“Drinking through the pain’s never a good idea.”
I knew it was futile to point out but I wanted to be able to say I had warned her.
“You know, we picked out our unborn children’s names when we were sixteen. By nineteen we’d figured out what we were going to do when the kids left home,” she took a big sip of her drink, “we were going to buy an apple farm and brew ciders.”
“You can still have that with someone else someday. Someone who will make you feel things that Charlie never made you feel.”
Her laughter was cynical. My word choice had been poor considering what Charlie had said I realized now.
“The sex had been dull lately,” she admitted. “But there’s more to a relationship then sex,” she tried to justify herself.
“Maybe, but intense passion does compensate for a lot of crap that would otherwise drive you insane.”
I smiled as I thought about Nate and me. With him, I felt more passion than with anyone else, and in turn more anger. Bittersweet was the fruit of life.
“I hated his pancakes!” She shouted as she downed her drink and gestured to the bartender for another one. I hoped his pancake recipe wasn’t the only thing she hated about him. I needed something a little more substantial than that.
“I hated the way he never supported your writing. You always supported his professional goals. I mean, no one but you thought he would be a great photographer,” I said, thinking back to the countless times Charlie had laughed as Maddie outlined her newest plot. I always believed in her ability, I wanted to see her finish something. Charlie hadn’t thought she would ever make it as a writer.
“I thought his photos were stupid. Not artistic, just stupid.” She was getting angry now, no doubt thinking of the times he had read her opening chapters and picked them apart. Maybe that was why she had never finished something.
“Yeah!” I cheered her on, wanting her to see Charlie for who he was and not who or what they had been together. Hopefully they didn’t ever want to get back together or I would have a lot of backtracking to do.
“I hated the way he dressed. I mean, what type of man wears printed shirts!”
“What was he thinking when he got dressed in the morning?” I asked, thinking of all the ridiculous outfits I’d had to compliment him on. He really had no sense of style. I had never seen anyone try harder to be fashionable than him.
“He didn’t like dogs!” She shouted, getting more and more animated. “I want a dog!”
“You know who don’t like dogs?” I asked her, “serial killers and sociopaths!” I answered my own question.
She stopped drinking suddenly, her eyes widening in shock as a pretty blonde walked into the bar wearing a skimpy dress. I froze in fear, terrified that the woman was who I was assuming she was. The only woman who could put that psychotic look on Maddie’s otherwise docile face. Surely it was too big a coincidence, then again it was the only bar in town.
“That’s her. I found pictures of them on his phone.”
Maddie didn’t breath as the woman walked over to the bar to order a drink. She turned to me, a friendly smile on her face.
“You’re Logan Blake!” She squealed excitedly until she looked over my shoulder and saw Maddie.
“And you’re Chuck’s ex,” her voice lost all its warmth. Why I had no idea, it wasn’t like she was the one scorned and betrayed.
“Chuck?” Maddie rose to her feet to stand closer to the blonde, her body visibly trembling with rage. I stood up in front of her, wanting to keep a distance between the two women. Maddie was far too delicate for prison.
“Look, no hard feelings. You can’t control the heart,” she sighed as if bored by this conversation.
“You can’t control your vagina, bitch!” The bar went silent as those words erupted from Maddie.
I had never heard her say vagina before. Under any other circumstances I would have laughed.
Before I could stop her, Maddie picked up the glass of red wine the bartender had put in front of the woman and poured it over her blonde head. The woman screamed in outrage.
“My hair,” she grabbed a napkin, “my dress!”
The dress wasn’t really a loss in my opinion.
“I couldn’t control myself,” Maddie laughed quite wickedly, her actions seizing the attention of the entire bar. It was like watching a scene from a movie. Stuff like this just didn’t happen in Chester.
“You’re going down, butterball!” The woman shoved Maddie hard enough to send her backwards against the barstool. I tried to pull Maddie back, lifting a leg to try and keep the other woman at a distance. Of course, like shell-shocked buffoons the bar patrons just stared in disbelief that two woman were now fighting and a celebrity chef with a broken arm was trying to keep them apart. Maddie flew past me, lunging towards the woman. I had no idea what she would do next. I couldn’t imagine her hitting someone.
“Can someone please help?” I shouted at the men and women who just watched with open mouths.
“Sure,” a female voice said calmly behind us. “You three. You’re under arrest.”
We all stopped instantly, turning around to see a police officer standing a few feet away watching us with an amused expression.
“Shit,” I groaned, knowing we were in for a long night. How was I ever going to explain this to my publicist?
Chapter Ten
“I’m so sorry, Logan,” Maddie said as she sat beside me in the local police station cell. “Is this going to damage your career?”
I laughed wearily, my head and arm pounding. I was in dire need of another painkiller now.
“Who doesn’t want to watch a chef who gets into a bar fight on holiday?” I tried to make her feel better, wondering whether Ollie would make it here soon. I’d called him half an hour ago. He was probably making sure his phone was charged. He’d want pictures.
“Are you going to apologise to me?” Kate asked from the far side of the cell. “I could sue you for like, emotional distress and the cost of my dress.”
