“Can you take these to Frank? He’s outside at the bar.”
“Sure.” I couldn’t remember her name. I said, “The margaritas must flow!” It was supposed to be funny but came out sounding lame. I picked up the bowl of cut limes and went out to the back deck.
The heat had let up now that the sun was going down, and a DJ was set up next to the keg on the lawn. Lisa never said anything about having a DJ. I had no idea where she came from. The lawn was thick with people dancing on the grass. Deep in the crowd, I caught a glimpse of Lisa’s blond hair and her arms up over her head.
My nerves were doing their own dance in my stomach. Inhale…exhale… I’m such a wimp. I will not freak out. This is practice. If I could get through this party, maybe I could face Foresthill.
Foresthill. See? I could think the word and not fall apart, as long as I wasn’t blindsided by it. I’d been thinking about Steve’s offer all afternoon. All my student loans paid. It would change my world. And if I found what Steve wanted and got the bonus, we could get the new roof the house desperately needed. Stacey could start college this fall without going into debt.
“Hey, Nora, are those for over here?” Lisa’s boyfriend Frank called to me from the makeshift bar in a corner of the deck. He poured a red mixture into a cocktail shaker along with some ice and said, “Come get some.”
I set the limes on the bar as he threw away the empty bottle of cheap vodka. Frank did everything with precision, and he always cleaned up his mess as he went. Plus he was happy all the time and played well with others. He was twenty-five, two years older than us, all angles and sharp edges, with light brown hair, hazel eyes, and a great smile, and he was super strong from working with horses and alpacas at the equine center.
He poured his masterpiece into two plastic martini glasses, squeezed a lime wedge in each, and handed one to me. “Cranberry martini a la Frank.”
I downed the cold drink in two gulps. “Oh, yeah. This recipe is a keeper.”
He refilled my glass from the shaker and we sat down on the deck steps together. I forced myself to watch the dancing. I didn’t mind all the people in the house, but the ones on the lawn made me nervous as hell. They’re friends , I told myself. Friends of friends, anyway. Harmless.
I remembered what Steve said outside Dr. Barton’s office: Face your fear and get to the other side of it . Something like that. Great concept. I’d get right on it.
“I have a feeling I’ll need a few more of these,” I told Frank.
“We all have our little crosses to bear,” he said as we clunked our plastic glasses together.
I finished my drink and set the glass down on the step beside me. I needed the alcohol, but I was drinking too fast.
“Speaking of crosses to bear, he’s back,” Frank said. “How nice.”
Lisa and Brad emerged from the dancing crowd. Frank had come to a kind of peace with the situation. They met here at the house last semester when Brad joined our study group. It was obvious right away Brad liked Lisa, but Frank seemed to ignore the fact.
When I asked him about it once, he quoted Sun-tzu: Keep your friends close, and your enemies closer.
“Did you meet his friend yet?” I said. Brad had left earlier after remembering he was supposed to give a friend a ride. “Apparently the guy’s been out of work for a while, and Brad thinks he needs some fun in his life.”
“Let’s hope he’s not one of those bozos.” Frank indicated a group of idiots over by the keg, doing shots and harassing each other like they were still in high school.
“My thoughts exactly.”
The bozos were obnoxious and loud. One guy shoved another and made him spill his beer all over himself. “Hey, dude! I look like I pissed my pants!” The others shrieked with laughter. My hands started to clench. I shook them and wiggled my fingers until the feeling passed.
I shifted my focus back to Lisa and Brad.
“Sure.” I couldn’t remember her name. I said, “The margaritas must flow!” It was supposed to be funny but came out sounding lame. I picked up the bowl of cut limes and went out to the back deck.
The heat had let up now that the sun was going down, and a DJ was set up next to the keg on the lawn. Lisa never said anything about having a DJ. I had no idea where she came from. The lawn was thick with people dancing on the grass. Deep in the crowd, I caught a glimpse of Lisa’s blond hair and her arms up over her head.
My nerves were doing their own dance in my stomach. Inhale…exhale… I’m such a wimp. I will not freak out. This is practice. If I could get through this party, maybe I could face Foresthill.
Foresthill. See? I could think the word and not fall apart, as long as I wasn’t blindsided by it. I’d been thinking about Steve’s offer all afternoon. All my student loans paid. It would change my world. And if I found what Steve wanted and got the bonus, we could get the new roof the house desperately needed. Stacey could start college this fall without going into debt.
“Hey, Nora, are those for over here?” Lisa’s boyfriend Frank called to me from the makeshift bar in a corner of the deck. He poured a red mixture into a cocktail shaker along with some ice and said, “Come get some.”
I set the limes on the bar as he threw away the empty bottle of cheap vodka. Frank did everything with precision, and he always cleaned up his mess as he went. Plus he was happy all the time and played well with others. He was twenty-five, two years older than us, all angles and sharp edges, with light brown hair, hazel eyes, and a great smile, and he was super strong from working with horses and alpacas at the equine center.
He poured his masterpiece into two plastic martini glasses, squeezed a lime wedge in each, and handed one to me. “Cranberry martini a la Frank.”
I downed the cold drink in two gulps. “Oh, yeah. This recipe is a keeper.”
He refilled my glass from the shaker and we sat down on the deck steps together. I forced myself to watch the dancing. I didn’t mind all the people in the house, but the ones on the lawn made me nervous as hell. They’re friends , I told myself. Friends of friends, anyway. Harmless.
I remembered what Steve said outside Dr. Barton’s office: Face your fear and get to the other side of it . Something like that. Great concept. I’d get right on it.
“I have a feeling I’ll need a few more of these,” I told Frank.
“We all have our little crosses to bear,” he said as we clunked our plastic glasses together.
I finished my drink and set the glass down on the step beside me. I needed the alcohol, but I was drinking too fast.
“Speaking of crosses to bear, he’s back,” Frank said. “How nice.”
Lisa and Brad emerged from the dancing crowd. Frank had come to a kind of peace with the situation. They met here at the house last semester when Brad joined our study group. It was obvious right away Brad liked Lisa, but Frank seemed to ignore the fact.
When I asked him about it once, he quoted Sun-tzu: Keep your friends close, and your enemies closer.
“Did you meet his friend yet?” I said. Brad had left earlier after remembering he was supposed to give a friend a ride. “Apparently the guy’s been out of work for a while, and Brad thinks he needs some fun in his life.”
“Let’s hope he’s not one of those bozos.” Frank indicated a group of idiots over by the keg, doing shots and harassing each other like they were still in high school.
“My thoughts exactly.”
The bozos were obnoxious and loud. One guy shoved another and made him spill his beer all over himself. “Hey, dude! I look like I pissed my pants!” The others shrieked with laughter. My hands started to clench. I shook them and wiggled my fingers until the feeling passed.
I shifted my focus back to Lisa and Brad.
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