Bird After Bird (14 page)

“I did, Jan. And I think there’s something there.”

“Is he really a farmer?”

I laughed. “No. He’s an artist—and a mechanic. And an Army vet, I guess.”

“Shut the front door, Birdy. He sounds hotter than hell. Is he tall?”

“Over six foot.”

“Is he one of those guys who does the push-ups and sit-ups and all that stuff to keep in shape?”

“I don’t know, I didn’t ask! He’s built like a soldier, though, so I guess that’s possible.”

“Stop it! Next time text me a pic of his six pack, girl. Is he nice, or is he one of those small town cocky jocks you dated in high school?” Count on Janice to remember every sordid detail from our freshman year gab sessions in the dorm.

“He seems really nice, actually. He was training a puppy.”

“Fuck me,” Janice said. “Did you pack his shit?”

“Excuse me?”

“I assume you are moving the boy to Chicago to be your permanent in-house love machine, right? Because he sounds about as perfect a man as you’re ever going to find.”

“You think?”

“I think I’ve never heard you talk about a man this way. Usually you rattle off their attributes like you’re fixing to fricassee the poor sons of bitches. God help the poor bastard you ever fall in love with.”

“I’m not sure how to take that,” I said, a little hurt.

Janice laughed. “I just mean you’ve kissed enough frogs, sweetie. That’s all. You’re due to meet a prince.”

“Maybe I’m tired of princes.”

“I don’t mean corporate princes, Wren.”

“Don’t you don’t think I should marry Troy Parker and be the next dynamic duo to reign terror over Chicagoland?”

This time Janice’s laugh was a combination of amusement and sadness. “You’re gonna do who and what you want, Wren, ain’t nobody ever been able to stop ya and nobody better ever try. You’ve got great things in your future, I’ve always known that. The only question is, who do
you
want? If it’s Tee-roy, it’s Tee-roy and I’ll totally support ya—you know I will. But I think we both know you’ve just been toying with him until you find something better. And maybe you have, you know?”

I didn’t know what to say. My feelings were raw and it was more than slightly uncomfortable to have my game so well-described by my closest friend.

I’d just spent an awesome day with Laurie and now to hear Janice tell it, I really was a man-eater or something. And did she really think I was serious about marrying Troy? Would anyone
seriously
believe I would do that? I guess some girls were gold-diggers, but I sure wasn’t. After all the criticism Janice had taken for marrying a millionaire, I was surprised she’d imply I would do the very thing she was accused of, so many times.

“Ugh, traffic’s getting bad, Janice. I gotta go.”

“See you tonight, baby?”

“I’ll be there.”

Chapter Twenty-two

Laurie

Wren’s friends were nice, if a bit hovery.

“You wanna join us in the Pizza Shoppe?”

I pointed to my dog in the back of the truck. “Gotta look out for him. Thought we’d get a pie to go.”

“C’mon, Rhoda, I’ll go inside with you and order,” Wren said.

I tried to give Wren some cash, but she shrugged it off, whipping a card out of her back pocket.

A few minutes later, she returned with a big box and a pile of paper napkins. After we’d each had a slice, I noticed her friends had found my truck.

“They’re really looking out for you, huh?”

Wren turned to see Rhoda, and laughed. “Yeah, I guess. She’s quite the mother hen. Plus, she probably figures if you abduct me and I’m never heard from again, she’ll lose the Parker & Bash sponsorship for Crane Days.” She winked as she said it, then took a huge bite of pizza.

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen a girl fit quite so much cheese into her mouth at once,” I said quietly.

She mock-punched me in the arm, and we both laughed.

“You’re still beautiful.”

“I bet you say that to all the girls,” she said, wiping her mouth with a napkin.

“Just the beautiful ones.”

“Now,
that’s
honest. Damn, I should have bought some beers to go with this pizza.”

“I like you, Wren.”

“I like you, too, Laurie. But I’m going to have to go. It’s a long drive back up to Chicago and I’ve got a lot of work to do.”

“It
is
a long drive, isn’t it?”

She nodded. The distance between our homes was a mood-killer, for sure.

“I want to see you again,” we said in unison.

We both laughed, and it felt terrific. It felt deeper and richer than laughter. It felt like opening a door and tumbling headfirst into a pile of feathers. It felt like being hugged. It felt like finding money in your coat.

“We’ll make it work,” she said.

“I’m sorry I didn’t text you earlier,” I said, and she waved it off.

Laughing with Wren, eating pizza with her alone in my truck, still half lousy from the lake water, being spied on by a dog and two bird nerds was the happiest moment I’d had in a long time.

