Chapter 13 #2
Holy hell, I’d forgotten about book club.
I’d read the Pippa Grant book that they had mentioned the day after I learned about it but then fell down the rabbit hole of freaking out about my book being the May pick and completely flaked on meeting this week.
Maybe that’s what the other texts were about?
I stuck a heart on Noah’s text and quickly clicked back to see the rest of my messages. Sure enough, there were a bunch in the group chat that was labeled The Coven. I opened it, wondering what could possibly make a book club memorable.
There were a handful of unread texts waiting for me.
Maggie: Good news, ladies. Book club is on the move tonight!
We’re going to have our conversation of Pippa’s newest at the mansion in Highland Woods, though the book conversation might be on the light side tonight.
Maybe we’ll meet again this week over coffee?
The mansion is opening for a show, and I’ve got tickets for us all.
Be there at 7, you won’t want to miss this.
A show? What kind of show would you attend for book club?
Emma: Maggie, what are you up to? The park’s website doesn’t mention any events tonight, and Max just laughed at me when I asked.
Hmm. That seemed suspicious.
Maggie: Trust me, chickie. A women’s group that some of my colleagues belong to have the mansion reserved for a show and they had extra tickets.
They opened it up to a few groups of women in town, and our group is one.
The mansion’s bar in the solarium will also be open for those of you not pregnant or nursing. Let’s go!
Ivy: I’m cackling over here because I know exactly what tonight’s show is. Who needs a ride?
Maggie: Don’t ruin the surprise, Ivy!
Ivy: I would never. I also talked to Maeve.
She had some tees made by one of the café’s customers who has some vinyl shirt setup.
She and Allyson will have them available for everyone in our club at the café if you can get up there to pick them up before four.
Otherwise, they’ll text to arrange pickup. Wear them tonight and spread the word.
Shirts? Shows? My normal anxiety about attending something for the first time was now being compounded by the unknown.
However, there was also a quiet voice that was celebrating that I was included in this crazy group of women and whatever the evening was going to hold for us. I tentatively waded in.
Me: Ivy, I could use a ride.
There. The idea of not turning up on my own was extremely appealing. Some of my nerves abated.
Ivy: Perfect. I’ll grab a shirt for you too and bring it when I come. 6:40 good for you? That will get us there by seven.
I sent her a thumbs-up and rolled out of bed. Time to get my day started.
That evening I was cocooned in the passenger seat of Ivy’s Jeep as we crawled over the speed bumps on the park road leading to the mansion.
Maeve and Allyson were in the back, and the car had been filled with chatter the entire fifteen-minute ride.
They had been a last-minute addition, and as a result, we were running about ten minutes behind.
Ivy assured me that we were fine to walk in late, that whatever this was, it wasn’t a problem to enter after it began.
I had a funny feeling I was the only one in the dark here—Maeve and Allyson both worked at the mansion, seeing as how the second location for their café was there, so they likely knew what we were headed to.
And Ivy had told Noah it would be “memorable.” Why they couldn’t share, I had no idea, but they told me it was going to be a lot of fun.
I had to trust them and pray this wasn’t some strange book club initiation.
I smoothed down the white shirt I’d been handed to wear that matched the other girls.
In red vinyl it read: Highland Falls Smutty Book Club: The spicier the better.
And there were three chili peppers below the text.
Sweet Jesus. It did look cute with my boyfriend jeans and red sneakers, and I had to admit the clear message that I belonged with this group of women was nice, if unfamiliar.
A thought popped into my mind just then. “Um, is my aunt Lou going to be here tonight?”
Ivy cackled. No exaggeration, the woman positively cackled. “Heck yes, she wouldn’t miss it. She might have been early even.”
Oh boy, that was telling. Something Lou would be excited about…
Minutes later we were parked and at the side door to the mansion while my mind conjured so many different scenarios. Even from out here, I could hear bass pumping. Was it a dance party? I wasn’t a great dancer but loved to do it. That could be fun.
Upon entering the space, Maeve immediately led us up to an unfamiliar gentleman who was standing just inside the door with a clipboard.
The man had muscles upon muscles, and the fitted clothes he wore left nothing to the imagination.