We’d learnt after getting arrested together that the blonde from the bar was called Kate.
“You paid for that dress?” I asked incredulously, glad to see Maddie smile.
“There are my two little criminals,” Ollie said as he, Nate and the female officer who arrested us walked into the room. “Which one of you is Thelma?”
His voice was brimming with laughter. I’d never hear the end of it, the time I came to town, got his business trashed, got attacked and then got thrown in prison for a bar fight. Come to think of it I was on a rampage these days, a crime spree really.
“You shouldn’t tease me. I’ve learnt how to make a shank. Pris has taught me a lot of things,” I told him mockingly. He laughed, definitely amused by the situation. If I didn’t make a joke of it, I would likely start crying soon.
“I had to come see this for myself.” Nate leaned against the cell bars to stare at us like animals in the zoo.
“They were causing quite the public disruption,” the officer smiled, standing awfully close to Nate. I tried not to stare. “It seems Logan’s brought trouble to town as usual.”
I stared at the Officer. Her comment seemed personal.
“Do I know you?” I asked her.
From the familiar body language between her and Nate I was guessing she was an ex.
“Third period English,” she offered. Her hint was not in the least bit helpful. My face must have been blank because she turned to Nate and rolled her eyes. He smiled, obviously a private little joke between them. I wanted to chunder.
“Did you bring my pain killers?” I ignored the officer and turned to Ollie, walking over to the cell gate stiffly. I’d be amused about the events of tonight when my arm no longer hurt so much I was tempted to self-amputate.
“Sorry, of course.” My brother pulled them from his satchel. Officer Third Period English unlocked the door and let Maddie and me out. I swallowed the pills without water.
�
��I’m sorry Logan. You’re so hurt. I shouldn’t have dragged you out tonight.” Maddie looked upset at my discomfort. I put a hand on her shoulder.
“You couldn’t drag me somewhere if you tried. I wanted to go.”
I turned to look at Nate. He was standing talking to the officer, their bodies barely an inch apart. I was over today. Actually, I was over this week.
Charlie walked into the room as we headed to the exit, his face wrought with tension as he caught sight of Maddie.
“You attacked my girlfriend?” He shouted at her.
Ollie wrapped an arm around her shoulder in support.
“Attacks a strong word,” I snapped, already angry from sitting in jail for two hours and then seeing Nate interact with a woman who was obviously an ex and had arrested me. “More like, she engaged in a conversation with your girlfriend that took a turn for the worst.”
“Shut up, Logan,” he growled, staring at Maddie as he waited for an answer.
“Let’s go,” Maddie said as she and Ollie pushed past Charlie. I followed behind. I turned to tell Nate we were leaving when I saw the officer wrap her arms around his neck and kiss him invitingly on the cheek. I walked out before I could see what his reaction was. What we’d been doing was silly. I was going home next week. He was staying here. It was essentially a fling. And a fling shouldn’t make you feel so deeply. It should be fun and light-hearted and not make you want to burst into tears at the sight of that person being kissed by another.
Ollie dropped us both at Maddie’s house. I figured she shouldn’t be alone after the night’s events. I didn’t want to be in a house with Nate so it worked out well anyway.
I stepped inside the house while she and Ollie remained on the doorstep. I could hear them from the living room. It was hard not to eavesdrop.
“Thank you for bailing us out,” she said to him. She seemed awkward for some reason, her arms folded tightly in front of her.
“Charlie’s an idiot if he can’t see you’re worth a hundred Kate’s.” I’d never head that tone in my brother’s voice before. I’d seen him speak to countless girlfriends but never with that tone. He seemed, uncomfortable.
I couldn’t help but spy on them from the window when I could no longer hear them talk.
I watched as Maddie leaned in towards Ollie. I saw him take a step back from her. An uneasy silence settled between them. Neither of them seemed to know what to say now.
I was about to go out there to break up the moment for them when Ollie finally spoke.
“When you’re fully sober and no longer hurting or looking to hurt Charlie, I’d like to take you out to dinner,” He took control of the situation with a smile. I wanted to squeal. He would treat her much better than Charlie ever had.
“I- I mean I guess if you want,” her hesitation wiped the smile off his face. I wanted to go out there and give him a comforting hug. He said a quick goodbye, hurrying to his car without looking back. I left the window before Maddie came in, heading to the kitchen to pull out a tub of ice creams. I figured we both deserved it after the night we’d had. Prison had been rough.
“So, who was the Officer?” I asked as we binged. Maddie seemed unsettled, whether it was over her actions at the bar or Ollie I wasn’t sure. I had never seen her behave so aggressively. It was nice that she was willing to stand up for herself, hopefully next time just not to the point that she ended up in jail. As for Ollie, well I don't think she was even nearly ready to handle that.
“Lia Morrison,” she said, her mind obviously not focused on the conversation.
The name triggered a hazy memory of a shy, studious girl with a cute face and a bad wardrobe. I was surprised she had become a cop. If she was who I was thinking of, I always remembered her talking about becoming a psychologist. Lia and I had never really been friends. We’d sat together for a term in English and had barely exchanged five sentences. We’d had little in common back then.
