Chapter 3 - Trish
I decide not to share my encounter with the strange man when I get to their cabin.
Lana will berate herself, and I know it’ll dampen the mood for their vacation.
Lana has supported me so much throughout the years, taking me in under her wing, someone who knew nothing about the marketing industry and teaching me everything I needed for this profession, I certainly don’t want to cause problems right before their vacation.
“Oh, you’re here! Good!” Lana says as soon as I open the door, Bear glued to her leg.
It’s hilarious how Cole is sometimes jealous of his dog, truthfully I rarely see Bear leaving Lana’s side so I guess he has reasons to be.
“There’s still time! I completely forgot to tell you!
Archer, Cole’s friend, is coming for dinner today.
We usually invite him over once a month to check in.
He tends to be a bit of a hermit, and we like to make sure he’s okay.
Since you’re already here, there’s still time for our very important one-on-one session. ”
One-on-one sessions are a codeword for mojitos while we vent or cry or both.
It’s a tradition that started when we became friends, a full afternoon that we could complain and feel sorry for ourselves and not feel like we’re privileged bitches who should be happy with what they’ve got.
The alcohol helps loosen some of our initial hesitations and by the end, we’re actually feeling okay and ready to take on the world.
“What if we leave the one-on-one session for another day and keep only the mojitos? I really don’t want this hermit guy to see me with puffy eyes when he gets here.”
Lana’s smile falters, but she nods. I hug her, hoping she’ll understand how important she is to me.
“Go take a shower, I’ll take care of the mojitos.”
“Yes, ma’am!” I chuckle as I head to the bathroom.
We drink one mojito watching the sunset, taking in the light changing colors on the sky and throughout the mountains.
“You’ve really got a nice place here,” I say.
“I know, it’s the best.”
“You know the only thing I miss? You. Pepys Island would be perfect with you.”
“I missed you too. Calls and texts are not the same, are they?”
“No, they’re not. But you’ve already fallen for part one of my master plan!”
She looks very proud of herself, I just laugh.
“What? Coming here?”
“Of course! I knew you’d love it.”
“I do.”
With just a few days, I already feel like I can think again.
There’s still plenty of noise in my head, but not that incapacitating feeling I’ve been having lately, where every single task feels like a tremendous weight on my shoulders, like even the simplest words are hard to find amidst the chaos in my mind.
With how peaceful Pepys Island is, some of it transfers, my body starts to calm in response.
Maybe after a few weeks here, I’ll know what to do.
Lana found a way to cope with her brother’s death here, maybe Pepys Island will heal me too.
Someone approaches as I take the last sip of my mojito. He’s wearing jeans and a simple V-neck t-shirt. His features become more pronounced with each step, blur turning into definition until I know for sure I recognize the man heading in this direction.
The man from this afternoon.
Is he the hermit? Not a fucking model from some boxer brief company?
My cheeks turn red again, a mixture of shame and excitement washing over me.
He doesn’t look in my direction, giving Lana a shy smile.
“Hi, thanks for having me over.”
“Of course! We love to have you here. This is Trish, she’s going to stay here while we go on vacation.”
He turns to me, something in his eyes shifts, a deep scowl forming on his face.
“Hi.”
“Hi,” I say back.
“Trish, this is Archer, the guy I talked to you about.”
We don’t exchange another word. Lana’s face turns from side to side, trying to figure out what she’s missing. She’s clearly not happy with our manners. None of us try to explain, we just follow her to the inside of the cabin.
It’s only when we’re halfway through our meal that my cheeks don’t feel like they’re burning. Archer replies with a few questions that feel standard procedure for him, since he has every single answer on the tip of his tongue.
Question: ‘Are you okay?’, answer: ‘Yes’.
Question. ‘How are the renovations going?’, answer: ‘I’m halfway done with the roof.’
Question: ‘When are you going to town?’, answer: ‘Not sure.’ On this one, he eyes Lana carefully, trying to gauge her reaction.
“With us not being here, I figured out a way to help out with your suit,” Lana says. “Trish here is the marketer for all the fashion companies in our job and the most stylish person I know. She can help you out this week, can’t you Trish?”
A knot appears in my throat. What?
I really don’t want to think about fashion while on vacation.
“Hmm...” I don’t know exactly how to explain why I don’t want to do this. It’s not even about Archer, despite our earlier interaction.
“I’ll just order something on the internet,” Archer says interrupting my mumble.
“No. You said your nephew’s wedding was important. You’re going to Aria to get yourself a nice suit.”
Lana is not this pushy outside of work. She must know Archer won’t cave in easily.
Archer grunts with disapproval, clearly not happy with the errand— or the company. Eventually mutters a ‘fine’ before shoving more broccoli into his mouth.
Cole doesn’t say a word the whole time, clearly knowing his place.
I, on the other hand, I’m eager to get this over with so I can get back to my own vacation where the only thing I’ve to do is keep myself alive.
“Tomorrow works for you?” I ask.
He nods, not looking in my direction, his face scrunched up as if he just ate a sour grape.
“Great, meet me here at 9am.”
He nods again.
Great, just great.