One Golden Summer

by Clare Lydon

  “I like the beach house. I’m going to put an offer on it. One that can’t be turned down.”

  Ginger squealed. “I like what I’m hearing so far. Go on.”

  “Maybe I’ll adopt a dog. Take long walks every morning and night.”

  Ginger nodded her head enthusiastically. “Still good. Keep going.”

  “I’ve thought about buying one of the beach huts. Spend the day sketching or painting.”

  “Excellent. Creating art has always soothed your soul.”

  Saffron leaned back in her seat, taking a sip of the wine. “What should I name my dog?”

  “Wait.” Ginger bolted upright. “Is that the end of your plans?”

  “What else is there?”

  “Kirsty.” She made a duh face.

  “She doesn’t trust me.” Saffron pulled her own don’t be daft face.

  “It has to be earned.”

  “What’s the point, now?”

  “Don’t you dare do this to me!” Ginger waggled a finger threateningly at Saffron.

  “Do what?”

  “Give up on happiness because it scares you. I’m having my divorce party tomorrow—”

  “Exactly!”

  “No. Don’t try that shit with me. I married the wrong person. It took me this long to figure that out, but it doesn’t mean there isn’t the right person for me. Or for you.”

  “I’m not sure I believe that.” Saffron hunched her shoulders, sinking her head between them.

  “Is that right? Then why are you wallowing in self-pity? If you didn’t believe in love, you wouldn’t be hurting this much.”

  “Oh please—”

  “You and Kirsty make sense. You’re an old soul. She’s young at heart. When I see you two together, it’s clear as day that you guys belong together. Don’t give up on happiness because it got hard. I have news for you. The most worthwhile things in life take a lot of work. Every single day. The way I see it, you need to convince Kirsty how much you love her. Or you’ll never forgive yourself or be at peace.”

  Chapter 30

  “This pinata is bloody heavy.” Helena’s gaze was on Hugh, as he lugged the ring-shaped papier mâché pinata from one side of the venue to the other.

  “It needs to be. It’s a divorce party. There’s going to be a whole lot of anger to work through.” Kirsty checked her phone, then put it in her back pocket. She’d had no urgent messages in the past hour, which was a miracle.

  “Everything okay?” Helena’s cheeks were flushed after wheeling in some of the party wine.

  “Absolutely.” Kirsty raised a clenched fist. “Fired up and raring to go.”

  Helena set down the trolley and put an arm around Kirsty’s shoulder. “You should be very proud of yourself. Doing a divorce party in these circumstances is beyond brilliant.”

  Kirsty snorted. “Understatement of the year.”

  “Exactly. But you haven’t let it derail you. You’ve been professional to the last.” Helena swept her hand around the venue. “This place looks amazing, and that’s all down to you.”

  Kirsty had to admit, the venue looked stunning. The bare bones were great, being that the building was on a jetty with the open sea as its outlook, picture windows framing the vista all the way around. However, Kirsty had strung the place with fairy lights, and the small tables set up to make the most of the view were festooned with seasonal cosmos flowers. The tables also had laminated photos of Ginger with friends and family, showing she didn’t need a partner to be happy. It was a sentiment Kirsty could get behind.

  “It looks okay, doesn’t it?”

  “It looks stunning! I particularly like the bitchy cupcakes.” They wandered over to the table that held them. “Whoever came up with the slogans stuck in the top was genius. Was that you?”

  Kirsty nodded. “I ordered them online, but I’m still worried what Betty is going to say when she sees them. She bakes delicious cupcakes, and then I stick signs in them that say ‘Fuck You!’, ‘Good Riddance!’ and ‘Solo is My Jam!’”

  Now it was Helena’s turn to snort. “She’ll get over it.” She paused. “I also want you to know, you’ve been incredible the way you’ve dealt with the whole website hiccup, too. You’ve been the bigger person, and I appreciate that.”

