“Well hell,” Walsh said.
“Well hell?” I asked into the receiver. “That doesn’t sound very exciting and it doesn’t sound like you’re happy for me.”
“I’m completely happy for you baby sister. I just can’t believe you finally got a boyfriend. I was afraid Maddie would just end up having an old spinster for an aunt.”
I grunted at his comment. “I would never ever be an old spinster. I’d be the coolest aunt on the planet. Always and forever cool but never old and never a spinster.”
“Well, you’re no spring chicken so I’m glad you snagged yourself one.”
I could hear him laughing at his own joke on the other end of the line. “Walsh Montgomery. You take that back.”
“I’ll do no such thing. That was funny and you know it.”
I didn’t say anything. He knew I thought it was funny too, but I just didn’t want to give him credit for it.
“You know I’m happy for you. I know how happy you’ve been since you met Mr. Beautiful. I’m glad it’s official that you’re in a relationship.”
“Every time I say it, I start grinning like the damn Cheshire cat.”
“You deserve it. You’ve got so much love in your heart to give and I’m glad you found a recipient worth while.”
“Thank you,” I sighed into the phone. “He makes me happy.”
“The offer still stands to kick his ass when he doesn’t.”
“I’ll keep that in the back of my head.”
“When do I get to meet him?”
“Soon.”
“Unacceptable.”
“That’s all I got.”
“What about Maddie’s birthday party in a few weeks?”
“No, no, no. Absolutely not.”
“And why not?”
“A party with a gaggle of giggling six year old girls is not how I want Stellan to meet you.”
“It’s the perfect way.”
“Why is it the perfect way?”
“There will be cake and ice cream.”
“And why does that make it perfect?”
“Because cake and ice cream makes any situation easier to deal with.”
# # #
“So it’s official huh?” Roman asked as he placed a celebratory dirty martini in front of me.
Smiling, I nodded my head. “We made it official the night of the cookout. We are in an exclusive relationship. Boyfriend and girlfriend.”
“When on the night of the cookout?”
“After we cleaned up everything. We were in bed talking.”
“After sex?”
“None of your business. Besides, it doesn’t matter if it was before or after.”
Roman shrugged his shoulders. “I guess. I just hoped it wasn’t a heat of the moment conversation.”
“It wasn’t,” I replied, taking the olives out of the martini. “It was a serious conversation.”
“Congrats.”
“Really?” I asked, sensing Roman was not happy about the situation at all.
He nodded. “I know I don’t seem happy for you, but I am.”
“But? I know there’s one coming.”
“I sometimes pictured us just being the two single friends for the rest of our lives. The couples would live vicariously through our debauchery and shameless nights of drunkenness. We’d jet set out to meet our various lovers.”
“Various lovers?” I asked. “Have you met me Roman? I haven’t had a lover since I first met you. In fact, I can’t even say I’ve had various lovers since I’ve met you. I have been a single lady with a tragic history of bad mistakes. Some worse mistakes than other.”
“I know, but you were my day dreaming partner. Now, you can’t day dream with me anymore.”
“I can still day dream with you.”
“It won’t be the same now that you’re taken.”
“Why not?”
“You’re sense of adventure in trying to get someone to make out with you will be nonexistence?”
I stared at him. I didn’t have any inkling on what he was talking about. “Sense of adventure? When have we ever had an adventure of trying to get someone to make out with me?”
“We haven’t and now we never will.”
I shook my head and sipped at my martini. “I guess I’ll just have to settle on watching you and your adventures of deciding which man you’ll be taking home.”
Roman smiled. “I can settle for that.”
“See, things haven’t changed at all. I will still sit on this side of the bar and you still will charm the pants off of anyone you meet.”
“You’ll still be my wing chick?”
“I will always be your wing chick.”
“Then I’m okay that you and Stellan are a couple.”
I smiled.
“God, that sounds weird saying that about you. Who are you? What have you done with the Anna I know?”
“I know right. Crazy how life happens.”
This page copyright © 2009 Shelia Taylor
All rights reserved | This is an excerpt of the rough draft and not the final version
