Chapter 18
CHAPTER 18
LOUISE
I shifted uncomfortably as I peered through my oversized sunglasses, sitting with two iced coffees all alone outside of the bakery I loved.
The brown paper bag fluttered in the light Newport breeze, the contents a peace offering of sorts.
A shiver shook me, the seaside breeze cooler than it had been in Savannah. Although, it was more the recollection of what had happened there, how my mama had tried to ruin my life that made me tremble.
I chewed my lower lip, staring at the empty seat across from me. Worse than that, what had happened with Eve haunted me.
We’d had a good conversation in the hospital, but I couldn’t shake the feeling I’d ruined things with Eve. She may have come to my rescue, but I worried.
I didn’t have many friends–okay, I didn’t have any friends. They all thought I was as crazy as my mother claimed.
Memories of past friendships dissolved by misunderstandings haunted me. One had walked away when I’d planned an overly extravagant birthday surprise that overwhelmed her. Another had left when I’d broken down in tears about my mama’s treatment of me.
Each memory pinched my heart, reminding me of the thin ice on which my friendships always skated.
The empty chair across from me mocked me, taunting me with the idea that I had just lost another.
Eve had been quiet after our return, stating she needed to catch up on work, but I’d sensed something holding her back.
I’d invited her for a painting class today, lunch, some shopping, and then a quiet dinner at home. She told me she’d meet me at the bakery when I’d suggested picking her up at her apartment.
The words chilled me. Plenty of people had blown me off this way before. I knew what was coming. I was losing my best friend.
I pressed my lips together as tears welled in my eyes. A glance at my watch showed me that it was two minutes after our meeting time.
Eve was always prompt. Her being late was a sure sign she wasn’t coming. My gut tensed as my heart sank.
I waited another few minutes before I forced myself to face the facts. Eve was ditching me.
As I rose, I wondered if I’d also ruined things between her and Spencer. I hoped not, but I probably had.
With a sigh, I wrapped my hands around the condensation-clad cups and grabbed the bag with my pinky. I crossed to the trash can, my hand hovering over it, ready to release Eve’s drink.
Before I let go, a voice called to me. My heart lifted as I recognized Eve’s call. “Louise! Louise!”
I snapped my gaze in the direction of her face, a grin spreading across mine as I spotted her hurrying toward me.
She shook her head, puffing for breath, her eyes rolling behind those heart-shaped sunglasses I’d insisted she buy. “I’m so sorry. My sister…I couldn’t get away. Sorry, I’m late.”
I thrust her coffee toward her. “I’m just glad you made it. I bought pastries, but we’ll have to eat them on the run.”
“No problem, I can do that. I’m sorry.”
I didn’t care that she was late, only that she’d come, after all. “Ready to head to the studio?”
“Yes. I guess,” she said hesitantly as we strolled to my car. “I’m not sure how great I’m going to be at painting, but I’m willing to give it a go.”
“I’m sure you’ll do great. Besides, it’s just a little fun for two gals to share before some lunch and shopping.”
“And dinner,” she reminded me with a grin.
“Yes,” I exclaimed. “I’m glad you could clear your schedule. I really needed the day with my bestie.”
We climbed into the car, and I dug into the bag for my chocolate eclair before I fired the engine.
“I think I’ll save mine. I don’t want to drop any crumbs or worse in your car.”
“Oh, darlin’,” I said as I bit into mine and whipped out of the parking space. “I’ll just buy a new one.”
“Oh, I–”
“Just eat it, Eve,” I instructed.
Holding it carefully over the bag, Eve took a bite. I admired how sweet she was to take care of my car, but by the end of the summer, I’d probably have grown weary of the color.
We polished off the pastries as we arrived at the seaside studio, and I parked out front. Linked arm in arm, I dragged her up the stairs to the artist’s studio.
The French man invited us inside, his eyes lingering on Eve long enough that I thought Spencer may get jealous if he knew. “Today, we paint ze sea,” he said, his accent thick, as he led us to two easels he’d set up near a large window.
“Wow, you have a great view,” Eve said with a wide grin.
“Yes,” he said, still admiring her. “Right now, I do.”
Her features pinched a little and pink colored her cheeks.
“Now, you will follow me with ze painting. Take your brushes.”
“He’s too much,” I whispered to Eve as we followed his lead, swiping some blue across the canvas. “I think he likes you.”
“Don’t be ridiculous,” she said, shooting me a sideways glance.
“I’m serious. He was flirting with you. He thinks you’re c’est magnifique,” I said with a lift of my shoulder a grin.
“Right,” she said with a roll of her eyes.
“Would you date him? Oh, he could paint you nude.”
“I don’t think so,” she said, her features reddening. “No one is painting me in the nude.”
“Ladies?” Jacques called over his shoulder. “Is there some question?”
“No. We’re just gabbing while we paint.”
“Ze painting should be quiet.”
“Sorry,” I called. “I like to talk.”
“Talk later, paint now.”
I shot Eve an amused wince.
“Eve,” I whispered after a few moments.
