Page 55 of Little Hidden Fears

CHAPTER 21

I woke to find myself sitting on an outdoor balcony, glass of champagne in hand. I was dressed in the same black, floor-length nightgown I’d worn to bed, one I’d purchased from an antique store a week earlier. But the balcony I was on wasn’t my own, nor was I alone. Sitting next to me was a woman in a pink dress, the shade of which matched her rose-colored cheeks.

The woman raised the champagne glass, toasting me. “Cheers.”

We clinked glasses, though I wasn’t sure what we were celebrating.

I looked over at her and said, “Where am I?”

“You know where you are, don’t you? You’ve been here before.”

I had, and at present, I was in a dream.

“I have been here before, Noelle. What are we celebrating tonight?”

“We’re celebrating you.”

“Why?”

“You’re getting married soon, aren’t you?”

“This summer,” I said. “How did you know?”

“I like summer. Summer is warm and trusting, like being wrapped in a blanket in front of a roaring fire.”

“I’ve never thought of it that way.”

“Maybe it’s time you start. What I don’t like is winter.”

“Why not?”

“Winter is like a trickster, full of lies.”

“Why would you say such a thing?”

She tipped her head back, polishing off the rest of her champagne.

Then she stood.

“I should get us another bottle,” she said. “Tonight is a special night. It’s different because you’re here. I don’t know how long I have until I leave, or you leave. I say we make the most of our time together.”

She walked toward the sliding glass door, and I turned, peering into a bedroom that contained a memory I’d tried hard to forget. As she reached for the door’s handle, I glanced around the balcony, my eyes coming to rest on a bottle of champagne nestled inside a bucket of ice.

“Wait,” I said.

Noelle glanced over her shoulder. “What is it?”

“There’s no need to go inside.” I pointed at my discovery. “There’s another bottle of champagne right here. See?”

She turned around and leaned in, giving it a good look. “Oh, my. You’re right. I’d forgotten it was there.”

“Why is it outside, though—and not inside, with the others?”

“This one is special, a surprise I was saving until later.”

“A surprise for whom?”

She stared into the darkness, a hollow look of emptiness on her face. “I suppose now it’s a surprise for us. I’m sure he’ll understand.”

---