I mentally cataloged his look for any future inspiration I might need.
Mr. Muscles looked at our crew, noting our shirts. “You the last four for the book club?”
“Yep.” Maeve spoke up. “We’re in the party with Maggie Sullivan.”
He nodded, crossing something off on his list, his forearms bulging as he did. Whoa. “Your seats are in the front on the left as you walk in, and the rest of your crew is there waiting. Think you can find it? We still have a few remaining guests that I need to greet or I’d walk you in.”
“We’ve got it,” Ivy assured him.
“Behave yourselves,” he said with a wink as he gave us a wide grin.
“No promises,” Maeve said as she ushered us all up the hall toward the music.
“Is he from Highland Falls,” I murmured to Allyson. She shot me a small smile and shook her head, saying nothing more.
We reached the end of the hall and then turned to what was a large room that ran the length of the mansion.
I’d visited this space as a kid with my parents as well as with Lou and Verdell.
At a quick glance I could see windows to the lake on my right along with a bar in what I knew was the solarium, and in front of us were rows and rows of chairs filled with women all facing a stage at the far end of the room opposite where we were now standing.
The lights were low and pulsing different colors.
On stage were several men in different states of undress and…
Oh. My. God.
“Is that Aunt Lou?” I gasped.
Maeve let out a whoop. “It sure as hell is. Let’s go.”
How do I even put words to the scene in front of me? We were clearly walking into something that would have been perfect to film for the movie Magic Mike. The guys on stage were dancing in some choreographed routine. And center stage was my aunt Lou.
I looked over to my crew, which I was still standing with since I was frozen in shock.
Legs? Who knew how they worked really? Maeve and Ivy had their arms raised above their heads as they cheered loudly, encouraging Lou.
There were probably just under a hundred women in this room and, over on the right, was that Verdell?
My legs found the will to move to someone who represented safety as I hotfooted it over to the bar in the solarium.
Verdell was sitting at the polished wood counter, calmly drinking a cup of coffee and reading the paper on his iPad in the midst of this mayhem.
He seemed as at ease as if he were at home in his kitchen.
“Um, Verdell?” I asked, my eyes shooting from my uncle to my aunt.
She was in the same T-shirt as the rest of the book club and some capri-length linen pants.
A dancer was gyrating on her lap as she raised her hands to place them on his glistening chest to the roar of approval from the crowd.
I noted that Ivy and crew had made it to the front and Maeve appeared to be recording the scene for posterity on her phone.
“Hey there, Jules. I wondered if you were coming,” Verdell’s smooth voice pulled my attention back from the stage.
I gave him a horrified look. “Does Lou know you’re here?”
Verdell let out a deep chuckle. “Oh, sweetheart. Of course she does. I’m her driver.
Well, the driver for Lou and her crew.” He nodded to the front, and I saw the gray heads of Lou’s best friends, Jeanie and Hattie, in the front where they were waving dollar bills at the dancers and, I narrowed my gaze, yep, they were stuffing the bills in the front of the dancers’ pants.
Yeah, these women would absolutely need a driver. “So you don’t mind?” I asked, still horrified by what was playing out before my eyes.
Now the dancer had pulled Lou up and somehow gotten her legs wrapped around his waist as he danced with her, his pelvis doing some type of thrusts as he held on to her ass to keep her secure and her arm was waving in the air like she was on a bucking bronco.
I wondered what my mom would think of her big sister and then immediately dashed that thought.
What if she wanted to join her? There would not be enough alcohol in the world to erase those memories.
Verdell made a rumbling noise of amusement. “Mind? Not in the least.” His gaze was warm and followed his wife on the stage.
I looked at him in confusion, and he turned, took in my expression, and then covered my pale hand with his large brown one, immediately helping to relax me as I noted the size differential between the two of us.
Verdell played basketball when he was younger and had coached for years.
He would have been able to palm a ball easily.
My distraction from the mayhem around me was only fleeting.
“Jules, I’ve been married to Lou for fifty years.
We’ve been through times where a marriage between race was not accepted as easily as we are now.
We’ve overcome arguments that occur when you put two very independent souls together.
