22. Chapter 22
Chapter 22
Luke
A t my parents’ house on Christmas Eve, everything is all go. The atmosphere bristles with festive energy driven, of course, by Mom. Typically, she has made more food than a small country eats in an entire year. I asked if she needed some help, but she shooed me away with a tea towel and said that I’d only get in her way. So, I leave her to it. Christmas songs are playing at full volume in the kitchen and Mom sings along to all her favorites. I retreat to the living room where comforting smells of home baking follow me down the hall. I relax into an easy chair and call Ray at the ranch to check in and wish him a merry Christmas.
“I took a group of four up the lookout and they loved it,” Ray says with a smile in his voice. “They’ve posted their review on Tripadvisor. Have a look. It’s very positive and they’ve given us five stars.”
“That’s great, Ray. The more five-star reviews we get the better.”
I’m soon joined in the living room by Maisy who flops down on the couch then kicks her feet up on the backrest. Her phone shines a dim bluish light on her face as she starts scrolling.
Ray fills me in with other Green Acres news. Treasure is doing well, he says. The vet came for a routine check. Everything is normal. Nothing to report. Ray says that things are pretty quiet over Christmas and New Year, and nothing needs my attention before I get back from Dubai.
“Alright, I’ll best get going, Luke. There’s a Christmas carol service at the church. It’s not so much about singing carols, but the shared refreshments afterward. Some people get just a teensy bit competitive with their Christmas cookie decorations. There’ll be drama, no doubt. It’s always fun.”
“Merry Christmas, Ray. Thanks for holding the proverbial reins till I get back.”
“No worries. And happy holidays, boss, to you and your family.”
Maisy yells from across the room, “Merry Christmas, Ray.”
Ray laughs, “Merry Christmas Maisy. I hope you’ve been good, so Santa brings you something nice.” I hang up the call and listen to Mom, down the hall, singing ‘Santa Baby’.
I turn my attention to Maisy who is still on her phone, scrolling. “Tell me about your presentation. How did it go? Did you smash it?”
“Oh, yes, I did. Everything went super well. I rehearsed a lot and didn’t forget anything. And my course leaders on the panel said they were impressed with my creativity and solutions to real-life problems. The only downside was that I didn’t do the swot analysis that well.”
“Swat analysis? What is that?”
“Strengths. Weaknesses. Opportunities. Threats. It’s a way to assess what needs doing in an organization.” Maisy lifts her eyes from the phone screen, briefly. “It was supposed to be more detailed than I made it. But I wasn’t marked down that much. I was still placed in the top five percent of my year, so…”
“That’s fantastic! Well done, you.”
“Thanks.” Maisy glances down at her phone again.
“So, what now? What are your plans for next year?”
“Wow.” She leans her head back against the cushion. “You know what? I’m going to take things easy, then see what kind of jobs I can get. I may do an internship in digital marketing. That will fast-track me to better pay and more interesting work. In film or music. I don’t know. Something fun and creative.”
“I’d say from what I’ve seen, you choose what you want, and you’ll pretty much make it happen, Maisy. You’re that sort of person.”
Maisy smiles at me. “Thanks, Uncle Luke. That means a lot.”
“If you want, you could help out at Green Acres while I’m away in Dubai.”
“Paid?”
“Yes, paid.” I laugh. “Have a think about it. The horses still need exercising, and you could run the online stuff. That would be a huge help.”
“Gosh, Luke.” Maisy sits up straight and looks directly at me. “You really trust me?”
“Yes. Why are you so surprised. You did an amazing job with Green Acres's online presence. You know the business side of things, and you know horses. But most of all, you’re family. So yes, I trust you. Do you think I’m wrong?”
Maisy collapses sideways with laughter. “No. You’re not wrong. And I will take you up on your offer, if the terms and conditions are beneficial.”
“Terms and conditions?”
“Well, yes. We’re family but we also need to be business-like. If I’m working for you, then I’ll need a job description.”
“Are you messing with me?”
“Yes. Haha.” Maisy swings her legs back up onto the couch and giggles. “I love it at Green Acres. I’m happy doing whatever. Just leave me a list.” We’re quiet for a moment then she says, “So how are things going with the pretty lady from the hotel?”
I think carefully about what Maisy is asking. I’m not about to give away any secrets. “What pretty lady from the hotel?”
“The one who came to the ranch when I was there.” Maisy looks at her phone again. “She was asking about apples or something.”
“Oh, yes. Actually, she came along to the Open Day with some friends.” I try and steer the conversation back to safe ground. “It was a good day.”
“Did you get her number?”
“No. Why?” My niece is relentless.
“Luke. You are so annoying.” Maisy stares at me then dramatically rolls her eyes to the ceiling.
“Sorry, Maisy. You’ve lost me.”
“Alright. Let’s put it another way. Are you dating anyone at the moment?”
“No. I’m here having Christmas with my loving family,” I say through gritted teeth. “Don’t you ever quit?”
“Can I ask you a question?”
“Sure. But you may not get an answer.”
“Alright. Here goes. Are you still hung up on Courtney?”
“Maisy. We broke up ages ago. She’s history.”
“Ah, yeah. That’s what I thought. But…” Maisy is distracted by her screen again. “Oh, never mind.”
