‘Oh right. Nah, not tonight. I’ve got no brains for numbers right now,’ said Winston, topping off his drink from the pitcher. But he sloshed the drink, spilling it down Gerald’s shirt and onto his bare feet. Despite the chilly weather outside, Gerald was wearing jandals. Probably so that he had a reason to sayjandalsover and over.
‘Dammit, not my flip-flops,’ he muttered.
Bonnie jolted. Flip-flops? Gerald had saidflip-flops? What was next? Parking lot? Sidewalk? Y’all? The man was finally embracing the language of his adopted country.
‘That should do it,’ she said, passing Gerald a handful of napkins so he could dry himself off. ‘Let me know if you boys need anything else.’
‘Rowdy lot,’ said Tessa thoughtfully, as Bonnie returned. She’d finished her prosecco and was looking around the cosy corners of the bar as though expecting a particular face to materialize in front of her.
She raised her eyebrows as a group of women at the back of the bar let out an animalistic roar.
‘It’s my birthday, bitches!’ shouted a short blonde wearing a sash that said precisely that.
‘They’rethe ones you have to worry about. Not Winston and his boys,’ said Bonnie, with a nod towards the women, who looked awfully like they might climb up on the table.
Please don’t, she begged internally.You’re not as good in heels as you think.
‘So, are you meeting someone?’ Bonnie asked, catchingTessa’s roving gaze and realizing that there was probably a reason for Tessa’s being here beyond simply wanting to drink prosecco with her best friend’s sister.
Tessa cocked her head. ‘Maybe. I’m not sure. I just thought they might be here. And Madame Destinée said that good things aren’t about setting the bar, they’re about sitting at it. Although now I say that aloud, I think that the mysterious Madame has been taking her inspiration from cryptic crosswords.’
‘No wonder I can never make sense of mine.’ Bonnie waggled the bottle of prosecco. ‘Top-up while you wait? Just so long as you promise not to drink and skate.’
Tessa chuckled. ‘Sure. Wouldn’t want to get pulled over for embarrassing myself. Although that birthday girl and her friends might have the embarrassment market captured. Is one of them chasing after Winston?’
Bonnie spotted the opportunity for a handy gossip segue.
‘Speaking of chasing, I hear Effie’s been running after Theo.’
She eyed Tessa, curious to see whether she’d offer up any intel regarding Theo and Effie, who seemed to have a, well, not aThinggoing, but at the very least a thing (with a small ‘t’).
‘I think it might be the other way around, actually,’ volunteered Tessa, after a beat. ‘Although he seems nice enough. ‘He’s a voracious reader of poetry. He’s gunning for Bowow’s borrowing record, I think.’
Tessa considered her prosecco, then spun her glass slowly on the agate coaster, leaving a condensation ring over Uncle Oswald’s logo. ‘Since we’re on the topic of the library, did Alana say anything about the craft night the other night?’
‘Alana?’ If Bonnie’s ears were capable of such a thing, they would definitely have pricked up. Were Tessa and Alana suddenly friends? Craft buddies? Something else? The years-long tension between them had not gone unnoticed by Bonnie. ‘I didn’t know she was a crafter. Were you weaving yoga mats or something?’
‘Just crochet,’ said Tessa. ‘Little turtles, mostly for the teens,but the group is open to everyone. I’m thinking of opening a studio,’ she blurted suddenly.
Bonnie topped up Tessa’s glass. ‘That one’s on me. Very cool. What kind of studio are we talking here? Do you have a space?’
Tessa’s eyes widened with excitement, and she pushed her glasses up her pert nose. ‘Mostly for kids, but with some sessions for adults. We’d make upcycled crafts from string, cardboard, stuff that local businesses are always getting rid of. I’ve been thinking about it for a while.’
Bonnie was impressed. Tessa wasn’t actually so bad, after all. She wasinteresting. And definitely not as judgemental as Effie.
‘That’s actually a really cool idea,’ said Bonnie. ‘I could see people getting behind that. And the recycling angle is cool. You could probably get some grant money for it. Talk to Willamina at the bank. She’s been in a good mood recently. She’s switched from tarot to romcoms.’
‘I can see how that would be life-changing.’
Bonnie pointed the prosecco bottle at the plant wall opposite them. ‘I got some funding for that, actually.’
‘Wow, really?’ Tessa snapped a picture with her phone for future reference. ‘Yes, I can send it to you,’ she assured the birthday girl and her friends, who were delighted at being caught on film comparing how well their cleavage could hold a glass of wine.
‘So, is that why you want to talk to Alana?’ said Bonnie, who was inspired to try the cleavage trick herself. She’d definitely win, after all. ‘About recycling and stuff? I can see how that would be her thing.’
Tessa nodded, her cheeks slightly red. She was one of those people who flushed when drinking. ‘Something like that.’
The bar phone rang. Bonnie picked it up, wedging it between her ear and her shoulder as she mixed up another pitcher of Memory Lane for Terrance the barista, who wasworking on his card memorization trick out on the patio. From the mild swearing that kept spilling inside, he wasn’t having much luck with the cards this time.