  Kirsty nudged her friend with her elbow. “I couldn’t deal with my whole world falling apart at once. I needed some stability.” Plus, Helena had been a huge help the past two days since everything kicked off. Kirsty hadn’t heard from Saffron, which spoke volumes. She assumed she was turning up later for Ginger’s party, but who knew? The lure of Echo Black and the movie world might have whisked her away. Kirsty had removed Instagram from her phone so she couldn’t fixate. She had to get back to thinking about her new business venture and making tonight the best she could make it. If Saffron turned up, she would be polite but distant. She wouldn’t crumble to dust in front of her.

  Even though the thought of Saffron made Kirsty pine. She pressed her feet to the floor and focused on the sea out the window. It was calm, with no waves. Kirsty needed to emulate that body of water tonight. Not the wave-inducing kind.

  “Where do you want these balloons strung up, love?”

  Her dad’s shouting broke her thoughts. A swell of love made her heart expand as Kirsty looked over to her parents, who were both busy blowing up purple and pink balloons, then fastening them together. When finished, the balloon banner was going to spell ‘Happily Divorced!’, and hang on the far side of the space for everyone to see.

  “Right above the cake table.” Kirsty pointed towards the ceiling where she was standing. “The hooks are already there.” All that bunting hanging in the shop meant she was a pro.

  Her dad gave her a thumbs up.

  Mum put down a finished balloon and walked over, chuckling at the cake topper that had the bride throwing the groom into a toy bin lorry. “We never had this in my day, but I know a few friends who would have loved to have had one.” Her mum put a hand on her hip, and glanced up at Kirsty. “Would you have wanted to do one after you and Anna divorced?”

  Kirsty shook her head. “I don’t think so. I was too upset. But a party to draw a line when the dust had settled would have been nice. I think Ginger’s very brave doing this, making a statement.”

  Her mum rubbed her hands together. “It’s the Butlers in the Buff I’m looking forward to. When are the naked waiters getting here?”

  Kirsty laughed. “You’ll notice them when they arrive. Look for the naked arses and the aprons that barely cover much at all.”

  Three hours later and it was all systems go. The main food, to be served in bowls throughout the night, was seafood based and so would be cooked right before it was eaten.

  Kirsty stood at the end of the chef’s main pass, the staff a blur of activity around her. The oysters sat to her left in a vat of ice, the prawns beside them. She recalled the food tasting with Saffron. When things had just started to thaw after their first Echo Black interruption. Kirsty should have called it off there and then, shouldn’t she? Hindsight was a mighty impressive thing.

  She pushed open the door to the main space, loving the buttery afternoon light that flooded the space. They’d moved the cakes to the chiller cabinet to avoid them melting to gloop. The deck out front was going to be in full use tonight, so Helena and Hugh were decorating it with bunting and balloons. Kirsty was happily trading on their guilt to make them work and it was panning out well. To her right, the live band had arrived and were setting up on stage. In the far corner, the photobooth was being assembled.

  Kirsty turned her attention to the cocktail bar and Mia, their head bartender for the night. How old was she? 25? Almost half Kirsty’s age. She hoped working a divorce party wouldn’t scar her too much.

  “So you’re good on our Divorce Sour cocktail?” This was Ginger’s creation, emailed to Kirsty at 3am the night of her and Saffron’s meltdown. Just two days ago. It felt like two years. Kirsty had opened the email wondering if Ginge
r was playing go-between for her sister, but no. Instead, she’d received a badly spelled email listing the cocktail’s ingredients, also telling Kirsty that Dave could ‘go fuck himself’.

  “Got it.” Mia put her hand on top of a bottle of Bombay Sapphire gin. “Gin, bitters, egg white, sugar syrup and lime juice. I just boiled down some sugar syrup so we’ve got plenty of it.” She pointed to the basket of limes behind the bar. “Plus, Luke is arriving soon, and he’s got big muscles. I’m going to make him use them on these limes.”

  “Excellent.” Kirsty paused. “Have you tried it?”

  Mia nodded. “Made a couple last night. They were pretty good. The punters should be happy.”

  A tap on Kirsty’s shoulder made her jump. She turned, clutching her chest, to find Ginger behind her. “You scared the shit out of me!” Kirsty gave her a hug.

  “My apologies,” Ginger replied. “How’s the Divorce Sour coming along?”