“Never mind what?” I concentrate on not reacting to Maisy’s ‘fishing’ game: hook ‘em and reel ‘em in. I refuse to be hooked.
She takes a deep breath then says, “Okay. This may not be news, but I saw Courtney at the mall, and she says that she’s looking forward to seeing you and…” Maisy pauses for a second. “Luke.”
“Yes, Maisy.”
“You’re not thinking about getting back together with Courtney, are you?”
“It baffles me, Maisy, that you think I want to share my relationship details with you. Or anyone for that matter.”
“It might help to talk, you know. Clarify what’s going on.”
“Don’t worry. I’m clear. But thanks for wanting to be my therapist. I don’t need one. Just yet.”
As I say this, Maisy’s phone beeps. Her eyes widen and dart to the screen. Then she turns back to me. Her nose twists to one side in thought. “Excuse me, one moment,” she says swinging her legs down to the floor. She stands up and leaves the room.
“It’s so nice to see you, Luke,” Courtney says close to my shoulder as we stand at the bar we used to come to when we were together. It hasn’t changed much, if at all. But it feels strangely unfamiliar. I look around at the pretend rodeo-style interior and wonder why we ever came here. Visiting now after months away, I see how fake and shoddy it all is. The walls look like they’re made of solid timber, but the beams are just tacked on and the antique-looking light fittings are missing some bulbs. Loops of sad dusty tinsel are the only giveaway that it’s holiday season. I’m almost one hundred percent sure that they never come down in between Christmases. Apart from Courtney and me, there are only three other people in the place.
The barman nods to me in recognition. He’s wearing a Santa hat. “What’ll it be folks?”
“You know what I like, Luke.” Courtney tilts her head and bats her eyelashes at me. “Don’t tell me you’ve forgotten.”
I turn to the barman and place my order. “One Paloma and a Modelo, thanks.”
“I’ll bring them over, if you want to find a table, sir, ma’am.”
Courtney leads me to the corner table. “This used to be our table. Do you remember, Luke?”
I nod and sit down, but not too close to Courtney. We wait for our drinks which the barman brings on a tray with a plate of dry roasted peanuts, a stack of red serviettes with cartoon snowmen dancing around the edges in cowboy boots, and a mobile card payment terminal. I tap my bank card on the machine which spits out a receipt. The barman rips it off and hands it to me with my card. Then he takes the tray back to the bar.
Courtney raises her cocktail glass and waits for me to raise my beer bottle to clink a toast. We each take a sip, then Courtney says, “So, how have you been?”
I lean back in my chair. “I’ve been fine. In fact, I’ve been more than fine, Courtney. Moving to Oak River was the best decision of my life.”
“Oh?”
“Yes. I love the ranch. The horses. And the people are pretty cool too.” I drink some beer. “And what about you? How’s L.A. working out for you? Do you love it?”
Courtney sighs and shakes her head slowly from side to side. “No. Not really.” She looks down at the table where a ring of condensation is forming at the base of her glass.
“Oh dear. I’m sad to hear that.”
“Are you?” She shoots a narrow-eyed glare at me. “I thought you would be happy to know that I’m miserable.”
“Why? Why on earth would I be happy to know that you are miserable, Courtney? What kind of person do you think I am?”
“Look, Luke. I’m sorry for running out on you. You didn’t deserve that. You are so much more than I gave you credit for.” Courtney gulps her drink halfway down the glass. “I. Am. Sor-ry.”
“Gosh, Courtney. I don’t know what to say.”
“Say that you want me back, Luke.” Courtney gabbles at full speed. “Say that you still love me. Say that we are worth another chance because I believe that we’re perfect together.”
“Whoa. Stop right there.” Courtney is breathing heavily. I can see that she is close to tears. I hand her one of the dancing snowman serviettes. “It’s like this, Courtney.” I choose my words carefully. “I was hurt when you left. No doubt about that. It was a lesson in heartbreak alright.” I pause to sip some beer. “And I appreciate our time together. But I have moved on. In so many ways. And if you’re honest with yourself, you’ll see that you have too.” I smile kindly at my ex-girlfriend.
I don’t wish any bad feelings between us. When she called me to say she wanted to see me, I didn’t know how I was going to react when we met up. But now we’re sitting here together, in the place that we used to love, I feel absolutely nothing for the woman sitting beside me. It’s as if we are strangers in an airport departure lounge.
Courtney dabs her eyes with a corner of the snowman serviette, careful not to smudge her heavy eye makeup. “Well, that’s not what I expected at all,” she snaps. Then she coughs to clear her throat and knocks back the remains of her cocktail. “Wow. Oh, boy.” She blows out hard.
“You’ll be okay, Courtney.” I stand up to leave.
“Wait, Luke.” Courtney looks up at me. “I need to borrow some money. And I was wondering if you could help me out.” She presses her lips together and waits for my response. I sit down again.
“Are you in trouble?”
“No. Nothing that bad. I just need a couple of hundred to get by until my check clears.”
I open my wallet and pull out the notes tucked inside. “Here you are, Courtney. Merry Christmas. Give my regards to your folks. I hope you get what you want.”
“I’ll pay you back, Luke. This is just a loan, right?”
“It’s a gift. No need for payback.” I stand to leave for a second time, and I make it to the door without turning around to see if Courtney is watching. The bartender nods as I exit.