Chapter 6 #2
“About as good as yours…” Beth gave her a knowing look as they shared a conspiratorial smile.
“I actually thought it was going well for the first part until she revealed that she had a husband, but not to worry because he’s one of those ‘cool’ husbands who’s totally on board with her exploring her sexuality. ”
She looked at Beth in disbelief. “Oh my god, no. Really? What did you say?”
Beth reached into her purse, fishing out her car keys as they walked towards the parking lot. Sarah reached for her phone to call another car to pick her up.
“I told her I’m all for people exploring their sexuality in whatever way they see fit, but at least have the common decency to be transparent about intentions.
Clear communication goes a long way,” Beth paused, keys in hand, eyeing her.
“Do you need a ride? I don’t mind.” She cocked her head, blond waves shimmering in the moonlight.
Sarah looked at her, thumb hovering over the order button for her car. “Yeah, that would be great. If you don’t mind.” She followed Beth to her Landrover, climbing into the passenger seat of the car she had ridden in hundreds of times before.
“New stereo system? Is that an eight-track player?” she commented, eyeing the setup.
“Yeah, I put it in last weekend. You remember that woman I went on a date with who turned me down? Turns out she’s also a vintage car nut. She put me in touch with a friend of hers who helped me upgrade the sound system.”
“You and this car.” Sarah laughed, shaking her head.
Beth put the car in reverse, pulling out onto the main street and heading in the direction of Sarah’s house.
“Think of it as one extended art project.” She grinned, looking both ways before crossing the intersection.
“I’m just thankful that that date wasn’t a total flop.
I ended up finding someone who actually knows what they’re doing when it comes to seventies wiring. ”
“Only you could turn rejection into a networking opportunity.” Sarah laughed.
Beth smirked, but Sarah caught the way she glanced over at her before returning her eyes to the road.
They fell into a comfortable quiet as Beth’s headlights cut through the sleepy evergreen-lined roads. Sarah let her hand rest loosely on her knee, thumb brushing her thigh, the low thrum of something unfamiliar—was it nerves? That was ridiculous. This was Beth.
“So can I see it?” Sarah asked, aiming for nonchalant.
“See what?”
“Your dating profile.” The second the words left her mouth, Sarah regretted them—okay, maybe not regretted, but she was definitely aware that she was coming right up to a line she was sure she shouldn’t cross because this wasn’t the old them.
This was new Beth and Sarah, and she wasn’t sure where the boundaries of this latest iteration of friendship were.
They waited at an intersection for the light to turn green and Beth looked at her in surprise, but not her bad kind of surprise; Sarah would recognize that anywhere. This was more like curiosity.
“You want to see my dating profile?” she asked, the warmth of her gentle tease coating her words.
Sarah swallowed, suddenly fascinated by how the streetlight’s shadows reflected on the dashboard. “I mean, only if you don’t mind. I’m just curious. I’m trying to be a supportive friend, you know, hype you up.” She winced. “I don’t know. That came out weird. You can say no.”
God, why isn’t this light turning green yet? Sarah nervously tapped her fingers against her thigh.
“Okay, sure, but you have to promise not to laugh at it. I have no idea what I’m doing, and I’m a little out of my comfort zone.” Beth reached into her pocket, pulling out her phone. A few taps later, she handed the device to Sarah, who took it gingerly.
The light turned green as Beth turned onto the familiar street leading to her house, and Sarah scrolled. It was fascinating to see Beth—Beth, whom she had known forever—boiled down to a handful of photos and one bullet point summary.
“So,” Beth said tentatively, “what do you think?”
Sarah took another moment to digest this version of Beth before smiling.
“I think anyone would be crazy not to swipe right on you. But if you want my honest opinion, you should use that picture from the trip you and Jamie took to Napa a few years ago. The one of you at the vineyard. That’s probably the best photo that has ever been taken of you,” Sarah said softly as Beth pulled into the driveway, headlights flashing across the gray shingled front of her house before landing on Jamie’s old Subaru Outback—the one Lily had taken to driving—parked in the driveway.
“Well, she’s not supposed to be here,” Beth said, tilting her head towards Lily’s car.
“No. No, she’s not. Want to come in and see what’s going on?” Sarah offered, unbuckling her seatbelt. “I bet you ten bucks Wren’s here too.”
“Oh, she wouldn’t be that dumb, right?” Beth said, climbing out of the car.