  “Full of bitter regret, just the way you wanted it.” Mia gave Ginger a grin.

  “Cool.” She paused. “Do you mind if I steer Kirsty away for a few minutes?”

  It was a rhetorical question. Ginger took Kirsty by the elbow and out onto the deck, past Helena and Hugh, right to the edge.

  “Another step and I’d be in the sea.”

  “Don’t do that. Not until the party’s over.”

  Kirsty gave her a smile, staring across the water. The ocean never failed to calm her. She’d been kayaking again this morning. It had proved a lifeline in her stormy emotional seas.

  “What are you doing here, anyway?” Kirsty wagged a finger. “You should be getting your glad rags on and gearing up.” She pulled her phone from her shorts’ pocket. “It’s nearly 4.30.”

  Ginger gave her a dismissive wave. “I’m not high maintenance. Half an hour will do me. I just wanted to say thank you, before the party kicks off, for all your hard work. I know it hasn’t been easy, given the circumstances.”

  Regret slid down Kirsty, but she ignored it. Today was about Ginger and her new life. She wasn’t about to steal the limelight. “Whatever’s happened with your sister is nothing to do with the party. I’m still here for you 100 per cent.”

  Ginger stroked her arm. “I know, and I appreciate that.” She paused. “But I also wanted to let you know that you shouldn’t give up on Saffron. Nothing happened with her and Echo. I really think tonight could be the start of another story, too. You and my sister.”

  Kirsty shook her head. “I can’t think about that right now. I have to focus on my job. Plus, she thought the worst of me. I’m not sure that’s a great basis to start from.”

  Ginger gave a slow smile as she looked out to sea, before turning her gaze to Kirsty.

  “You and my sister are very alike, you know that? You’re both looking for love, but you’re both scared shitless. Plus, you’re both damaged from the past. But isn’t everyone?” She turned and pointed at the venue. “Look at me. Some people might see this as me celebrating a failure. That’s one way to look at it. Maybe I thought like that at one point. But today, thanks to your help, I see this as the start of a new future. Plus, a reason to drink fabulous cocktails and eat delicious cake. We need more of that in the world.”

  “Saffron and you are a bit like the sea.” Ginger waved her hand again. “Calm on the surface, but raging emotions underneath. Those emotions could be explosive in a good way, not a divisive way. I believe you’ve both experienced the worst side this week.”

  Kirsty dipped her head. A cannonball of emotion rolled through her, steamrollering her heart. “You could say that.”

  Ginger shook her head. “I can’t believe I’m saying this on the day of my divorce party, but I am, so you’d better listen.” She paused to check she had Kirsty’s attention.

  She did.

  “You’re both scared, but somebody needs to make the move. You could be happy. I think deep down, you both know that. Grasp happiness while it’s on offer. I still intend to when it next presents itself to me. I’ve just got divorced, but I’m still advocating for love. If I can do it, so can you.”

  Love? Kirsty’s heart clambered to its feet. She went to speak, but her throat was dry. Eventually, she spluttered: “Love? Has Saffron been talking about love?” Kirsty’s heart glowed like never before.

  Ginger reached out and squeezed her hand. “What do you think has been going on with the two of you?” She smiled. “Think about it. Do the party tonight, but when everything’s done, don’t run off. Talk to Saffron. You might just find what you’ve been looking for.”

  Chapter 31

  The band started to play “I Will Survive” and everyone hit the dance floor with Ginger in the middle, her arms raised as she continued bumping and grinding with all willing partygoers, singing along like her life depended on it. Even Ian danced with Betty, Kirsty’s father showcasing bumbling dad moves, but Saffron liked how he didn’t seem to give a damn.

  Everyone was pleasantly buzzed and having a ball.

  Well, everyone but Saffron, who’d been putting on a brave face and making small talk with the guests. Odds were no one suspected Saffron would rather be swimming naked in a pool of piranhas.

  The only person who Saffron hadn’t spoken to was Kirsty, the one Saff wanted to speak to most of all, but was terrified to the core. Apparently, Kirsty wasn’t in the mood for chit-chat either, because whenever Saffron was on one side of the party, Kirsty was on the exact opposite with her back turned. One time, they were almost in the same airspace, until Kirsty dashed off on some party mission.

