Chapter Twenty-Nine Lee
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Lee
‘Did you say “wow it’s beautiful”, while looking at the view, and then he said “yes it is” but when you turned around he was actually looking at you?’ Tara asks, her eyes wide.
‘What? No.’
My best friend groans. ‘Such a wasted opportunity.’
‘I have to agree.’ Kat leans across the table to grab a nacho. ‘It feels like the scene really called for it.’
‘Again,’ I sip at the pink, frothy drink that Mei returned from the bar with a couple of minutes ago, ‘I’d love it if you stopped trying to turn my life into a romance novel.’
‘Babe,’ Tara sounds exasperated. ‘We’re not trying, this is happening.’
‘If it was actually happening then wouldn’t Nico have made some sort of move by now?’ I blurt out.
The three women look at me with sympathy.
When Tara texted me this morning saying that we needed to have my long-promised girls’ night at Darlene’s, I’d been relieved.
My situation with Nico is so complicated, and for the first time, I have friends who I can actually talk to about this stuff.
At first I was worried about Kat and Mei’s obvious loyalty to Nico, but Mei had held my hand and looked me dead in the eye.
‘This,’ she said, gesturing around the bar, ‘is a safe space. Tonight is girls’ night. The four of us are entering into a sacred covenant. You can tell us anything and we will be completely on your side. Anything at all. Please. We’re actually dying for all the juicy details.’
‘Dying,’ Kat chimed in.
So I gave in and spilled the whole story.
We’re sitting at one of the high tables next to the juke box, and tonight is a highlight in Roseport’s social calendar – the monthly ‘Dollyoke’ night, when Darlene and her patrons get up to perform stirring renditions from Dolly’s extensive catalogue.
In honour of this special occasion, Kat took me to Target (which I loved) and the four of us are decked out in denim and matching pink cowboy hats.
I even found a pair of shiny gold cowboy boots that Kat insisted I must have.
They are definitely made of plastic and they pinch my toes, but I love them.
When I looked in the mirror before I left I barely recognised myself, but what I couldn’t miss was my wide smile, the excitement in my eyes.
‘So what about the last few days?’ Mei asks now. ‘After the whole sunrise hike?’
I shrug. ‘Nothing. Every morning Nico’s been gone before I wake up.
’ This is presumably so that we don’t have a repeat of Sunday, but as I’ve withheld the details on that particular incident, I keep that part to myself.
‘Sometimes I get a text saying that Charles is in a specific place and the two of us will rush over so that we “happen” to bump into him.’
‘Oh yeah, I heard about the run-in at the grocery store,’ Kat says, and I’m fairly sure she’s trying not to laugh.
‘It wouldn’t have been so bad if Rita and her pals hadn’t put together that little decoy shopping basket and shoved it into my arms just as he arrived.’ I take another deep slug of my drink, wincing at the memory.
‘Wait, why would they do that?’ Tara asks, understandably puzzled.
Kat leans forward, unable to hide her smirk. ‘I think the idea was to have Charles see what was in there, right?’
‘Oh god,’ Mei whispers. ‘What was in there?’
‘I don’t want to talk about it.’ I drop my head to rest on the tabletop.
‘You have to tell us now!’ Tara shakes my arm until I sit back up.
‘A giant box of extra-large condoms, a bag of kale, a copy of the Financial Times and an energy drink,’ I list, ticking each one off on my fingers and remembering the wild look in Nico’s eyes as we’d watched the items sail along the conveyor belt in front of Charles’s startled face.
All three of them burst out laughing.
‘It certainly tells a story,’ Mei grins.
I groan again, and Tara pulls me in for a reassuring sideways hug.
‘But aside from the town’s schemes, we haven’t been alone together for days,’ I carry on mournfully. ‘If Phoebe isn’t there, then his mum is around, or Magda, or Charles. I can’t tell if he’s avoiding me or not.’
‘It sounds to me,’ Tara says, ‘like Nico might be waiting for you to make a move.’
‘What do you mean?’ I ask, exasperated. ‘I kissed him! I kissed him right on the mouth! Twice!’
‘Okayyy.’ Mei tilts her head. ‘But have you considered that men are…’ she casts around for the right words. ‘Useless?’ she settles on finally. ‘Devoid of emotional intelligence? Uneducated in the language of subtlety?’
‘I think what Mei is trying to say is that Nico might have thought the whole kissing thing really was just part of the act,’ Kat says more diplomatically.
‘How much more obvious can I be!’ I exclaim. ‘It’s humiliating at this point.’
‘Again,’ Mei gestures widely with her drink in her hand, ‘Men. Simple. Have you actually said, “Nico, I want to get in your pants?” ’
‘Not out loud,’ I say, horrified by the very idea. ‘But there have been signs. Clear signs. He must not be interested.’
