Chapter Sixteen
The next day, for some unexpected reason, I felt lighter in my steps and definitely happier in my soul than I’d felt in a long time. For the first night in as many nights, I hadn’t dreamt of Derek. In fact, to my sweet relief, I didn’t dream at all.
A boost of confidence filled my soul as when I stretched my back, I also tested my elbow. Super stiff and also the ugliest shade of purple to taint the skin, I tested my luck and tried to lift it into the proper position for playing my flute.
Bending at the waist and rolling my shoulders in, I grunted to bring my left arm up just high enough to mimic where the flute would go. However, my right hand had to bend at an awkward angle, and my chin had to tuck inwards more which would affect the way I blew across the mouthpiece.
“Bitter beans!”
So much for my good mood.
Although I reminded myself, I still had five days to the concert. There was still time to get it into a position, or at least make a new position work. One day at a time.
I spent the day rearranging my bookshelves, sorting them by spine colour rather than by genre, and when those fifteen minutes had passed, I reread the last text message exchanges between my mom and me, and that of my brother. All of us had said some of the most unpleasant things, and we were all out to inflict the most pain. Reading it over, it was clear there were no winners in those arguments, but I wondered if they missed me like I was missing them?
I loved the solitude of Jasper and had selected this town because when Prince Harry and Meghan stayed here on their honeymoon, they were left alone. If two of the most well-known people could find privacy here, surely, I’d encounter the same. And so far, I had.
But that came with a price. I was lonely. Desperately lonely. I wanted friends who knew me, and until I could share that part of myself, I made do with enjoying my time with Jeremy, even if it was more than just making do. With him, I was relaxed and free to be the version of myself I yearned to be. There was no pressure to be the star. No one was hovering over me making sure I said the right thing, or that I did the right thing. I was just me; lonely ole me.
I prepped a small charcuterie board for Sage, looking forward to our girls’ moment. To hang out, do hair, and have fun.
She knocked on my door at ten minutes after four and wrapped me in a gentle hug, making sure to not squeeze me too hard.
“I’m so excited for this.” She practically clapped her hands.
“Me too. I made us some snacks.”
“Oh, you shouldn’t have. I can’t stay long as Elliot and I are meeting Harvey and Nina on a project. I told them I’d be a little late as I promised you I’d help with your hair.”
Inside my heart was squeezing, but I made sure to not let that affect my face. “No problem. Jeremy wants me ready for five anyway. Will that give you enough time to braid it?”
“A braid is easy.”
“Like Leia’s when she was on Hoth? From Star Wars?”
Sage stared and shook her head. “I don’t remember what that looks like. I’ve only seen that movie once.”
There was no need for me to explain how many movies there were, how many spin-offs had been created, and how many books in various series there were. Time wasn’t a luxury at the moment.
I found a picture on the web of the hairstyle I wanted, and then a video.
Twisting a chair around, I sat down and talked all things Star Wars while Sage followed the directions. Within twenty minutes, I had the perfect braided crown.
“It’s lovely,” I said, touching it. “Thank you.”
“My pleasure. My sister and I used to play hair all the time when we were younger. It was so much fun.”
“I wish I had a sister; an instant best friend.” The words fell out before I could stop them.
“It isn’t always easy and there are a lot of head-butting moments, but yeah, it’s nice to have an instant best friend.” She sat on one of the other chairs, smiling and crossing her long legs as she pointed toward my recently reorganized bookshelf. “Since you read a lot, you should join our book club. We meet once a month at our house and discuss whatever book was selected for the first twenty minutes. Then we have a second supper, copious glasses of wine, and we share lots of laughs. It’s a ton of fun.” She twirled the ends of her blonde hair around her finger. “You should think about it. Our next meetup is next Friday.”
“What if I haven’t read the book?”
“You come anyway. It’s a chance to get away from work, from demands, and just unwind. We’re pretty harmless. At least most of us are.”
“I like harmless.”
“Oh,” Sage hopped off the bed. “If you come, don’t let Cassie know you’re single. She’ll try to match you up with someone before the night is out.”
I laughed, as it sounded like a big sister thing to do. “I’ll keep that in mind.”
Clasping her hands in her lap, she asked, “What are you planning to wear tonight? A long dress?”
“I’ll show you.” I disappeared into the bathroom and wiggled out of my clothes, pulling on my white jeans, grunting into my long-sleeve, knitted white turtleneck (which was tighter than the last time I wore it), and struggling to pull on the beige vest. I opened the door. “Ta-da!”
“Oh, wow. You are a doppelganger for the princess.” She glanced from her phone to me and back to her phone. “What are you wearing for footwear?”