  Surely, that meant Kirsty had made up her mind, and Saffron should steel her heart to forever being alone. The sole good news was she’d talked to a shelter about a rescue dog and would be meeting her the following day. Saffron had been bouncing around possible names, but the one that hung over her head like a cartoon bubble was Kirsty.

  Kirsty.

  “Yes?”

  Saffron spun around. “Um… did I say that aloud?”

  “You did.” Kirsty wet her lips.

  “Are you sure?” Saffron took a step back.

  “Are you calling me a liar?”

  “Not intentionally, no.” A sheen of sweat dampened the back of her shirt.

  “Does that mean your subconscious thinks I’m a liar?”

  “This isn’t going well for me, is it?”

  “Are you implying it’s going well for me?” Kirsty’s facial muscles lost some of their rigidity and her eyes glistened with interest.

  “You’re feisty today.” Saffron put a hand up. “No, I wasn’t hinting at anything by that. I’m just doing a terrible job of communicating tonight. I wish I could blame the Divorce Sours, but I haven’t had one.”

  “I recommend correcting that immediately.”

  “Are you saying I have a broken heart?” Saffron playfully crossed her arms.

  “I wouldn’t dream of inferring anything when it comes to you. It’s become apparent, I don’t know you all that well.”

  Saffron swallowed, unsure how to come back from that, because it was reminiscent to what Ginger had said the other night.

  “How’s Echo?”

  Saffron heaved a frustrated sigh. “I have no idea.”

  “Please. According to her socials you two plan to have a week away before filming starts for the next Girl Racer.” The only way to define the tone was ice-cold.

  Saffron slit her eyes to the point she could only see gold. Gold? Not red? She widened them enough to see the massive gold-ring pinata. “It’s a shame Ginger only took one whack.”

  Kirsty glanced over her shoulder. “Unfortunate timing with the arrival of the Butlers in the Buff.”

  Saffron snorted. “It’s hard to compete with nearly naked men.”

  “I never saw the appeal.” Kirsty’s gaze found one of the butlers, his black apron barely covering the goods aside from his exposed arse.

  Ruth’s friend seemed to intentionally drop something on the ground, that rolled behind the ge
ntleman, who felt compelled to turn around and retrieve it, ensuring he gave Shirley a jolly good show.

  Shirley and her gaggle of women cackled with joy, and Saffron shook her head, laughing.

  The band started “It’s Raining Men” resulting in Ginger shrieking.

  Kirsty returned a thumbs up from Ginger, before saying to Saffron, “Good job with the music, even though you’ve been a tit the last few days. I shouldn’t be surprised since you look like a pop star in that suit you ordered for Ginger.”

  Saffron looked down at the sequined silver trouser suit, tugging awkwardly on one of the black velvet lapels, but she looked back to the ring. “You know the saying: waste not, want not?”

  “Is that why you wore the suit?”

  “What? No. I was referring to the pinata. The party’s breaking up, aside from the diehard dancers. Shall we give it a go?” Saffron pointed to it.

  “I’ve never hit one.”

  “A pinata or a wedding ring?” Saffron jacked up one eyebrow.

  “Both.”

  “There’s a first for everything. Like when I went kayaking with you.”

  Kirsty started to smile, but it froze on her lips. “I’m not good at hitting things.”

  “It’s easy. Just pretend you’re striking my head with a bat.” Saffron handed Kirsty the weapon. “Whose idea was the rainbow-coloured stick?”

  “Mine. Every time I suggested something rainbow, Ginger shot me down, thinking I was on some not-so-hidden lesbian agenda. But I wanted to keep the party theme as light-hearted as possible. It’s not an end, but a beginning.”

  “Is there a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow?”

  “For Ginger.” Kirsty clutched the stick with both hands, looking unsure of what to do. “I think I’m supposed to be blindfolded.”

  “Right.” Saffron took up the scarf from the nearby table. “Turn around.”

  “How can I trust you won’t strangle me or anything?”

  “Says the woman holding a whacking stick.”