27. Walter #2
Hildy mimed drawing a curtain. “Let’s give them their privacy.” She turned her back on the young lovers, considering the looming shape of the castle instead.
Walter took a casual step in Hildy’s direction, and then a few more. “About earlier—”
“I’m working,” she said.
“Right now?”
“Yes, Walter.”
She said it with such conviction, he had no choice but to back away. Maude and Lo?c were whispering to each other in French, so he approached Corinne.
“What’s your strategy here, Romeo?” She indicated Hildy with her chin.
“Keep blundering along and hope something miraculously changes?”
Corinne slow-blinked at him.
“I didn’t say it was a good plan.” He hesitated. “Do you have a better idea?”
“Depends what you’re trying to achieve.”
Walter had to laugh at that. As if he knew!
He wanted to uncover … something. A truth or a secret or a solution, even though a parting salvo seemed more likely, given their history.
Maybe it would come as a relief, to put an end to his fascination with Hildy after all these years.
His heart didn’t exactly soar at the thought, but then a lot of things that turned out to be good for you sounded awful at the outset. Fish oil, for example.
Actually, that stayed awful. He wanted more than that. “You think I should walk away and let her have the story?”
“Would you do that?”
“I don’t know.” He wasn’t even sure where the idea had come from. “Would she do that for me?”
“One, you’re asking the wrong person. Two, Lord knows you maniacs would manage to get your wires crossed, and I am not here for some ‘Gift of the Magi’ clusterfuck.”
Before Walter could mount a defense, Fiona and Robbie came trotting back, breathless and sweaty.
“I love it here,” Fiona announced, spinning around. “I love the moon, and the grass, and the trees, and the castle up there, and the smell of the flowers. You did such a good job, Maude!”
Raising her arms over her head, she turned a cartwheel. It felt like the exclamation point at the end of a sentence.
“Can’t do that in a corset. Or with a twenty-foot train!” She gave a sudden bark of laughter. “My headdress would be so jacked up right now.”
Robbie attempted a cartwheel of his own, though his knees never straightened past ninety degrees. “I could probably do that in a tux, but I might split my pants.”
“And that would be fine,” Fiona told him, “because weddings aren’t supposed to be perfect.” She turned to Walter and Hildy with an expectant look. “Right?”
“Right.” Walter suppressed a faint premonition of doom. He had an inkling those two might have taken the wrong lesson from this evening’s outing. There was a difference between rolling with the punches and flashing your wedding guests.
“I wish we could get married right now.” Fiona threw her arms around Robbie’s neck. “I feel so light and free!”
“Just—hold that truth in your heart,” Hildy suggested.
“Ignore the noise and remember what matters. Before you know it, you’ll be on your honeymoon, looking through pictures and reminiscing about how great your wedding was.
And it will be totally amazing, because it’s yours.
Not to mention, look at this place. I’ve seen a lot of wedding venues, but this one takes the cake.
” She stole a glance at Fiona. “Do you want to head back to the hotel now, get some rest?”
Robbie rubbed Fiona’s back with one hand. “What do you say, babe?”
“Can we stay out here a little longer?”
He fished the keys to the van out of his pocket and tossed them to Corinne. “Fee and I will get a ride with Maude.”
“Shotgun,” Hildy called, hurrying past Walter.
The drive to the hotel was mostly silent. When they arrived, Corinne put the van in park and turned off the ignition before resting her forehead against the steering wheel.
“We survived,” she said, sitting upright again. “That was a good night’s work. Strange, but effective.”
“I hope so,” Hildy mused. “For their sake. I like Fiona—and Robbie. He seems like a good guy.”
“Pretty solid,” Corinne agreed. “If you’re into that kind of thing.”
“The goofy golden retriever type?”
“Men.”
Hildy made a noise of agreement. “At least with Robbie, what you see is what you get. How many other guys can you say that about?”
Walter wondered if they had forgotten he was there, or didn’t care. When Hildy started to climb out of the van without so much as glancing his way, he unbuckled his seat belt and hurried after her.
“Can I talk to you?” he asked before she could escape.
She stood perfectly still, keeping her back to him. “I’m tired. Can it wait?”
“Whatever you’re going to do, take it inside.” Corinne gave Hildy a little shove in the direction of her room.
“Fine,” Hildy sighed. She trudged down the paved path, unlocking her door and going inside without looking back.
When he stepped tentatively into her room, she was sitting on the bed with her arms crossed. “So?” she prompted. “I’m listening.”
“I think we should finally talk about it. It’s time.” Past time, more like, but he didn’t want to open on a sour note.
“Talk about what?”
“That summer.”
She looked away. “Why?”
“I think we need to.”
“What do you want from me, Walter? Is this a step on your healing journey? I’m sure you can evolve without me.”
“I want us to be honest with each other.” He kept his voice calm, even though he knew she was trying to push his buttons. “About what happened.”
“Bad shit. Period, end of story.”
“It wasn’t all terrible, Hildy.”
“Really? I don’t remember.”
If it wasn’t for the trembling of her chin, Walter would almost have believed she was telling the truth.