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I’m used to a lot of meat. But I was hoping to eat some gourmet cuisine. I guess we’ll save that for Paris. “Okay. If it’s important to you, Mads, we’ll have a meat pie. Let’s see a show too. In the West End.”
“Brianna…”
“My treat. We’ll get Brock to go with us. And Callie and Donny. And Rory.”
“Rory may not have a lot of time.”
“But it’s a West End show! Rory of all people will want to do that.”
“That’s a good point.” Maddie scratches her head. “Let’s see what’s playing.”
We narrow it down to a couple of shows that we think everyone will like, but we don’t know when Rory will have time off from the band.
“I guess we need the entire schedule before we can make these decisions,” I say.
“Yeah. I’ll text Rory and see if she has it.” Maddie grabs her phone, taps on it. “She’s not responding. She and Brock are probably doing the deed.”
“Oh my God…” I’ve always known Brock was a player, but I don’t like to think about it.
“I know. She’s living with Brock in the guesthouse behind Joe and Melanie’s. And Callie is living with Donny in the guesthouse behind your parents’ place.”
I nod. “Oh, I know. Their houses are being built. Both of them.”
Maddie sighs. “It’s all so foreign to me. Having the resources to just build a house whenever you want, and the land to build it on.”
“You guys have quite a bit of land here.” I rise from the bed and look out Maddie’s window that faces the backyard. Beyond the vast yard lie the charred remains of the Pike vineyards.
“True. Jesse talks about building a house on our property, but he hasn’t been able to afford it yet.”
A house on our land or on the Pike land—doesn’t matter which—for Jesse and me. He may not be able to afford it, but I can.
“Anyway,” Maddie continues, “we’ll have to table the discussion on the show until we have the schedule from the band.”
“Is Jesse here?” I sit back down on the bed.
“I think he’s in his room, working on lyrics.”
“He’d have the schedule, right?”
“Yeah. But I don’t like to bother him when he’s working.”
“All right.” I let out a sigh. “On to the next thing, then. So we’re going to do all the touristy things, the palaces, the abbeys, Big Ben. We’ll eat pies on Fleet Street and see a show in the West End. What else?”
“We have to have a pint.”
“A pint of what?”
“Of beer, silly.” She punches my arm. “When they order an ale, they ask for a pint. Didn’t you do any research before deciding to go on this trip?”
Uh…no, I sure didn’t. I’m going because Jesse is going.I can’t say that to Maddie, though, so I settle on, “I’m not a big beer drinker, Mads.”
“Okay. You can have whatever you want, but I’m having a pint.”
I pause a moment. “You know what? We’re going for the experience. I’ll have a pint too.”
“Good. That’s what it’s all about, after all. The experience.”
I smile at my friend. “We both gave up our last semester of college, which was going to be full of parties. So yes, Maddie, we’re going to make this an experience neither one of us will ever forget.”
