Nate’s eye roll was damn near audible.“If you think basic facial recognition skills are getting you out of this mess,” he started, but this time it was Ms.Sommers who silenced him.
“Nate, please let the server know we’re ready for our check,” she said sweetly, her eyes cold.“It’s time to head to the yacht club.”
Ms.Terhune pushed her glasses up onto her head and motioned for me to take the fourth seat as Nate reluctantly, angrily, stalked into the restaurant.“My apologies for Nate.He’s...Nate.”
Ms.Sommers muttered something that questioned his parentage and potential personal hobbies involving household furnishings.
It startled a giggle out of me, earning looks of mild curiosity from both women.“Sorry, I just...I’m a huge fan of the show,” I said, trying hard not to gush.“And I was just thinking of your characters, and how Lindsey,” I nodded to Ms.Sommers, “was such a goody two shoes and imagining her saying that...”Face flaming hot under their twin scrutiny, I cleared my throat and ducked my face away, glancing over at Ollie and Muffin instead.
“You can call him back over if you like,” Ms.Terhune offered.She didn’t wait, instead waving at Ollie, motioning for him to come closer.After a brief hesitation, he and Muffin were at the table side, Muffin huffing a sigh and resting his huge head on my leg and Ollie shifting awkwardly, not sure what he was supposed to do.“Thank you, young man, for keeping an eye on this good boy.”She produced a folded bill or two between her fingers, seemingly out of thin air.“For your trouble.”
“Oh, that’s not...Holy crap, sixty bucks?I just stood there like a lamp or something!”He looked at her with wide eyes, cheeks flushing in excitement.
“And you were quite good at it,” Ms.Terhune assured him.“You’re very good at being decorative.”
Uh, excuse me?I frowned.Not only was that just plain rude, the fact Ollie seemed oblivious to the insult made it worse in my mind.“Ollie’s more than decorative,” I staunchly defended.“He’s busting his backside in community college to be a paramedic while working full time at the pet store.”
“I undertipped,” Ms.Terhune said mildly, producing another folded bill, wiggling it slightly when Ollie just stared.“I’m a firm believer in higher education.And emergency services.Our dear Beth might still be with us today if emergency services had been able to get to her in time.”
Beth...Elizabeth Ellison, the third part of theLadies Who Lunchtrio.Her character, Mandy, had been the moral center of the show, always quick to question the shadowy government agent who gave the ladies their orders and, in later seasons, becoming the leader herself when the group went rogue.
Ollie gushed his thanks again and, with a giggle and a spring in his step, hurried back to the sidewalk, no doubt heading to tell his friends and likely Belinda about his amazing luck.“You seem familiar yourself,” Ms.Sommers said suddenly.“You were in that zombie show on the Friendly Channel, right?About ten years ago?
“Yeah,” I sighed.“That was me.”Every once in a while I still had nightmares about the sticky green sludge zombies.Not because they were scary but because they smelled like melted plastic and the green goo stained everything it touched, even skin.
She smiled, a little more genuine this time.“My housekeeper’s daughter loved that show.I think she had a little crush on the boy who played your friend.”
Of course she did.“Max King,” I said.“He’s great.A real sweetheart.”
“Oh!Damien Murphy,” Ms.Terhune suddenly said, almost shouted really.“I knew I recognized you!That whole debacle with Renee Rhoades’ murder was just terrible to see play out.I’ve been wondering what you’ve been up to.Truly, I’m surprised you’re still in this town after everything.Your work onLawson Ordersis criminally—ha!—underrated.Oh, and I just loved you inMonday’s Tuesdays.”
I perked up at that.“Seriously?I thought the only people who saw that one were my parents and the investors.”The movie had been a real passion project for everyone involved but had not only tanked at the box office, it had caused Bad Apples to come up with an entirely new level of bad on their scoring system for movies.If you’ve ever rated a movieCompost, you’re welcome.“The world just wasn’t ready for that level of recursive time travel jokes, I think.”
She laughed her famous throaty laugh and gave Ms.Sommers a nudge.“He’s also best friends with Max King.I remember seeing the pair of you in the funny pages for a while there.”She gave me a wink.“I’ve been in the industry long enough to know all those rumors about you two were horse shit,” she said sotto voce.“But that didn’t make ‘em any less fun to read.”
“Oh!Oh, well...”I bumbled, flustered.“Um, thank you?”
Another throaty, loud laugh.People were looking our way and the ladies didn’t seem to mind a bit.They’d abandoned their attempt at being low-key, Ms.Terhune doing away with her shades and Ms.Sommers looking up and around rather than keeping her face ducked away.The restaurant wasn’t packed, but there were definitely more than a few people around, and some of those faces were the same folks who loved speculating on my guilt.A small twinge of pride shot through me, being seen with the two ladies.They may not be at the top of the charts anymore, but they were established, their long careers full of accolades and pop culture hits, and neither minded being seen with me.My inner fanboy was about to stroke out, I was sure of it.
“So, tell me Damien,” Ms.Terhune asked, pulling a pack of slims and a heavy-duty silver lighter out of her purse, “are you attending this little regatta?”She flicked her fingers at one of the many,manyposters that had been put up around town.The Lester Cove Autumn Regatta had been a tradition for decades, then petered out in the mid-Seventies, but was currently experiencing a revival apparently.A few East Coast celebrities had been attending over the past few years, according to the Moon sisters who ran Two Moons Bed and Breakfast, and it was slowly becoming one of those nichefamous faces in not so famous placesevents where the rich and famous were starting to pop up, mostly to feel like big fish in a small pond, but also to get away from the big cocktail bashes and see and be seen plastic events that were bread and butter in their world.And I knew that to be true because Max King, my BFF ride or die platonic life mate bestie-slash-world famous actor and international heart throb, had even mentioned it to me a few weeks ago.The night after Ben had casually, not-so-casually brought it up over lunch and mentioned he was going since it was family tradition and he was the last Witte in Lester Cove, and he happened to have a plus-one.I’d saidyesbefore he was done talking and only afterwards realized what I’d been invited to.
“I’ve been invited,” I hedged.
Ms.Terhune made a thoughtful sound.“I must admit, I almost declined the invite but our friend just got this darling 1903 Gaff cutter and I’mdyingto see what she can do.”
“It’s bad luck to name a boat after a dead woman,” Ms.Sommers murmured.“Even if she was our friend.”
“Please.TheBethwill show these old farts with their fiberglass hulls what’s what.”Ms.Terhune smiled fondly, lighting her cigarette and taking a lung-cramping drag.“Would you like to see her?I’ll ask Gerry if he minds us taking a little tour during the cocktail party this evening.”She winked, leaning in close, “I’ll turn on the charm and snag a bottle of the good stuff from the bar—it’ll be far nicer to sip on deck than surrounded by strangers.”
“Er...”Was I being invited to hang out with Gwendolyn Terhune on a yacht?Words failed me, literally failed me, as my inner fanboy started squeeing almost loud enough to be heard outside my head.
“You’ve made him blush,” Ms.Sommers giggled.“Oh, does someone have a little crush?”
“Someone’s vey gay,” I protested, my face so warm I was momentarily concerned about bursting an important vessel.“And I’d love to see the boat.Ship?”
“TheBeth,” Ms.Terhune said with a grim little smirk.“Youareattending this evening?”she asked suddenly, eyes wide.“We won’t keep you terribly long if you are.”
“Fortunately for Nate’s clothing, I won’t be brining Muffin.”