All three of them start laughing again.
‘Girl,’ Kat shakes her head, ‘Nico is so into you that he might as well be walking around wearing a T-shirt with your face on it.’
I try to suppress the flutter of excitement I feel. ‘But he’s supposed to be acting like that, remember? He’s supposed to be my husband.’
‘The Roseport Players made him audition for Shakespeare in the Park this past summer,’ Mei grimaces. ‘Trust me, the man isn’t that good an actor.’
‘Did they really?’ I ask, temporarily diverted.
‘Mei has a video on her phone,’ Kat grins evilly. ‘It’s painful to watch. Let’s just say Nico doesn’t have the skill to pull off the role of “Lee’s husband” the way he has been.’
‘Luke thinks he’s a mess over you,’ Tara puts in, slurping her cocktail – which is apparently called a pink squirrel – through her straw.
‘Nico mentioned something to Luke?’
‘Definitely,’ Tara nods. ‘I haven’t been able to get the whole story… apparently the men have their own sacred covenant, but from what he’s let slip it’s obvious Nico’s all tied in knots. I think if you want anything to happen then you’re going to have to take charge of the situation.’
‘Tell him how you feel,’ Kat begs.
‘Then grab him and stick your tongue down his throat,’ Tara advises.
‘And he’ll probably get the message,’ Mei weighs in, before narrowing her eyes. ‘Although I wouldn’t count on it.’
I take another long sip of my pink squirrel.
I have no idea what’s in it; it tastes like a dessert, sweet and innocent.
I know it’s not too strong because we all agreed that getting drunk on a school night was unwise.
Darlene suggested these were the perfect solution, just enough for a happy buzz, and I trust her bartending judgement. Plus, they feel festive.
‘Maybe,’ I say finally. ‘But that’s enough about me and Nico for a minute. Can we talk about Tara and Luke?’
‘Yesssss!’ Mei slams her hand down on the table.
‘I’m conflicted about this one but in the spirit of girls’ night, I’ll allow it,’ Kat points a finger at Tara, ‘but no grisly details.’
‘I want all the grisly details,’ Mei and I say at the same time.
Tara smiles a wide, Cheshire cat grin. ‘Ladies, let me tell you, that man has the best hands…’
‘Gahhhhhh!’ Kat covers her face. ‘Immediately too much, Tara. Immediately.’
My friend giggles, and she looks so happy that I might even temporarily be able to put my own romantic worries out of my mind.
‘I knew it was all about to kick off the second you saw each other,’ I say smugly.
‘Was it that obvious?’ Tara asks.
‘Well, you do start humming “Cowboy Take Me Away” every time you see him,’ I say.
Tara’s mouth drops open. ‘I thought that was happening in my head.’
‘I get it.’ Mei scoops up another nacho. ‘It’s easy to imagine Luke as a sexy sheriff. If you’re into that sort of thing.’
‘Gross,’ Kat grumbles, but Tara is nodding eagerly.
‘Right?’ she says. ‘I’m trying to convince him that he needs a Stetson.’ She flicks a glance at me. ‘He actually asked if I’d consider changing my flight home, maybe stay a bit longer. What do you think?’
‘Are you kidding?’ I exclaim. ‘Of course you should stay, and not even because the sexy sheriff asked you to. I want you here, I just didn’t know it was an option.’
‘We’re all just fine with sexy sheriff now, are we?’ Kat huffs.
‘Sorry,’ I say. ‘We’ll wait until you’re in the bathroom to talk about your hot brother like the respectful friends we are.’
‘That’s all I ask,’ Kat replies.
‘So you’re going to stay a bit longer?’ Mei asks Tara, who nods. ‘Then I think we should definitely celebrate with another round of pink squirrels.’
‘I’ll help you.’ Kat jumps up from her seat. ‘I think I saw Tyler over by the bar earlier, and I want him to get a good look at me in this miniskirt.’
‘God, that guy is the worst,’ Mei mutters as the two of them disappear into the crowd. Clearly, Dollyoke is quite the event, because the place is packed tonight and we only have such a prime spot because Darlene put a hot pink ‘Reserved’ sign on the table for us.
‘I’m so glad you’re going to stay.’ I give Tara’s hand a squeeze. ‘When do you think you’ll head back?’
‘I’m not sure,’ she says and bites her lip.
‘You know I can do most of my job remotely and my boss can’t function without me, so he’ll be fine.
Another couple of weeks, maybe. After that…
’ She blows out a long breath. ‘I know it’s insane, I know I only met him a few days ago, but this thing with Luke…
I don’t want to jinx it, but I figure there’s no harm in sticking around, to see if there’s anything there. ’
I experience a pang of jealousy at her words, at the way she feels free to explore her feelings for Luke.
‘What about you?’ Tara says. ‘How long will you stay?’