She whisked a streak of red across her sky before she looked at me.
“You can’t date him. He’s mean.”
Her features twisted with amusement as she stifled a laugh.
“Eve,” I hissed again after he turned on music for the experience. “Spencer would be jealous, too.”
“I’m not dating the painter,” she answered.
I nodded. “Good.”
We spent another thirty minutes whispering as we completed our painting of the sea. When Jacques wandered back to assess our work. My stomach rumbled, and by that point, I wasn’t interested in his opinion.
My canvas was a riot of colors, where blue waves crashed into a misshapen shoreline under a sky streaked with too-bold reds and oranges—my attempt at a sunset that looked more like a firestorm.
Eve's, however, captured the gentle lapping of the waves, the gradient sky fading into a soft twilight, each stroke careful and deliberate, reflecting her thoughtful nature.
He stared at it, his finger tapping his chin before he cocked his head. “It is very, uh, abstract.”
My features crinkled at the words, and Eve spun away. The way her hand was pressed over her mouth made me think she was holding back a giggle.
“Now, to yours,” Jacques said as he shuffled to Eve’s.
She cleared her throat, clasping her hands behind her back as she awaited his words.
“Yes, yes, it is…enchante. Beautiful. Like its creator.”
Redness rose in her cheeks as she offered him a demure smile. “Thank you.”
“You have some promise.”
“Oh, thanks,” she said with another shy grin.
“I should give you private lessons, yes? We shall meet Friday evening and I will…guide your hand.”
“Oh, no,” Eve said with a solid shake of her head as I shot her an amused glance from behind him. “No, that’s not…I don’t want a private lesson, but thank you.”
“No?” he pushed. “No charge. Because of your…talent.”
“I can’t,” she said as she lifted her canvas from the easel. “But thank you.”
I grabbed mine, too, thanked the artist as I held back a giggle. We hurried from the studio, setting our paintings in the back of the car before we slid inside.
It didn’t take long for us to burst into laughter.
“Oh, darlin’,” I said with a slap of my steering wheel, “he liked you.”
“Oh, please. He was a wolf.”
“He was,” I said with a nod. “He definitely was. Oh, that private lesson was nothing more than a come on. He wanted to use a different brush.”
“Stop,” she said with a shake of her head as she chuckled. “Goodness, the things you get me into, Lou.”
My smile faltered at the words, my heart pinching a little.
We spent our lunch talking about how I felt physically after what happened in Savannah. I avoided talking about the kiss that had rocked our worlds, instead, focusing on tales of my mother’s previous injustices.
With the afternoon filled with shopping, our conversation focused mainly on dresses, purses, accessories, and jewelry.
I noticed Eve didn’t wear very much. When I asked her about it, she said she wasn’t very good at selecting pieces. We browsed a few items in the jewelry store. I hoped to get an idea of what she liked so I could help Spencer pick out her engagement ring when the time came.
Yes, I had high, high hopes for them.
She seemed to enjoy unique pieces, deeply colored gems, and non-flashy pieces.
I chewed my lower lip as I held up a sapphire necklace to her. “What do you think?”
She glanced at it before she spotted the price tag. “I think no.”
“Oh, darlin’, don’t look at that. Look at the colors, and how it sparkles around your neck.”
“It’s very pretty. It would be nice for you.”
“I don’t do well in sapphires. Rubies are better for me, given my fiery red hair.” My mind spun with an idea. “Would you mind waiting for me outside if you’re done browsing? I wanted to ask about their loose rubies and discuss a setting.”
“Oh, I don’t mind at all,” she said.
I felt terrible chasing her away, but I needed to conduct a little business. She shuffled out the door, sliding on those heart-shaped sunglasses that looked so cute on her and sat down on the nearby bench.
I eyed her through the window as she slid a lock of hair behind her ear and stared up at the few clouds floating by in the sky. She was such a sweet woman.
“You said you wanted to see rubies?” The clerk shuffled closer to me with a grin on her face.
“Actually, I had something else in mind. I wanted something unique. Something for friends. Something matching that says you’re my bestie and I love you. Maybe a bracelet or something unobtrusive?”
After looking over several options, I settled on matching charm bracelets, thrilled by the idea that we could add on charms as we experienced new things together. I had a ruby added to mine, a sapphire to hers, and started them both with a heart charm engraved with Besties , and a second charm with a coffee cup, symbolizing where we met.
With my purchases in hand, I left the store behind.
“Did you find something you liked?”
“I did,” I answered with a grin. “Ready for dinner?”
She nodded. “Starving, actually.”
“All that shopping worked up an appetite, did it?” I asked as we made our way back to my car.
“It must have.”
We dumped our packages into the trunk, and I headed for Spencer’s. I’d forced him out of the house, so I could have a private dinner with Eve. We needed it after what happened in Savannah.
Eve helped me collect my packages from the trunk, but I was certain to keep hold of the jeweler’s bag myself.
“Just dump them here at the door, sugar,” I said as we entered.
“Oh, I could carry them upstairs. I don’t want Spencer to trip on them. Or is he already home?”
