Chapter Seventeen
Seventeen
“You sure you know what you’re doing?” Nina’s voice was wobbly—she had the massage function of her pedicure chair turned up to turbo. I relaxed next to her, sighing in bliss as my feet soaked in hot churning water. It was another Monday off for the both of us, and our aching feet needed attention.
“What’s wrong with blue?” I held the nail polish bottle between my fingers, letting the light shine through it. “The yellow was nice, but I think it’s time for a change. Nobody can see my toes at Faire anyway.”
“That’s not what I’m talking about and you know it.” She tsked at me and leaned her head back against the cushy leather headrest, sighing as the massage chair went to work on her shoulders. “All this kissing-Alex crap.”
A smile tugged at my lips. I couldn’t help it. “Oh, I’m doing more than kissing.” Her scandalized gasp was everything I’d hoped it would be, and my smile spread to a full-on grin.
“Caitlin, you slut!” She looked downright gleeful. “It’s about damn time.”
I gusted out a sigh of my own as I turned up the massage function on my chair, my eyes closing in bliss. “It really is.”
Nina shifted in her chair as the nail tech started scrubbing down her heels. “Eeee, that always tickles. It’s about time you got some. I’ve seen the way he looks at you; I can’t say I’m completely surprised.” She squinted at me. “You’re still following the plan, right?”
“Don’t get attached?” I nodded firmly. “That’s still the plan.” I was impressed with how certain I sounded. Especially since I wasn’t certain at all. My remaining time with Alex could now be counted on both hands, and I didn’t like how fast those days were dwindling.
Nina nodded thoughtfully. “He’ll be back next summer, I assume. Maybe it could be a once-a-year situationship thing.”
“Oh, God,” I said, more than a little horrified. “I hope I’ll be gone by then.”
“Thanks a lot.”
“Oh, stop.” I tsked at her. “That’s a whole year away.
Can’t I hope that I’m not still unemployed and living with my mom?
” But even as I said the words I felt a twinge.
I didn’t want to think about living somewhere else next summer.
Somewhere that didn’t include the Willow Creek Renaissance Faire.
The season wasn’t even over yet, and I already missed it.
It hadn’t taken long for it to get back under my skin.
Nina took a sip of her sparkling water. “I’ll allow it.”
“Thanks a lot,” I echoed with a smirk. “Don’t worry about me.
I’m not going to get my heart broken.” My nail tech finished patting my feet dry and took up the bottle of nail polish.
I watched her shake the bottle hard before painting a bright stripe of royal blue up the center of my big toe.
Yes. This was a good change. In the pedicure chair next to me, Nina’s toes were decorated a bright cherry red.
“As long as you’re sure.” Nina still sounded doubtful about the status of my heart, and I got it. I was too, if I was being honest. All that was promised was today, I reminded myself, and that was all I was going to ask for.
And if part of my heart ached at the thought of everything with him ending at the end of this Faire season, it was a small part. A part that was easy to hush.
Nina narrowed her eyes. “You’re way too nonchalant,” she accused. “Who are you, and what have you done with my friend Caitlin?”
Pedicures done, we picked up our plastic cups and followed our nail techs to the manicure stations.
Our toes were brightly painted, but our fingernails wouldn’t be.
We still had one more weekend of Faire, and the fanciest we could go here were French tips.
Maybe a pale pink if we were feeling spicy.
“Maybe I’m trying to go with the flow.”
Nina pressed her lips together as she sent a hard look my way. “You’re not really a go-with-the-flow kind of person.”
It really sucked when you couldn’t fool your best friend.
—
I tried to live in the moment. I really did. But of course, that was when the future came roaring toward the present.
The house was quiet on Tuesday morning. Emily didn’t need me at the bookstore, Lulu and Dex had absconded back to their RV for the week, and Alex had promised to come by later.
For what felt like the first time in years, there was no Backyard Ren Faire going on.
No new limbs broken or bruised, no Queens showing up on the doorstep to tender their resignation.
Everything had finally fallen into place, and it was a perfect, lazy morning.
And then my phone dinged on the coffee table, and I stretched out a hand to grab it, too lazy to even sit up from my place on the sofa.
Interview Request: Assistant IT Manager Position—New York
I almost dropped my phone on my face. I stared, unblinking, at the subject line, for what felt like forever.