Sarah grinned, raising an eyebrow. “Beth, she’s nineteen with her first girlfriend and a guaranteed empty house for the weekend. Don’t act shocked.”
“Oh… OH! You don’t think…” Beth trailed off, shock on her face as she read between the lines of Sarah’s words.
“Don’t get weird about our daughter being sexually active. That was awkward enough the first time… For all of us.”
“I’m not, it’s just, do we know for sure?” Beth said, following her up the front steps.
And sure enough, there was Wren’s bike leaning against the side of the house.
“You owe me ten dollars,” Sarah muttered, giving Beth a knowing look as she unlocked the front door. Then she sighed as they entered the dark house, already planning out her angle for the conversation she would be having with Lily and Wren.
She stepped inside and removed her shoes, Beth right behind her. They moved through the darkened space, listening to the familiar creak of the floors as they made their way down the hall towards the family room, Sarah’s hands reaching for the light.
She flicked the switch on, the warm glow of the lamp in the corner of the room illuminating the space. It took a moment for her eyes to adjust to the light, but as they did, the scene unfolded before her.
On the couch, curled up together under a blanket, were Lily and Wren.
Lily’s head on Wren’s chest, Wren’s arm protectively wrapped around her as their bodies moved with the steady rise and fall of breathing.
But then Sarah’s eye caught the small glint of light against glass as she registered the bottle of bourbon on the coffee table, two glasses set beside it.
For a second, she looked between the bottle and the girls, then to Beth before reaching out and flicking the light off, shaking her head. This felt like a problem for tomorrow.
Beth quietly followed her back into the foyer. “That was a bottle of bourbon on the table, right?” she asked, fingers pressed to her temple.
“Mmhmm.”
“I mean, are we surprised?” Beth whispered.
“No, they’re just being kids, but I still think a talk is needed. I’ll take care of it tomorrow morning.” Sarah pulled the front door open for Beth.
“I wouldn’t want to be on the receiving end of one of your talks.” Beth smiled, reaching out and placing a hand on her forearm, squeezing gently. “Let me know how it goes, or if you need back up.”
“I will. Thanks for the ride. Let me know when you make it home.” She patted Beth’s hand before she was off.
The next morning, Sarah made her way downstairs and into the kitchen, not bothering to try to be quiet as she started pulling items from the fridge to make breakfast. A groan came from the couch as Lily’s head popped up, quickly pivoting to look at her.
“Morning, sweetie,” Sarah said, an air of exaggerated sweetness accompanying her words.
“M-mom,” Lily stuttered, panic filling her eyes as she quickly slipped the orthotic boot back on her foot before springing to her feet. “You’re not—why are you here?”
“It’s my house,” Sarah pointed out as she whisked eggs in a bowl. “Omelettes for breakfast?” she asked, enjoying the look of confusion on Lily’s face. “Wren? Omelettes sound good to you?”
A grumble came from the couch in the living room where Wren was sitting up, stretching her arms above her head. She gave a thumbs up in place of words for an answer as she rubbed at her eyes with her other hand.
“Obviously it’s your house, but aren’t you supposed to still be in Pennsylvania…you know…at Nell’s?”
“Aren’t you supposed to be at Mama’s?” Sarah asked, serving Lily her own sass back. “Looks like I’m not the only one who isn’t where I’m supposed to be.” She pulled out a large skillet, placing it on the burner in front of her.
Wren shuffled her way into the kitchen, sliding onto the stool beside Lily. “Oh, hey, Sarah. How was your trip?” she asked uncomfortably.
Sarah took in the two girls sitting before her.
Lily, still with a slightly panicked expression on her face, and Wren, with that air of quiet confidence she had been growing into over the last few months.
“It was good until I got home to find two unexpected houseguests.” She raised an eyebrow as she flipped the first omelette onto a plate, handing it to Wren.
Wren grinned sheepishly, glancing at Lily.
“And then wouldn’t you know that my surprise only continued when I discovered the two of you had been drinking. Wren, can you please grab the liquor bottle and glasses from the coffee table in the other room?” Sarah asked evenly.
Wren shot a sideways glance at Lily before getting to her feet, collecting the bottle and glasses and returning, setting them on the counter.
“So, who wants to start?” Sarah added more eggs to the pan, beginning to make the second omelette, thoroughly enjoying this moment. She could practically feel the silent conversation happening behind her back as she cooked.
“It’s not that big of a deal, Mom. We’re, you know, of the age where experimenting with drinking is totally normal. I’m literally in college.”