‘The trustee is due to leave on the fourth of November,’ I say, fiddling with the edge of a beer mat.
‘That’s not what I asked.’ Tara’s voice is soft.
I shrug. ‘That’s the answer, though. I’ve booked my flight. I can’t stay in Roseport, I have to get home.’
‘To your grandmother?’
I nod. ‘She’s not the only reason, but she’s the main one.’
‘Are you two talking yet?’ Tara asks, her voice laced with sympathy. She may not have been in my life as long as Nico, but she knows me well enough to understand how important my relationship with Gran is.
‘We’ve been texting. I keep thinking I should call her,’ I say.
‘But somehow the longer it goes without us talking, the harder it is. This silly argument seems to have taken on a life of its own. And she doesn’t know I’m here, doesn’t know about Nico.
I’m not even sure what I’d tell her.’ I summon up a weak smile.
‘It’s less than ten days until this whole situation is all sorted and I’m back home. I suppose we can talk about it then.’
‘If you only have ten days left here, don’t you think you should make them count?’ Tara asks.
‘What do you mean?’
She gives me a long look. ‘You know exactly what I mean.’
Fortunately for me, my phone pings and I turn it over. ‘It’s another text from Adrian,’ I tell Tara with a frown. ‘I swear he texts me more now than he did before we broke up.’
‘Are you sure he got the message?’ She sips her drink.
‘Definitely,’ I nod. ‘He was really nice about it.’ But… was he too nice about it? I honestly don’t think he was that attached to the relationship, but have I got it wrong?
My concerns are interrupted when Kat and Mei return, both carrying a cocktail in each hand.
‘That asshole,’ Kat fumes, hopping up onto her seat. ‘I swear to god, this is the last time I even look in his direction.’
‘Tyler’s here with a date,’ Mei murmurs.
‘What a bastard,’ Tara leaps in immediately.
‘I hate him,’ I growl. ‘I knew he was the worst.’
‘Me too,’ Tara agrees. ‘I’ve always said that.’
‘You haven’t even met him.’ Kat manages a small smile.
‘As if we need to actually meet him,’ Tara huffs. ‘Gross.’
There’s a screech of feedback then as Darlene takes to the stage. ‘Good evenin’, friends,’ she says into the microphone. She’s resplendent in a tightly fitted white jumpsuit covered in rhinestones, her hair teased high. The whole room starts cheering.
‘Welcome to Dollyoke,’ Darlene continues when we simmer down. ‘Make sure you have your name down with Randall if you want to sing… it looks like we’ve got a pretty full ticket tonight.’
‘Don’t worry,’ Kat leans across the table, ‘I already put us down for multiple songs.’
‘Excellent,’ Tara approves while I clutch my pink squirrel.
‘What? To sing them?’
‘No, to represent them through the medium of interpretive dance.’ Kat rolls her eyes at me. ‘Of course to sing them.’
‘Absolutely not.’
She turns her big eyes on me. ‘Lee, I need this tonight. The only thing that’s going to get me through is Dolly and my girls.’
‘Oh no,’ I whisper as the truth sinks in. ‘We’re your girls.’
How has this occurred? What happened to successfully lone-wolfing my way through life? This is what comes of making friends… one day everything is fine and normal and the next you’re doing Dolly Parton karaoke in a pink cowboy hat.
‘I’d advise you to start sucking down that pink squirrel,’ Mei says kindly. ‘It’ll go a lot easier.’
‘Don’t worry,’ Kat says brightly. ‘I didn’t put you down for a solo performance, I’m not a monster.’
‘Right,’ I manage. ‘That’s fine then.’
At that moment, Darlene launches into a pitch-perfect rendition of ‘Jolene’, and I get so caught up that when it’s time to perform ‘9 to 5’ I actually let my friends drag me up with them.
Sure, I stand at the back, far away from the microphone, mostly laughing as Kat and Tara ham it up for the crowd, but I still do it.
And I only hate ninety-five per cent of it.
There is a tiny five per cent sliver of me that can admit to having fun, which is completely mind-blowing.
The crowd cheers. People shout out words of encouragement – they call my name, and I recognise so many faces and it feels… nice? There’s a warm glow in my chest and I’m not sure I can blame whatever Darlene’s putting in these pink drinks.
Other people get up to sing. Tara belts out an excellent version of ‘Harper Valley PTA’, one of the most underappreciated Dolly numbers.
Kat sings ‘Here You Come Again’, and somehow makes the whole thing sound like a threat directed pointedly at Tyler.
Mei and I hoot and holler and dance in our seats.
When Darlene winds up the show with a storming performance of ‘Dumb Blonde’ the audience goes wild, but I’m distracted thinking about Nico again.
Perhaps Tara was right. If I only have a few days left with my husband… maybe it’s time to start making them count.