All I had in greyish colour were my knee-high suede boots, but they had a spiky heel, unlike Leia’s heelless boots. I slipped them on and zipped them close.
“Double wow!” She checked out the image on her phone. “One last thing.” She tugged on a few hairs around my ears, freeing them to tickle my cheeks. “Now it’s perfect.”
I went back to the bathroom to check. Sage had done a wonderful job, and I was a close ringer for my favourite Disney Princess, aside from the freckles and red hair and the arm in a sling.
Sage tidied up the hair-dressing area and tucked the chairs back in. “Thank you for inviting me.”
“Thank you for helping. I can’t tell you how much that means to me.”
Lovingly, she patted my arm. “Maybe I do know what it’s like to have someone unexpectedly offer a helping hand.” Her cheeks pinked up.
She must’ve been referring to Elliot, her knight in shining armour whom she was trapped overnight in the Coffee Loft with a few months back. They started the night as acquaintances and by the next day, they’d found something special in each other. It was a beautiful romantic story that I’d heard many times over from Elliot.
“Well, enjoy your night. Have fun and do all the things Star Wars.” A slight grimace crossed her face and she shrugged as she walked to the door. “Whatever that means.”
“We’ll blast some trivia and take home the prize.” That was the plan.
“See you soon.” Sage opened the door and gasped into a loud laugh. “Well, looks like someone’s bad boy smuggler has arrived.”
Standing in the doorway was Jeremy, dressed as a dead ringer for the space pirate but with a full, manicured beard. Decked out in dark blue jeans with a beige top and a black vest, Jeremy even had a belted blaster holder attached to his right leg.
He looked HOT! And super sexy. The V-neck on his top was unbuttoned, showing off a little chest hair and the blood in my veins thrummed in response.
I swallowed and continued to stare unblinking at Jeremy.
He stepped into my room. “You really look amazing, Your Highness.”
“And you? I don’t have the right words in my vocabulary to describe you. You’re…” I blanked on further thoughts. I’d always had a crush on the fictional hero, and seeing an accurate representation standing in my doorway was more than my head could handle.
He pushed his shoulders back and held his head high. “I’m his brother, Sans Solo.”
I laughed and touched his arm. “I love it.”
Like a perfect hero, he offered me his arm. “Shall we go and sweep the floor with MacMillan?”
“We shall.”
“Have a great night you two,” Sage said.
In the wake of seeing Jeremy in full costume, I’d forgotten she was there. “I’m so sorry, Sage. Yes, thank you. We’ll have fun.”
“Wait,” she said and pulled out her phone. “Can I get a picture of this? I’d love to show Elliot.”
I looked at Jeremy who nodded. “Of course. Maybe we should take it at the end over there?”
I pointed to the last room. Beyond that, there was a grove of coniferous trees which could make it look like we were on a forest moon.
Before we could pose, Jeremy pulled out a blaster from an inside pocket and handed it to me. “I was pretty sure you wouldn’t have one. If we can take off your sling, you could hold the blaster in your left hand for the picture. What do you think?”
I stared up into his eyes, desperate to brush away the wavy locks that fell effortlessly across his forehead. “I think that’s a great idea.”
“Let me help.” Slowly, he loosened the strap on the sling, giving it enough slack that I slid my arm out. “Your prop.”
“I’m impressed. How do you have this?” I held the gun in my left hand with as tight a grip as I could hold.
“Every year, there’s a Comic-Con type of convention in Edmonton and Calgary. I go to both in this costume.”
“You go to a cosplay event?” My voice pitched an octave. “That’s probably the coolest fact I know about you. I didn’t know you were a closeted nerd.” Without thinking, I reached up to his forehead and brushed away the hair, all the while never unlocking my connection with him.
Sage cleared her throat and we both turned. “Alright you two, on the count of three.” Counting backward, she then snapped the picture.
“Can you send those to me please?” I asked, returning to focus on Jeremy.
“Of course. They’re magical.” She pocketed her phone. “I’ll send them later tonight. I’m running late.”
“I’m so sorry. Go. And thanks again.”
She gave me a wave and hopped into her car.
Jeremy walked over to the side of the motel where he’d set the sling down so it wouldn’t be in the picture and brought it over. “Stand still.”
Expertly, and like he was handling the most delicate item in the world, he positioned the sling so I could slip my arm back in, and then, reaching around my back, he tightened it so it was the perfect support.
“All good?” He was inches from my face, close enough to smell a hint of mouthwash and body wash infused with Jeremy the man’s unique intoxicating scent
“Never better.”
A smile that could light up a darkened room greeted me, and a sparkle danced in his eyes, although I attributed that to the streetlamp.
“Ready to go, Princess Molly?”
“Always, Sans Solo.”