The Art of Friendship

by Lisa Ireland

  ‘Me and Libby? Yeah, I guess we are quite different these days. But we go back a long way.’

  ‘How did you meet?’

  ‘We were neighbours as kids. Libby’s family moved in across the road when I was eleven. We liked each other immediately and have been firm friends ever since.’

  ‘Ah, that explains it. You have shared history.’

  ‘What do you mean?’

  ‘There’s something about friends we form in childhood that makes them hard to let go, even when we no longer have anything in common.’

  ‘Oh, Libby and I have heaps in common,’ she protested.

  ‘Sorry. I didn’t mean to sound critical, I just assumed . . . I was just going on first impressions, that’s all. Forget I said anything.’

  Kit was slightly taken aback by his observation, but they were having such a nice morning that she didn’t want to spoil it by getting into a discussion that might end up being uncomfortable. ‘No worries. Let’s talk about something else. Like this bloody awesome espresso machine.’

  He looked at her empty cup. ‘Another one?’

  She nodded. ‘Please. This is one kitchen gadget I’d love to own.’

  ‘You should get one. They’re not cheap, but totally worth the expense in my opinion.’

  She shook her head vigorously. ‘If I had one I’d be reluctant to leave the house. Some days the only thing that gets me out of bed is the thought of the double shot latte waiting for me at the end of my train ride.’

  He laughed. ‘Yes, I know what you mean, but I have to admit I’m a bit of an addict. This baby keeps me going when I’m up working beyond midnight.’

  She screwed up her nose. ‘Does that happen often?’

  ‘Often enough to warrant an expensive coffee machine. But sometimes I do think I should make more of an effort to get out and about. I moved to Melbourne to take on this position. I was living in Gippsland before I started here, so I don’t really know that many people.’

  ‘What about the people you work with?’

  ‘Yeah, they’re all really good, and I do socialise with some of them, but when you’re the boss . . .’ He shrugged. ‘I don’t know, sometimes I feel like I might be cramping their style, you know? Like some of them can’t truly relax when I’m around. And you know what it’s like when you socialise with work people. You end up talking shop all the time. Sometimes I just want to leave all that behind. That’s one of the reasons I’ve loved spending so much time with you these past few days.’

  It was the perfect segue. Now was the time to tell him that this was just a fling, not an ongoing concern. It was all very lovely, but there wasn’t any future in it. ‘I’ve enjoyed spending time with you too,’ she began, but he interrupted her before she could finish the sentence.

  ‘Look, I know this has probably seemed a bit full-on to you, and to be honest I’m usually a bit more cautious when I start seeing someone, but in the spirit of straight shooting I just want to say . . . I like you, Kit.’ His cheeks flushed an adorable shade of pink. ‘Sorry. Is this a bit high school?’ He laughed. ‘I just thought I should be upfront so you know I’m not just . . . well, in it for the physical side of things. As lovely as that is.’ The pink in his cheeks had deepened into red and he was looking at his hands now.

  Before she could stop herself she reached over and placed her hand over his. ‘I like you too.’

  Chapter 18

  A week or so later, Kit pushed the trolley around the supermarket in a trance. She stared at the stocked shelves, completely unable to remember what she’d come in for. There was nothing in the house to eat, but she couldn’t think clearly enough to decide exactly what it was she might be cooking in the next few days. She needed cat food, she knew that much. At the moment her ability to concentrate on anything other than her personal life was severely diminished. If she wasn’t thinking about John, she was thinking about Libby. This not talking to each other thing was total bullshit and Kit had decided she was going to do something about it.

  For the first time in a long time she actually had something worth discussing with Libby, something she wanted to get off her chest. She wanted to tell her that she’d met someone, and that while it was probably just a fling, it was a nice one and right now was making her feel happy and optimistic. But after what John had told her about his meeting with Libby she was afraid that she couldn’t be completely honest about what was going on in her life.