I offered her a coy grin. “Is that your sly way of asking if you’ll get a glimpse of your hunny tonight?”
She glanced at the floor, seeming embarrassed. “No.”
“Eve, it’s okay if you like him, you know.” Discomfort washed over me, wondering if she still harbored some resentment over what she’d seen in Savannah. It twisted me into knots, but I shoved it aside and led her to the pool where I’d had our dinner set up.
I raised my wine glass as we settled into our seats and toasted us. “To a lovely girls’ outing.”
Eve raised her glass to clink mine before we both took a sip. We dove into our dinner, giggling again over the painting experience from earlier.
“Gosh, I think if I wasn’t there, things could have gotten out of hand, sugar,” I said with a grin.
“I don’t think so. He was far too aggressive. I would have fled.”
I eyed her. “Are you…afraid of love, Eve?”
She poked at the green leafy lettuce on her plate. “No. Just unlucky in it.”
I stared at her until she lifted her gaze to me. “What about with Spencer?”
She opened her mouth to respond, her words slow as though she couldn’t find them.
The way her features pinched a little told me it was complicated for some reason. But what was that reason?
She licked her lips and shrugged. “Too soon to tell.”
“But…is there promise there?”
She swallowed hard, reaching for her wine glass. “Uh, yeah. Of course.”
I grinned at her, relieved to hear that, though something plagued me at the back of my mind. There was something wrong here, and I didn’t know what.
We finished our meal and settled on the couch with another glass of wine. I pulled the jeweler’s bag closer as we settled in. “Eve, I have a gift for you. I hope you’ll accept it.”
I pulled the jewelry boxes from inside the bag and set them between us. “Open ‘em!”
Her features crinkled as she set her wine glass aside and opened both boxes. Her expression melted as she pulled the bracelets from the velvet background. “Are these friendship bracelets?”
I bobbed my head, setting my wine aside, too. “Uh-huh. I got a sapphire for you. A ruby for me, but we both have the Besties charm and coffee cup to symbolize where we met.”
“Lou, that’s so sweet,” she answered.
Emotions bubbled up inside me—the fear I’d experienced this morning when I thought she wasn’t coming, the fight we’d had in Savannah and the gut-wrenching feeling I’d had after it.
Tears welled in my eyes. “Eve…”
“Louise?” Her features pinched as she reached for my hand. “What is it? What’s wrong?”
“I just…I know I’m needy, and demanding, and so many other things. But I just…I needed you to know what you meant to me. I…I’ve never had a friend like you, and I’m terrified that I’m going to lose you.”
“No,” she said with a shake of her head. “No, you won’t.”
“I almost did. That kiss with Spencer–”
“Was a huge misunderstanding,” she answered. “And most of what happened was my fault. I wouldn’t listen to you.”
I shook my head as a tear fell to my cheek. “No, because… because I’m…I’m too much. I’m overbearing and hard to take and–”
“Lou,” she interrupted, taking both my hands in hers, “you are none of those things.”
“But I am. I made you buy those dresses, and those sunglasses, and date Spencer, and then I dragged you to Savannah, and then today. And I…I…” My breath caught in my throat as I nearly went into a panic, unable to catch my breath.
“Louise,” she said, her voice soft, “Louise…you’re getting all worked up over nothing. You didn’t make me do anything. I love those sunglasses, and I never would have bought them without your encouragement. I’ve never really shopped much for myself. I don’t even know how to do it, but with your help, I may look a little more than functional.
“And you’re not any of the things you said. You’re generous and you’re so…brave and outgoing. And I’m none of those things. So, you can help me to be brave, and I can help you…well, I probably can’t so it looks like I should be the one apologizing.”
“Not at all, darlin’,” I said, my features pinching. “You’re just the best little friend a girl could have. You’re just so sweet and kind. You put up with all of me. And you help me feel better. You ground me.”
“Well, there you have it, then.” Eve raised our bracelets in the air. “We help each other because we’re different. That’s why we’re so perfect as best friends.”
“Do you mean that?”
“I do,” she said with a nod. “We’ll be friends for a very long time. I promise to always listen and never to walk away from you again. Deal?”
I lifted my pinky finger in the air. “Pinky swear?”
She locked her little finger around mine, and we both grinned. “Pinky swear.”
With a squeal, I threw my arms around her and squeezed her tight. “I was so afraid you were leaving me after what happened.”
“No,” she said with a shake of her head. “Now, can you help me put my bracelet on?”
I clasped it around her wrist before she fastened mine. My heart soared as I suggested we take a picture together with them. I snapped one of our clasped hands sporting the bracelets, both of us all smiles, and made it my new background on my phone.
I settled back in the cushions with my wine glass and my best friend to enjoy the rest of the evening. Before we could strike up a conversation, though, the front door slammed shut, startling me.
I twisted to find Spencer shuffling into the room. “Spencer!”
“I’m sorry, Lou. I’m sorry to interrupt, but…I think we have a big problem.”
The look on his face sent a shiver down my spine. What sort of problems did we have to face now?