see a small smile on her face. She raises her eyebrows.
“What?”
“Nothing at all.”
Greta returns to the table and hands Willa a beer.
“Did you have to go harvest the hops?” Willa teases.
Greta sits down next to her with a chuckle. “Something like that.”
“Oh my God I’m having flashbacks to college,” I say.
“What do you mean?” Greta asks.
“Don’t listen to her,” Willa says.
“Whenever we would go out, Willa always got drinks bought for her and I never did.”
“Not true,” Willa says.
“It’s totally true, and here we are, yet again.”
Greta points to Toni, who has arrived with my beer.
“See?” Willa says.
“What did I miss?” Toni asks.
“Audrey is about to explain to me how her twin sister always had a free drink in her hand and she didn’t,” Greta says.
“People like me,” I say. “Everyone loves Willa.”
“I’ve heard this before,” Toni says. “Didn’t believe it then, don’t believe it now.”
“Toni’s right, though you’re probably a smidge biased.” Willa winks at Toni.
“Touché,” Toni says.
“Hey, Willa promised to get on stage and sing an ABBA song,” Greta says, smirking.
“Funny, that’s exactly what Willa said about you,” Toni says.
“You’re going to have to buy me something stronger than a beer to get me on that stage,” Willa says.
“Don’t listen to her, Greta. She loves singing karaoke and ABBA is her favorite,” I say.
“I knew it,” Greta says.
“Audrey, shh. I’m trying to get more free drinks. Is it any wonder she didn’t get them in college?”
“So you’re admitting it!” I say, laughing.
A duet starts singing Sonny and Cher, drowning out cross-table conversation. So I turn to Toni and catch her looking at me with the Christmas puppy expression, one that makes my stomach go soft and gooey, before she schools her face into something almost passive. Maybe the conversation between her and Greta was better than I thought. Still, Willa’s right. I should appreciate that Toni is respecting me and respect her boundary in return.
“Looked like a deep conversation at the bar,” I say. “Everything OK?”
“Yep. Greta is just doing her big sister thing.”
“You two seem to have been getting along really well over the last few weeks.”
“We are, and I have you to thank for it.” She clinks her bottle against mine and takes a long drink.
“Me?” I try not to watch the muscles in her neck contract, but it’s difficult when I know what she smells like just behind her ear and how her long neck feels against my lips.
“Yes. You set me up to succeed with the non-pitch pitch. I think Greta is finally seeing me as an adult instead of her bratty little sister who’s everyone’s favorite.”
“So modest,” I tease.
We smile at each other and contentment washes over me. It usually takes me days, and multiple naps, to recover from emotional confrontations with Shae, yet here I am, trying to keep my imagination from running away to Aspen and this Christmas and future Christmases and what it would be like to be part of a family like the Giordanis. Thank God Toni can’t read my mind, though with the cute little smile on her face and our crazy long eye contact, maybe she can.
Would that be so bad?
Toni opens her mouth to speak but Greta interrupts us. She leans across the table to be heard over the noisy bar. “Let’s go tonight. To Aspen.”
“What?” I say.
Willa leans across the table. “Greta’s going tonight and said we should come, too. We don’t have anything going on and kicking my feet up next to a fire pit by a creek drinking a hot toddy sounds pretty good right now.”
“Done,” Toni says.
“Wait, wait, wait. Hang on,” I say and immediately go into panic mode. “I have a list of things I need to do that I’ve put off, presents to buy?—”
“You buy presents year-round,” Willa says. “It’ll be fine. Let’s go!”
“We can go shopping on Sunday in town,” Greta says.
I grimace, thinking about how much it would cost to go Christmas shopping in Aspen. It’s not that I can’t afford it, but old habits die hard.
“We’ll go off the beaten path,” Toni says.
“Three out of four. You’re outvoted,” says Willa.
“But, we didn’t get to sing karaoke,” I say, a little dejected. “Another drink and I would have done my best Mariah Carey.”
Willa and Greta both roll their eyes, before putting their empty drinks on the table and making to leave. It seems the decision has been made. I sigh, my shoulders sagging. I prefer to be much more prepared.
As we follow them out of the club, Toni brushes my arm and leans in.
“Don’t worry. I’ll make sure you get your diva moment in Aspen.”
“There’s a place to do karaoke?”
“It’s a ski town. There’re all sorts of trouble we can get up to.”
Toni wiggles her eyebrows and I can’t help but laugh, and wonder what kind of trouble she has in mind.