“Lia and Nate?” I asked, wondering what they were doing now and then kicking myself for bringing that mental picture into my mind. I lost my appetite.
“They dated for about eight months. Broke up about a year ago. I think Lia’s always wanted him back.” It finally dawned on her what we were discussing. She gave me a sympathetic look. “I’m sorry but I really don’t think he’s into her. ”
“Stop apologising, you’re losing your recently earned street cred.” We both laughed. Even a bar fight and two hours in lockdown didn’t give Maddie a dangerous vibe.
“We are pathetic. I mean, you’re literally bruised and broken and I’m a hot mess,” she let out an uneasy breath. It’s hard to handle where your life was sometimes. I didn’t ask her how she felt about Ollie. I figured she’d confide when she was ready. She needed time to process all the changes in her life.
“Hey, we are both hot messes. Don’t hog that title!”
We spent a few more minutes together in the kitchen before we went our separate ways. Her house was a cute one-bedroom cottage so I took the couch much to her objections. If she’d had her way I’d be in her room and she’d have the couch.
My phone rang as I was drifting off to sleep. I saw Nate’s name on the screen. I choose not to pick up.
Chapter Eleven
It was the day before Sail’s opening and I’d managed to successfully avoid Nate for 24 hours. After three unanswered calls and four ignored texts he’d given up. No doubt after figuring out Lia was a much easier option than me. I’d stayed at Maddie’s the last two nights, enjoying the peace and quiet of her home and spending time with my best friend. Especially after footage of me being arrested hit the web. Between my assault and my arrest my name was everywhere. I blamed social media for this. Everyone just had to have a smartphone at the ready to capture others humiliation and then upload it.
“Nate wants to know why you’re pissed,” Ollie said the words without any interest as he diced potatoes in the kitchen. He’d asked me yesterday if I would make the breads for the opening night. Breads were sort of my speciality so I’d been more than happy to help. Since my arm was in cast though, I was preparing to teach Ollie the art of bread making. I had little faith in his abilities. Making bread was a lesson in patience, which was not my brother’s strong suit. I thought back to his actions towards Maddie, maybe I was wrong. Maybe I hadn’t seen the patient side of him.
“You were right. I thought about what happens when I leave on Monday. We shouldn’t start anything. He should be with someone like Lia, someone who actually lives here.”
My brother gave me a knowing look, his eyes consoling.
“He was wondering whether you saw Lia kiss him.”
“It doesn’t matter,” I dismissed the comment with a lie. Of course it fucking mattered but I didn’t want Nate to know that. I didn’t want him to know that I hadn’t slept well the last two nights because I missed him beside me. One night together and I missed him.
“Seeing someone you love with someone else is never easy but Nate broke up with Lia ages ago. They’re not back together.” His words were like water after a long run. I wanted to smile in relief until I thought about what happened when I left and Lia was there for Nate and I wasn’t. They would get back together in time. There weren’t that many eligible young single people in town after all.
“Is that how you felt about Maddie and Charlie?” I saw my brother flinch, as if my comment had hit a nerve.
“It doesn’t matter,” he threw my words back at me and I laughed. What a pair we were. He laughed after a few seconds, walking over to where I sat preparing the dough to give me a hug. I held onto him tightly, letting go when I heard someone clear their throat.
I looked over to see Nate standing at the door watching our little display of family love. Ollie went back to dicing potatoes, shooting a pitying look my way as Nate headed in my direction.
“Can we talk?” It was a question but Nate’s tone didn’t make it sound like one.
“I’m really busy making bread.” I turned my bac
k on him to focus on my task at hand, wondering how I was ever going to explain the concept of kneading to my brother.
“Fine, then we’ll do this in front of Ollie,” he challenged.
“I’m out.” Ollie left the kitchen, ignoring my calls of ‘traitor’ and ‘Judas’,
I put on my best intimidating glare and turned to face Nate. His glare was far superior.
“So you saw Lia kiss me on the cheek and your reaction was to ignore me till you left town?” I wasn’t sure if I was meant to answer the question, it sounded rhetorical.
“I saw you with Lia and I realised that you and I have no future. At least, right now.”
My throat was tight, the words coming out more emotionally than I intended. With Nate I could never handle my emotions, another reason this was not simply a fling. This was a relationship that was going to be all consuming. There would be no halfway with us.
“Thank you for making the decision for the both of us,” his words were sarcastic.
“Why are you pushing this? It seems like you and Lia have a lot more in common than you and me.”
“So you’re jealous?” He continued in disbelief, “What? You thought I spent five years alone pining for you while you dated every handsome guy you met, including my brother?”
“What do you want from me Nate? Because I don’t think you even know who I am anymore.” He tried to interrupt my rapidly rising voice but I put a finger to his mouth to silence him. “You spent more time dating Lia than you’ve spent with me for the better part of five years!”
“You think I don’t know you?” He went deathly calm, his expression painfully neutral.
I started to question my assumption. He did know me, too well maybe.
“What do you want from me?” Tears started to roll down my cheeks. I never cried during a fight. I was calm, usually rational.
Love Simmers Page 5
