CHAPTER35
In her new dress, Becky felt like a million euros as she helped set up the beach picnic. She helped Erin carry the portable fire pit down to the beach and unravel the large tartan blanket onto the sand, while the others stayed behind, collecting chairs, food and two large Bluetooth speakers for the music.
‘Are you and Christine alright?’ Erin asked. ‘You just seem a little…’
‘Fed up?’ Becky asked. ‘Ugh, I’m sorry. I don’t want my bullshit contaminating this lovely weekend. I’m alright, we’re just in a bit of a rut at the moment.’
‘It happens,’ Erin replied, sliding the feet of the fire pit into some metal poles. She’d never assembled a firepit before and this didn’t seem particularly sturdy. ‘I just got the feeling maybe things weren’t as grand as they could be. Is she, um, always like this…’
‘What, judgemental? Stubborn? Annoying?’ Becky laughed as she smoothed the rug on the sand. ‘Sometimes.’
‘I know it’s been ten years since we all lived together, but you just seem so different now,’ Erin remarked. ‘I mean, it’s like you’re battling to be this version of you which none of us recognise!’
Becky grabbed the hair claw from her head and threw it on the ground, letting her hair fall on to her shoulders.
‘Before Christine, I dated a guy called Stephen Fox and I absolutely adored him,’ she began, running her hand through her hair. ‘Followed him from one side of the UK to the other. He was a funny, sweet, quiet man, biggest blue eyes I’ve ever seen and he cheated on me so frequently, I think eventually we both lost count. I knew it was happening, but I stayed because while he messed around, I was the one he came back to. That was a win in my book. But eventually he didn’t come back. When I asked him why, he said that he was fond of me but that he just couldn’t be serious about someone that he couldn’ttakeseriously. Ridiculous and embarrassing, I believe his words were. We’d dated for four years and I was a joke to him.’
‘Oh, Becky, I’m so sorry. What an arsehole.’
‘He was,’ she agreed. ‘I met Christine eight months later, self-esteem all shot to hell, and she was so beautiful and confident and interested in me, so I decided I’d be someone she could take seriously. Big-time businesswoman Becky! It hasn’t quite gone to plan.’
‘You know we all took you seriously, right? Weird rituals and all.’
Noticing the rest of the group coming down the path, Becky lowered her voice. ‘I know,’ she replied. ‘And the more time I spend with you all, the more I remember just how happy I was being plain old ridiculous, embarrassing me. Fuck, I hate being an adult. It’s too hard.’
Erin laughed. ‘I hear you,’ she said waving to the rest of the group.‘Hey, lads, just drop the stuff here and we’ll sort it.’
‘I’ll work things out,’ she told Erin. ‘Don’t worry.’
Dinner comprised of surf ’n’ turf, rotisserie chicken, salad, bread, marinated olives (which Tara hated with a passion) and a wooden board with seven different types of cheese and crackers. For dessert Erin had made a huge fruit platter alongside shop-bought profiteroles and chocolate sauce.
‘Beth, since your movements are somewhat limited, I’m trusting you with the music this evening,’ Erin told her. ‘Just nothing that will scare the lough life, please.’
Delighted, Beth embraced her new career as resident DJ, arranging songs that embodied their friendship. As ‘I’ll Be There for You’ began playing, Beth felt a marinated olive bounce off her forehead.
‘Hey!’
‘And I’ll keep going until you turn that shite off,’ Tara yelled.
Beth quickly skipped to ‘Bad Guy’ by Billie Eilish and an olive ceasefire was declared.
‘Aiden’s staying at the Waterfront Hotel,’ Paul announced, looking at his phone. ‘He’s asked me to drop off the rest of his stuff tomorrow.’
Tara bounded over towards him. ‘He’s texting you? Why?’
Paul took a step back from a rather irate-looking Tara. ‘We exchanged numbers. He’s a nice guy. Don’t shoot the messenger.’
‘Damn, I forgot the serving utensils,’ Erin said, handing out some napkins as Tara scolded Paul for being a traitor. ‘Alex, be a love and grab some from the kitchen island.’
‘Aye aye, captain,’ she replied, shooting off back up the path, while Erin got on with carving the chicken. Alex was having a lovely night and it had only begun. Good company, a gentle buzz from the wine and so far, some excellent musical choice from DJ Beth, well, eventually.
Picking up the serving spoons back at the house, Alex heard the patio door open with aclick,whoosh, then footsteps.
‘We forgot the ice too.’
Christine stood in the doorway, a weird little smile creeping over her face.
‘Oh, no worries,’ Alex replied. ‘If you grab the cooler in the corner, I’ll help load it up.’
