Page 75 of Man Hands
By Thursday night,I’ve finished teaching for the week, so I can relax. And by relax, I mean I text Sadie and Ash to come over so we can watchMr. Fixit Quick Does Quebec. I’m cooking up some snacks, and Sadie has convinced her husband to watch the babies for the night so she can have a moment to recharge. I haven’t heard from Ash yet, but she’s always up for aparty.
While making a béchamel sauce for the new dip I’m creating, I think about Tom. I am a little sad that I haven’t heard from him for two days, but he warned me that continuous shooting wouldn’t leave him time to check his phone. And he wasn’t sure about cell reception in thewoods.
But I miss him, damn it. The moonstone on the ring glimmers. I’m going to be really sad to give it up. And I’m still curious about its origins. I’m wearing an old story on my finger. I justknowit.
There’s a knock at the door and then a string of curses. So I know Ash hasarrived.
“What’s wrong this time?” I ask as I letherin.
“There’s no more media hounding your doorstep? Those fuckers. How are we going to keep your cookbook sales up if you’re notnewsworthy?”
I’m definitely excited that the vultures are gone, but I keep that to myself. “The cookbook sales were always going to be a temporary phenomenon. I’m just happy to have the one-time boost, you know? If you still want to go to Florida at New Years, I can totally sayyesnow.”
“We’re going, bitch.” She waves around the pink leather planner that she carries everywhere. “I inked it in and used one of my favorite travelstickers.”
“Oh. Well. I wouldn’t want to fuck with your plannerpages.”
“You really wouldn’t,” she says, missing my irony. She gives me the once-over. “Put a dress on. You can’t go out drinkinginthat.”
I look down at my comfy jeans. “I don’t need a dress to watch the show with you guys. I made food on sticks. That’s a party rightthere.”
She stalks past me into the kitchen and grabs a skewer of yakitori chicken off a platter. She nibbles on it. “These are awesome. Now go put on a dress. There’s a cool party we’re going tocrash.”
I feel an immediate flutter in my nether regions, because that’s how I met Tom. The classic love story, right? Crashing a party led to boathouse sex led to the world seeing my sex tape. Which led to a fake engagement. Every girl’sdream.
Wait…
“I’m not going,”Isay.
“Yeah you are.” Ash grabs anotherskewer.
“Nope. Have to watchmyshow.”
She gives me a pitying look. “I know you’re hung up on him, sweetie. But that’s why you must. Get back on thathorse.”
“Nocando.”
She eats the rest of the yakitori, washes her hands and marches upstairs. I know she’ll come downstairs with a wrap dress and some of my new, sexy underwear. The lingerie I bought for Tom. I was tempted to get the underwear with little foxes all over them, but the lace thong was sexier. Then I thought,fuck it, and bought the foxes too.Balance.
For the hundredth time I check my phone, but there’s no text from him. He’s probably busy wrapping up his Quebec special. Or maybe he’s composing his Dear Brynn letter. Tom’s a good guy. When he decides we’re officially done, he’ll be super niceaboutit.
I’ll be sadevenso.
Ash returns with a pink wrap dress, and I fuss about the color and then put it onanyway.
Fuckinggirlfriends.
42Up On TheRooftop
Brynn
“If they don’t havea TV here, I’m leaving,” I threaten as we step into theelevator.
“If they don’t have a TV, you can watch your show on my iPad,” Ash says. “Of course, that will make you the sad girl who’s sitting in the corner of a decadent private rooftop party watching a home renovation show onheriPad.”
“Andyou’llbe the superbitch who points that out,”Isnap.
“Stop squabbling,” Sadie says, whipping a lipstick out of her clutch purse. “This is my big night out, so get along or I’ll tell you gross stories about diaperblowouts.”
