‘Really?’ Erin replied. ‘That’s fascinating!’ As she topped up Beth’s glass, she noticed that Christine had barely touched her cocktail.
‘It can be,’ she replied.
‘Fascinating,’ Erin repeated. ‘Now, are you not a fan of the ole margarita? Can I get you something else. Wine? G&T? Coffee?’
‘Water would be fine. I’m not much of an afternoon drinker. I’ll have some wine with dinner.’
It’s half five, that’s practically night-time, Erin thought but headed to the kitchen anyway to grab her some water.Let’s hope she likes the chardonnay later.
Beth sat quietly while Becky recounted the tale of how she met Christine at a wellness retreat and how her eyes had been opened to the real advantages of therapy. Beth wasn’t so convinced. Since her diagnosis, she’d had three Zoom sessions with a therapist named Lucian who was getting on her last nerve with his incessanthmming and askinghow does that make you feel?every three seconds. Fifty quid an hour to tell a bloke in a deep V-neck that feeling sad made her feel sad didn’t help at all. She was also somewhat surprised at Becky’s enthusiasm for conventional therapy, given that she’d once overheard her asking a cat for advice.
‘And you, Becks, what are you up to now?’ Beth asked, darting into an empty space in the conversation.
‘Massage therapy,’ she replied, ‘I love it. You should give me a wee shot on your leg while we’re here.’
‘Maybe,’ Beth replied, hesitantly. Having her leg massaged was the opposite of not drawing any attention to it. ‘If we have time.’
‘You could work on my shoulders,’ Erin said, placing Christine’s water on the table. ‘I swear I have a knot there like a ball of yarn.’
‘Stress will do that,’ Becky replied without thinking. ‘Grief is the worst…’ She caught Beth’s eye and stopped herself mid-sentence. ‘Sure, I can,’ she said softly. ‘No problem at all…’
Erin smiled but swallowed hard. She’d misjudged things. Ten years ago, there would have been no elephant in the room, no awkwardness. Someone might even have made a rather inappropriate joke to break the ice around Scott but not now. Now the tiptoeing had begun and she didn’t want to be the one to stomp all over everything with her big size-seven grief boots.
‘Alex,’ she began, changing the subject. ‘How’s the—’
‘Have you bitches really not aged in ten years?’
Startled, everyone turned to see Tara standing there, e-cigarette in hand and a massive grin on her face. ‘Sorry, we parked the rental round the back and the patio door was open.’
Erin was the first to give a little squeal before pouncing on Tara, wondering how it was possible that she looked the same yet entirely different. Her formerly short black hair was now long and red, her skin now way more sun-kissed and her boobs now noticeably three sizes bigger on her slim frame. But the glint in her eye and her slightly crooked smile was absolutely the Tara she’d always known.
‘You came!’ Erin exclaimed. ‘I wasn’t sure if you were flying or driving or…’
‘We flew,’ Tara replied, now being hugged by Beth as well. ‘And of course I came! You think I’d miss this… wait, Beth… what happened?’
‘Free-climbing on Everest,’ Beth informed her. ‘Trickier than it looks. You remember Paul, right?’
‘Of course! How are ya, fella? Jesus, you two stayed the course, huh? Amazing.’
Paul joined the scrum of a hug, before Alex excitedly popped up in front of him. ‘It’s sooo good to see you! Your hair! Really suits you.’
‘Thanks,’ Tara chirped. ‘Oh my God, this is so fucking surreal, right? All of us together.’
‘Well, not quite all of us,’ Erin replied, her eyes darting towards the back door. ‘I feel we’re missing someone, no? You mentioned awe?’
Tara smirked. ‘Yes, he’s just getting the bags. I brought far too many, as usual.’
‘What’s his name?’ Beth asked. ‘Your butler?’
‘Aiden,’ Tara replied, making a face at Beth. ‘His name is Aiden and be nice.’
‘Um, where should I put these?’
Alex barely had time to process anything before he was standing in front of her. It was Aiden. Airport Aiden. Her Aiden. Tara’s Aiden.
She quickly sidestepped behind Paul, her stomach plummeting towards her feet.Tara is his girlfriend? This cannot be happening.
‘Everyone, this is Aiden,’ she heard Tara say. ‘Aiden, these are my friends: Erin, Beth, Becky, Paul, squashed behind Paul is Alexandra… Alex, come say hi to Aiden!’