Our early years were volatile, but I knew one thing for certain then and still do today. ”
“What’s that?”
“That woman is it for me. She makes my life interesting and keeps me guessing. And while she’s having a hell of a good time right now up there, mostly she just loves being the center of attention.
Whatever else happens, know this. She’s coming home to me.
” He gave me a wink. “And I really like her spicy romance book club nights if you catch my drift. I have a feeling tonight’s club will be no different. ”
I wrinkled my nose. “Eww.”
He let out a deep laugh. “Not eww but worthy of celebration when you hit the age we are.”
I mean, if I could remove the idea that we were talking about my relatives who were in their early seventies, I could get behind his words. Heck, I sure hoped I was sexually active when I was their age, but I could do without the dance party on the stage.
Looking that way, I saw that Kristine from the yoga studio was now planking with her arms braced on a chair on the stage while another dancer had her legs wrapped around his waist as he slapped her ass to the encouragement of the audience.
Maggie and Maeve were joining Jeanie and Hattie in the front row, passing off more tips. Sweet Jesus. I had zero desire for audience participation.
I was wondering if I could tell Verdell that I was going to sit here with him over here, hiding, until it was time to leave when I saw Ivy heading my way with concern clearly etched on her face.
“Hey, Ivy, sorry I haven’t come over yet,” I said, trying to make sure I was heard over the crowd, but this side room really allowed a view at a much lower volume than the main area.
As Ivy glanced back at her phone, I wondered if Lorelai was struggling with her ear infection and Ivy needed to leave.
As much as I wanted to hang out with these women, I wouldn’t be opposed to going home and joining them another day.
“Jules, did Noah text you by any chance?” Ivy asked, her voice sounding strained.
“Why?” I asked, pulling my phone out of the depths of my purse.
As the screen lit up, I immediately saw text messages stacked there.
“He did,” I murmured, tapping to open them as I felt Ivy press herself into my side.
My heart raced, certain with everything in me that whatever was happening, it wasn’t good.
Noah: Jules, I’m so sorry, but I’m going to need to be out of town for a few days and wanted you to know I wasn’t ghosting you.
Noah: Not sure how much you want to know or where our friendship plus more puts us right now, but my parents have been in an accident, and it isn’t looking like they’ll live through the night.
Noah: You know from our conversation that this is going to be strained. I’ll call when I know more. But thanks for the past week and especially the past two days. You’ve been a bright spot, and I couldn’t leave town without you knowing that.
That message was sent a minute ago. I looked up to Ivy in horror. “Did you know about his parents?”
Ivy nodded miserably. “My parents know them and texted me, then Noah did so I’d know why he was going out of town.” She wiped a tear away as it spilled over her cheek. “They don’t deserve my sympathy, but he does.”
My heart hurt for the poor man, then I thought of something and looked back to Ivy in horror. “He can’t go up there on his own. He doesn’t have any siblings or other family who will be there.”
She nodded in agreement. “And that’s why I came over here. You should go with him.”
“But,” I protested. “He’s known you longer, or Jake…”
Ivy leaned in and met my gaze. “And you would provide the most comfort. I only had to be around you two for an hour to know that.”
I bit my lip and looked from her to Verdell, who had been reading my messages over my shoulder and listening in unabashedly. He had clearly absorbed some of his wife’s eavesdropping tendencies.
“This is the guy who bought your breakfast the other day?” he asked.
I nodded.
He gave a decisive nod and then said, “Go.”
I looked to Ivy, and she gave me a sad grin as she lifted her phone.
“Let’s go. I’ll tell Allyson and Maeve to catch another ride home on the way out and then we’ll get Jake to stall Noah until I get you there.
” She hustled back to our crowd, who were celebrating the dancers just steps away from my bubble with Verdell but seemingly in a whole other world.
I hesitated, then looked at Verdell with teary eyes. “How can I comfort him? I haven’t lost my parents, and Noah’s relationship with his isn’t positive.”
“All the more reason for him to be around someone who actually cares about him.” Verdell gave me a small push toward Ivy, who was coming back from our group. “Go.”
I took Ivy’s hand and ran from the room, energy and excitement at our back, sadness and uncertainty ahead.