  She’d ended up spending almost the whole weekend at John’s place and they never did have the conversation about keeping their relationship casual. Now she couldn’t get the bloke out of her head. It was Thursday and she’d managed to stay away from him so far, but there was a plan in place for them to catch up for breakfast on Saturday morning. She knew she should cancel before this thing got any more out of control than it already was. She needed to tell him she didn’t do relationships. The trouble was, she liked him. And it wasn’t just the sex – although she had to admit that was definitely part of the appeal. Being with John was easy. She felt completely comfortable. Maybe it was because they’d got the sex out of the way early, so they weren’t playing that seductive game with each other, wondering if it was ever going to happen. Or maybe it was his honesty. He’d been totally upfront with her and she respected him for that. But now she had an uncomfortable feeling in her gut because she was the one playing games. When she’d met him she’d thought seducing him would be a bit of a lark. She’d been attracted to him in spite of his conservative looks and manner. Or maybe because of it.

  Fuck, this analysing shit was hard work. No wonder Libby looked so bloody anxious all the time. Kit couldn’t stop thinking about him and she needed someone to talk some sense into her. Perhaps she could discuss the situation without telling Libby who John was. It wasn’t as if she really needed to know at this point. His identity would only become an issue if the two of them became a couple, and let’s face it, the odds of that happening were pretty slim.

  John aside, she needed to sort out this not-speaking thing with Libby. Enough time had passed for her to have cooled down. Kit would just need to bite the bullet and apologise for overstepping the mark, if that’s what it took. She was still upset about Libby’s jibe about her not being a mother, though on reflection she realised that Libby had only lashed out because she was so distressed. It seemed they’d both made mistakes – intentional or not – and Kit just wanted to put the whole sorry incident behind her. She couldn’t stand this cold war any longer.

  Fortunately tomorrow night was the opening of the footy season for the Doggies and she’d already organised to pick Harry up to take him to the game. So the plan was to call Libby and see if she was free for a catch-up for an hour or so before she and Harry had to leave. Obviously Libby was still pissed off at her, and even though Kit thought the whole thing was ridiculous she was prepared to grovel if she had to, just to get things back on an even keel. Besides, Libby wouldn’t be able to resist a big deep and meaningful.

  Kit looked down at her trolley and incredibly it was half full. She had no idea whether she had everything she required, but she’d have to make do. She needed to get through the checkout and load this stuff into the car so she could make her call.

  Ten minutes later she was sitting inside her car in the Coles car park, painfully aware that there was a tub of ice cream in the boot that was beginning to melt. She opened the favourites list in her phone and pressed Libby’s name.

  ‘Hi,’ she said when Libby answered. ‘How are things with you?’

  ‘Fine, thanks.’ There was no warmth in Libby’s voice.

  ‘Lib, I’m sorry I stormed off the way I did last week, it’s just that –’

  ‘I know why you left the way you did. And despite how angry I was about what had happened, I should never have said what I did. It was totally insensitive. I was mad at you at the time and I didn’t stop to think about what I was say
ing.’

  ‘Are you still mad at me?’

  Libby sighed. ‘Look, Kit, I’m not going to lie, I wish you’d handled it differently, and I really hate that you kept me in the dark. I felt . . . disrespected, I guess. I’m not going to tell you that I’m completely okay with what’s happened, but in hindsight I can see you were in a difficult position. And it has actually worked out for the best. We have decided to go a different way with Harry’s schooling.’ Her voice was strained, so obviously she was still pissed off, but at least she was trying. Kit could work with that.

  ‘Oh really?’ Of course she already knew about Libby pulling Harry out of Claybourne, but she could hardly say so. ‘I’ll be interested to hear about your decision when I see you.’ She paused for Libby’s reply, but none came, so she continued on. ‘So I’m coming over tomorrow night to pick up Harry for the footy and I was just wondering if you had plans?’

  ‘I hate football, Kit, you know that.’

  ‘Oh, that’s not what I meant. I was thinking I could come over earlier and maybe you and I could have a coffee. We could even go to that coffee shop at the clubhouse you were telling me about, if you like? I want to hear all about Harry and I’ve got some stuff I really want to talk to you about.’