And then I exploded into motion, bolting off the sofa, waking poor Murray in the process.
He huffed at my back as I headed for my bedroom.
This was too important an email to read on my phone; I needed my laptop for this.
My knees bumped against my little scrollwork desk as I scanned the email.
I didn’t even remember applying for this job, but I’d applied for several over the past few weeks.
It looked great: solid benefits package, paid time off…
going forward was a no-brainer. They’d included a calendar link, and I chose the soonest available date: next Monday.
I confirmed the time and settled back in my chair, my heart pounding like I’d just run a mile.
Things were happening. New York things were happening.
This was exactly what I’d been hoping for, the kind of wish I’d put out into the universe when I’d started looking for work at the beginning of the Faire season.
If I played my cards right, I’d have that life of structure and security that I swore I wanted.
But it suddenly felt so boring, without the ren faire to look forward to in the summer.
No, I didn’t want that life full time, the way Stacey did, or even part time like Lulu.
But there was something about the life that Mitch had.
That Simon and Emily had. Real life, real jobs.
Work/life balance, security, retirement plans.
But one month out of the year, they got to put on costumes.
Put on different personas. Run around in the woods and shout huzzah!
I had to admit; there was something to that.
The doorbell rang, shattering all my thoughts. Alex. My eyes fell on the confirmation email for my interview. Next Monday. Faire would be over. Alex and I would be over. Yes, my future was starting to take shape, but that future didn’t involve Alex.
I closed my laptop. That email may be my future, but the present was waiting at my front door, and it deserved all my attention.
When I opened the front door, Alex was there.
Not tight pants, cocky grin, ren faire costume Alex.
Not even crop top and cutoffs, ridiculously limber, sweaty rehearsal Alex.
Instead, he was everyday, normal person Alex.
Khaki shorts and sneakers, white T-shirt that was sadly long enough to be tucked in, sunglasses perched on top of his head.
Cocky grin replaced by a warm, almost hesitant smile.
A paper bag in one hand, two yellow roses in the other.
He handed me the roses. “I forgot to text to ask what you were wearing, so I figured I’d just match the toenail polish. Hopefully you hadn’t changed it since Thursday.” He glanced down at my bare feet, and the smile slipped from his face. “Dammit.”
Whoops. “That’s on me,” I said. “I should have let you know.” I bumped the flowers against my nose, relishing their scent. I’d been surrounded by roses lately. I wasn’t complaining.
“You’re not busy, are you?” He leaned against the closed front door, the picture of casualness. He smiled in response to my headshake. “Come on.” He nodded out toward the driveway. “Me and my van, we’re here to kidnap you.” He hoisted the bag still in his hand. “I brought lunch.”
Now I recognized the bag; it was from Emily’s favorite deli downtown. The one we got sandwiches from all the time when we were working together. He’d done his homework.
“Luring me with food?” But I was already sliding my feet into my sandals by the door and grabbing my purse and my keys.
“Luring you with whatever works.” He held out a hand as though I needed help down my own front steps. Nothing wrong with a little twenty-first-century chivalry.
He fired up the van as I got settled in the passenger seat, bag from the deli on my lap. “Where are we going?” I asked.
Alex shrugged. “I’ve never really explored this area.
” He looked over his shoulder as he reversed out of the driveway, his arm stretched over the back of my seat.
“There are some wineries around here somewhere, right? I thought maybe we’d take a drive out that way.
” His glance at me was diffident as we left the neighborhood. “Unless you have a better idea…?”
“Sounds perfect to me.” I wasn’t a winery girl, but the back roads out that way went through lush, green countryside, and a leisurely drive sounded like heaven.
The sun and the scenery, not to mention the classic rock station playing on satellite radio, lulled me into relaxation.
This was exactly what my soul needed, and I hadn’t even known it.
While he drove, I peeked inside the bag and gasped.
“Is this an Italian sub?”
Alex nodded, shooting me a smile as we came to a four-way stop. “Extra pepperoncini, right? Emily said that’s how you liked them.”
“I…” It was silly to get teary-eyed, right? It was just a sandwich. But he’d asked. He’d made sure he got me the right thing, the way I liked it. Just like the roses, it showed that I was on his mind. He was right—much more romantic than a text message. “Yeah,” I said. “That’s how I like them.”