Page 41 of The Tomorrows After You
After IdroppedNicolette off at the church for the committeemeeting, Ispedaway quickly. Ihopedworkingtogether on the Field Days would quell the tension thatseemedto simmer between her and Katie.
Back at home, I decided to work on a few pieces for the opening weekend of the Farmer's Market. I had acted confident, but the truth was I had no idea if any of it would sell.
My workhadbeenahitamong the socialites and New Englanders whohadtwo homes to furnish but Godotwasa crap shoot. Iwashopeful the seasonal tourists from Lycon, the resort town on the other side of the lake, would find their way over. The Farmer's Marketwason theoutskirts of Spokane County, whichmeantIcouldgo but I would be too anxious and IwantedtoletNicolette know Itrustedher with this.
My thoughtssurprisedme. Did I trust her? The womanhadan innate need to ask questions, Ihadfiguredthat much out. So, what would happen if pushcameto shove, and shestartedaskingquestions about me? About that night?
I pushed the idea from my head and focused on my work. I had about a dozen wind chimes that I put the finishing touches on and about ten medium-sized wind statues that were ready for display. They were woodland-creature-themed and I was pleased with the way they turned out. I turned on the industrial fan to see how they all looked when they moved together and I had to say, it excited me.
I went inside to wash up when my phone vibrated.
Katie
The Field Days committeeiswalking over to get a drink at Benny’s after themeeting, would you like to join?
The text surprised me. Katie didn’t invite me places, not public anyway. She’d said I should makecalculatedpublic appearances, and that didn’t often include social gatherings. The excuse was already at my fingertips. But something about the idea of going to a bar with a group of people seemed sonormalthat I found myself putting a little extra effort into my appearance.
Ihatedthe way Ilookedwith my beard this long. The scarhadn’tbotheredme, I didn’t even notice it anymore. But to Katie, and the rest of the town, itwasa blatant reminder of my past.
It covers your smile, that’s all.
It was the second time that week I let Nicolette’s words come back to me and a sudden feeling of decisiveness washed over me. I was tired of hiding. I pulled out my trimmers and made quick work of cleaning myself up, bringing my beard down. It was still full, but at least it looked kempt. I didn’t know if Nicolette would be there but she was on that committee now and butterflies hummed in my stomach.
When Ipulledinto the parking lot of Benny’s Bar, Iignoredthe whispers and looks Igot. Ithadbeena long time sinceI’dbeen out socially and therewasa levity in my chest I couldn’t quite explain.
I wasn’t sure why I questioned whether Nicolette would be out tonight. Benny’s Bar was not Katie’s scene and when I walked in, I could tell Nicolette had been the ringleader in setting it up.
Her tall blonde ponytail was the first thing my eyes landed on. People surrounded Nicolette. Her voice was full of laughter, speaking animatedly with her hands. She was like the bright flame they were all attracted to, her barstool fixed in the center while committee members circled her, enrapt with her story and charm.
The local dive bar was dark, but still, our eyes met and I swore something brightened in her. A slow smile crept across her face as I nervously ran a hand down my chin, shuffling my feet in place. She slid off the barstool, raking her eyes over my face as she began to move toward me like I washerflame.
Our eye line was severed when Katie ran up and threw her arms around my neck.
“Riot!I’mso glad youcame!”I could smell a slight tinge of beer on her breath andI’dneverknownher to drink anything stronger than coffee, but here shewas.
My eyes flashed back to Nicolette, who had sat back down and was returning to her conversation. Purposefully ignoring me. She tucked away a playful smirk and my chest tightened.
“Yeah, thanks for the invite.” I pulled Katie’s arms down and gave her a friendly nod. “How’d the meeting go?” I asked, casually walking toward the group of people surrounding Nicolette. Katie followed close on my heels, explaining how well everything was coming along and that despite her initial skepticism, she was impressed with how much Nicolette could add to the group.
I stopped in front of Nicolette. It had only been a few hours since I left her, but against the backdrop of the bar, something seemed different. It seemedright.Familiar. Not in the sense she reminded me of the past. But familiar like she felt likenow.A promise of safety.
“Hi,” I said, shoving my hands in my pockets.
“Hey,”shesaid, too casually, taking a sip of a beer, masking a wry grin. I know shewastrying, butfuck, shelookedcool. I don’t know why itmademe want to smile.“This looks better.”Shetwirledher finger,motioningto my face, still unwilling to make eye contact.
“What’s that?” I played dumb. It was childish, but I was eager to hear the words my ego so desperately craved. I caught a brief eye roll before she tilted her head to meet my gaze. The air vibrated between us. Her eyes looked just a hint droopier. From the beer or otherwise, it made my groin tighten.
“This.”Her eyesdippedto my mouth.“I like what you did with it.”I expect her to go back to her conversation but her eyes staypinnedon my lips. Or beard. Probably beard. It makes me smile nonetheless.
I leaned toward her like she was gravity. “Careful, Nicolette.” My words come out more gravelly than playful. “Your pupils are dilating.” Her breath got caught on a muffled giggle and we were close enough that I could lean in so easily to press my mouth to her—
“Okay, so Nicolette, you’ll finish the press release and Iwillscrub the distribution list,”an older womaninterjected,pullingus out of our little bubble.
“Think we’ll get some coverage this year? Since wewererunner-up for the grant last year?”askedanother older gentleman.
“I wouldn’t count on it. I’ve submitted and called every year but no one ever answers me,” Katie whined. Nicolette’s eyes narrowed in her direction before she pulled her phone out and started tapping. “I think we’re better off concentrating our efforts on flyers and getting them posted on community boards in the neighboring towns. I can take—”
“Donnie?” Nicolette’s powerful voice cut Katie off. She rose from the barstool and stood up, her phone pressed to her ear. “Hey, it’s Nicolette Parker, howareyou?” She paused, and I cringed at how high-pitched her voice sounded. “It’s been forever, yes I was in Easton for a while. Well, hey the reason for my call…” The sound of her voice drifted out of the bar.