  ‘Sorry, I have other plans. I’m meeting Alli for dinner. I figured it was a good opportunity seeing as Harry will be occupied all evening. Cam usually goes to drinks with the executive team after work on a Friday night so I figured, why not?’

  ‘Oh.’ She hadn’t counted on Libby being busy. ‘Well, can we make it another time soon? Maybe Sunday?’

  ‘Sorry, Sunday’s out too.’

  Kit noted that she didn’t offer any excuse. She smiled wryly. That was a strategy she’d tried to teach Libby over the years. She’d lost count of the times she’d told her, ‘Just say no. You don’t have to say why. You don’t owe anyone an explanation for how you choose to spend your time.’ Libby had never been great at saying no, and always felt compelled to offer a long-winded excuse on the odd occasion when she was forced to refuse a request. But apparently not anymore. ‘Okay, well, when are you free?’

  ‘I’m actually quite busy at the moment . . .’ Libby paused, as if she was trying to work out how to word what she wanted to say next. ‘But I do need to talk to you too. Hang on, let me just check my calendar on the iPad.’

  Wow. Checking the calendar. Obviously Libby’s social life was a lot more crowded than Kit had imagined.

  ‘What about Saturday morning? We can meet at that café you like in Williamstown.’

  Kit thought about her breakfast plans with John. If she made that early she could still meet Libby when they were done. ‘Sure, that would be great. Does ten suit?’

  ‘Sure. Look, Kit, I have to run. Hope you and Harry have a good time at the footy tomorrow night. He’s really looking forward to it.’

  ‘I’ll make an AFL player out of him yet.’

  ‘Don’t you dare. I’m serious, Kit, if he decides to start playing I’ll never forgive you.’

  ‘I don’t think you have anything to worry about. I should have got to him earlier.’

  Libby didn’t laugh at her attempt at a joke. ‘Okay. Well, see you Saturday.’

  Chapter 19

  Libby spied Alli – looking even more gorgeous than usual – sitting at a corner booth in the restaurant. They’d decided to meet at a bar in Altona to reduce the chance of being seen by anyone they knew. Even though Libby felt slightly ridiculous running around behind the backs of the other women, she had to admit it was a tiny bit thrilling at the same time. It felt great to be singled out by Alli as the person she most wanted to spend time with, and Libby really needed to talk to someone about Harry and about Cam, and also about the situation with Kit.

  Alli’s hairdresser was in Altona and she had a regular Friday afternoon appointment, so Libby had organised to meet her for drinks and dinner when she was done. Alli suggested they meet at five in a local bistro. ‘That way we can start with drinks and move on to dinner. After all, the boys are always out late on a Friday night. Why shouldn’t we kick up every now and then and have some fun?’

  Alli looked up as Libby made her way over to the table. ‘Hi,’ she said, raising her glass in the air. ‘I was done a little earlier than I expected so I ordered us a bottle of bubbly. I hope you don’t mind that I started without you?’

  ‘Of course not.’ Libby eyed the half-empty champagne bottle Alli was pouring from. Clearly her friend had a decent head start.

  ‘So what news in your world? How’s Harry’s transition to Braeton going? The girls said they haven’t seen him yet.’

  Libby sighed. ‘It’s going okay, I think. He doesn’t start as a full-time boarder until after the school holidays. Now that his enrolment’s confirmed we decided on a gradual transition. I’ve taken him down there three days this week. The first two days they had him doing all sorts of assessment tasks and meeting with the staff in the wellness centre. Yesterday he had a tour of the dorms and meetings with the head of his year and a mentor from year twelve. Next week he’ll go as a day student and continue on as such until the holidays. Next term he’ll be there full-time. I’m really not looking forward to that.’

  ‘Honestly, Libby, he’ll love it there. The wellness centre is fantastic. It’s compulsory for all students to meet with a counsellor there at least twice a term, so no one will bat an eyelid at Harry spending time in the centre.’

  ‘Yes, the head explained that and I have to say it’s a big relief. To be honest, Alli, I can’t stop thinking about what happened. What if there is something wrong with Harry and I can’t see it? What if I’ve been raising a monster? I don’t think Harry’s a bad kid, but . . .’

