Page 79 of Desperate Haste

It had just opened for the day and my three closest friends are coming to meet me here for our standing Sunday brunch. Just like the guys have their weekly game night, we have our weekly gab session. The last few weeks I’ve had less to gab about but I still look forward to our Sunday sitdown when it comes around each and every week.

“Oh stop.” I roll my eyes. “You’re being ridiculous.”

“I’m ridiculous? This outfit is ridiculous.”

“Ridiculouslyamazing,I think you mean to say,” Magnolia corrects, walking up to the table to meet us. We both stand and give her a hug and wave when we see Margaret filtering in closely behind her. “Is that the new Chanel?”

“It is.” I pull the jacket tight and wave my arms in front of myself. “Got it for myself last week. Once I saw it I couldn’t unsee it. It had to be mine.”

“And it might have to be mine.” Her finger traces the stitching of my jacket, running her thumb over one of the ornate buttons and I swear she’s practically drooling. “Kolbi won’t mind if I getone morenew piece for summer, will he?” Her voice perks up at the end and we share a laugh. We’ve bonded over clothes, Magnolia and I, since we discovered we have the same style and taste in them: expensive.

“Whatever you buy keep in mind you’ll have to share it with me too,” Margaret jokes as we all take our seats. The bar is empty since it’s still early but in the next hour or so, it’ll be full of people. Adding in Sunday brunch was a great idea for business and great for us seeing as how we now have a free place to eat when we get together. I’ve been grateful the girls were willing to meet me here over the last few weeks so we could continue our Sunday morning tradition.

“So, Magnolia, how was Kolbi’s dick this morning?” Bailey asks without warning and I nearly spit my water across the table. The four of us erupt in laughter and Magnolia’s face turns five different shades of red.

The next hour is spent gossipping about work and life and how everyone’s relationships are going. My heart sinks a little when Hank, Kolbi, and Conrad are brought up but a fourth name is clearly missing from the usual lineup. I do my best to keep a smile as the ring that’s dangling from a chain tucked under my jacket burns into my skin like a hot stone. They ask me about work and I fill them in on everything going on at the agency and even share about how Dale is seeing someone new. They ooh and ahh at the cuteness that is Dale and his boyfriend when I show them pictures and I feel like a proud mother when I hold up my phone for them to see.

“Sorry to interrupt ladies,” Alice’s voice cuts through. “I just had a quick question for Ophelia.”

I hold up a finger to the table and stand to speak with Alice about what she needs. Her quick question ends up being a twenty minute ordeal and when I return to the table, there’s a noticeable shift in the energy that surrounds it.

“What?” I question, glancing between them.

“We just don’t know how you do it.” Bailey shakes her head at me with a look of admiration.

“Do what?”

“Do this.” Magnolia waves a hand around her head to motion to the bar. “This, and your job, and see us, and have time for yourself.”

“You amaze us,” Margaret finishes and they all nod.

I intertwine my fingers together and prop my elbows up on the table before resting my chin in the hammock I’ve created. “I guess I just don’t want to let him down,” I sigh.

“Who? Malcolm?” The air gets dry as Bailey says his name and I suck on the inside of my cheek for a moment before speaking.

“No.” I shake my head sharply. “Marshall. Before he passed he…he asked me to watch out for Malcolm. To take care of him. And this place.” I look around Butcher and Block which is now nearly full of Sunday morning brunchers stopping in to grab something to eat after church. “This place means everything to Malcolm. My taking care of it is, like, a way I can take care of him while he’s gone.”

“Conrad told me he’s coming home this week,” Margaret offers with an uneasy tone.

“Who, Marshall?” Bailey quips and I try to hold back a laugh. Sometimes what they say about blondes is true but god do I love her anyway.

“No, sweetie, Malcolm,” I explain gently, patting her hand. Her head whips back with a gasp and mouths ‘ooooh.’

“When did he tell you that?” Magnolia looks at her friend out of the corner of her eye as she takes a sip of her coffee.

“When I was at his place yesterday,” Margaret says as if it’s not a big deal.

Magnolia sets her cup down a little too firmly and causes coffee to slosh over the sides. After wiping it up with her napkin, she turns to her friend. “You were at his house yesterday?” Her dumbfounded tone is shared across the table.

“Yes? Why are you acting like that’s so strange?” Margaret squints her eyes, annoyed by the third degree she’s getting.

“Because it’s Conrad and he’s as strange as they come,” Bailey deadpans.

“Mills isn’t strange, he’s just misunderstood.” Margaret rolls her eyes again and plays with the napkin in her lap instead of looking at any of us.

“Did you just call himMills? Are you two sleeping together?” Magnolia interrogates, leaning closer to her friend with a sly smile.

“Can we change the subject please?”

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