  Alli reached over and lightly touched Libby’s forearm. ‘Harry’s not a monster, I’m sure. But it can’t hurt for him to talk to someone. Kids lead such stressful lives these days. I think it’s of great benefit for them to have someone to debrief with. And I believe the counsellors at the wellness centre are very good.’

  Libby nodded. ‘I agree. It’s not that I didn’t want Harry to receive counselling, it’s just the way the principal at Claybourne made me feel judged. He made me feel like a terrible mother who was raising a potential serial killer. I just felt like he wasn’t prepared to give Harry a fair go, you know?’

  Alli nodded. ‘You won’t have to worry about that at Braeton. He’s starting with a clean slate, and really, Libby, it’s the most wonderful school. It’ll be the making of Harry, you mark my words. These days I have to beg the girls to come home for the odd weekend. They love being there so much that they’d rather be at school than at home.’ She laughed, but Libby thought she saw a twinge of regret in her eyes.

  ‘I hope that doesn’t happen with Harry. I’m going to miss him terribly. I can’t imagine not seeing him for weeks at a time.’

  ‘Well, he’ll probably want to come home on weekends, at least in the beginning. It’ll give you both time to adjust.’

  Libby nodded. She still hadn’t reconciled herself to the fact that her baby was essentially leaving home, but enrolling him as a boarder at Braeton Grammar School was the only way to pacify Cameron after she’d withdrawn Harry from Claybourne.

  ‘How’s Cam been with it all?’ Alli asked, as if reading her mind.

  ‘Well, he was furious with me to begin with, as you know. But thanks to Greg’s intervention he’s now completely sold on the idea of Braeton. Thinks it’ll toughen Harry up. Cam’s convinced it’s the best decision we ever made. Now it’s me who’s not so sure.’

  ‘Oh honey, Cam’s right. Harry will be fine, I promise you.’

  ‘God I hope so, because if this doesn’t work, I don’t know what we’ll do. Thanks so much for all your help with this, Alli. I really appreciate everything you and Greg did to help Harry get into the school. It would have been so humiliating for us if we hadn’t been
able to get a place in a quality school. Imagine what people would be saying if we’d had to resort to sending him to a public high school.’ God, had she really just uttered those words? In her mind’s eye she saw Kit rolling her eyes at how shallow she’d become.

  But Alli was nodding. ‘I understand completely. People can be such gossips. Felicity couldn’t wait to ask me if I had any insider goss on why Harry was leaving Claybourne.’

  ‘What did you say?’

  ‘Don’t worry, I didn’t tell her much and I made sure I put a positive spin on it all. I just said that the whole fight thing had been a simple misunderstanding that you and the principal had sorted out. I also gave her the “confidential” news that Harry had been tested academically and it appeared that he was gifted. I might have insinuated that Claybourne wasn’t equipped to cope with Harry’s level of giftedness.’

  Libby burst out laughing. ‘Oh God, you didn’t!’

  ‘I did indeed. The look on Felicity’s face was priceless.’

  As Alli continued to describe her conversation with Felicity, Libby felt the tension in her shoulders ease. This blossoming friendship with Alli was the best part of the move to Melbourne so far.

  The thought felt somehow disloyal to Kit, but it was true. Alli was so easy to be around. She was light and funny and she listened to everything Libby had to say with interest. It suddenly occurred to Libby that Alli was the first proper friend she’d made as an adult. Oh, there’d been plenty of acquaintances over the years. People she’d been thrown together with and quite liked as it turned out – like her friends in Sydney – but no one who she’d felt that zing of chemistry with. That feeling that this was someone who was meant to be in her life. Sure Alli was the wife of Cam’s colleague, but so were Felicity and Georgina and she didn’t feel the same way about them. What she had with Alli was different. Different from what she had with Kit too. Her growing friendship with Alli felt more legitimate somehow, because Alli liked her for who she was now, not the awkward child she had been years ago. Ever since they’d confided in each other during the trip to Malaysia, she’d felt a connection with Alli, and since their return it had only grown stronger. More and more Libby was finding it was Alli she thought of to tell when something was bothering her.