I had so many feelings inside me, I couldn’t wait to write about them. For the first time in a long time, though, didn’t want to write to Sylvia.

Maybe there was no reason to, anymore.

I turned on the radio and sang, Hap howling along with me.

It was the happiest I’d been in a long, long time.

I didn’t know long how long it would last, and in that moment, it didn’t occur to me that it might not. There was only the high.

That and the question of how soon I could feel it again.

Chapter Twenty-three

Wren

As I got ready for Janice’s party, I was still thinking about Laurie. He’d fielded Rhoda’s questions well in the short time they spoke.

“You came for the cranes?” she’d asked. She looked at him like she expected a lie. So protective, God love her.

“Actually, I’m training my pup to be a search and rescue dog, and I thought a little scent-training around all the water would be a good exercise. Loads of distractions, too.” He patted the dog on the head. “Maybe too many.”

What had he named the dog? Hap. “Short for Happy,” he’d said, without a shred of cynicism.

Anyway, Rhoda gave him the seal of approval. She liked his dog, although she did lecture him a bit about keeping him away from the cranes. If she only knew what happened—how we both ended up so muddy—she might not have taken such a shine to him.

I was still thinking about it, toying with the idea of texting him when a knock interrupted my train of thought. I peeped through the hole, and opened the door.

“Tee-roy?”

“Sorry I’m late, but I called the restaurant and they said they’ll hold the reservation.” He came in and had a seat in my favorite chair. “You ready to go?”

Shit. I’d forgotten we had plans. “Did we have a date?”

He grimaced. “Yes, Birdy, we—“

“Don’t call me that.”

“Okay! Hey! Touchy today, are we? You start your period?”

I thought about telling him I had, even though it wasn’t true. At least it would shut down any plans he had for sex later. “It’s Janice’s going away party tonight, and I was just heading out for her place.”

Troy’s eyes lit up. He had been angling for me to introduce him to Janice’s wealthy husband for quite awhile. “No problem! I’ll cancel the reservation and we’ll go together, how about that?”

It didn’t seem like I could say no, although I’m sure my face gave the thought away.

“C’mon, it’ll be fun. I’ll forgive you for forgetting our date. What do you say?”

I sighed, and moments later I was in the passenger seat of Troy’s Benz.

Janice’s party was elegant, like everything she does. Their house north of the city was lit with a million twinkling lights; outside, they’d set up heaters to make the patio area comfortable on this chilly evening. The gardens were lit with string after string of tiny white bulbs, and hanging lanterns swung from tree limbs in the yard.

“Wren!” Janice hugged me when we finally found her surrounded by guests.

“Looks like I’m not the only one who’s going to miss you,” I said, giving her a squeeze and a kiss on the cheek. “The house looks amazing. So do you, as always.”

“Thanks, dollface.” She backed away from me, holding my hands and smiling. “And you’re all aglow, just as I expected.” Her eyes found Troy, and she dropped my hands, her body language stiffening. “Mr. Parker.” She nodded.

“Great to see you, Janice,” Troy said, thrusting out his hand for a power handshake. “Is Harold around? I was hoping to meet him.”

She sighed, almost imperceptibly. “I’m sure you were.” She pointed to a gaggle of older, moneyed men in expensive suits. They were laughing it up, throwing back drinks at the outdoor bar. “Knock yourself out.”

I wouldn’t have to worry about Troy for the rest of the night. He was busy shoving his nose so far up the butts of Harold and his friends, I thought for sure he’d smell like a fart all the way home.

Janice was busy with her guests, so eventually I ended up in her study, kicking back and checking my phone. I surfed on a social media site for a while. My screen was filled with images of birds and artwork, two of my favorite things. I was just clicking on a link about found art—someone was collecting origami birds that had been left out in the wild—when my phone lit up.

-Hey, beautiful-

It was Laurie.

I felt my heart in my throat. My mouth was dry. I had to have a sip of wine before I texted back.

Hey

-You make it home okay?-

Fine. You?

-Yeah. Would you laugh if I told you I sang the whole way home?-

I did laugh. I felt myself blush. This man was bringing out feelings in me I hadn’t felt since junior high.

No, I wouldn’t laugh. What did you sing?

-Everything on country radio between Linton and Birdseye-

Forever and Ever Amen?

-Oh, definitely.-

I smiled at the thought of him crooning along with Randy Travis in his old pickup.

You have no game at all

-I bet you say that to all the boys-

I wondered how long this was going to last. He was either the love of my life or I was going to break his heart.

I knew how to break hearts. I’d made a steady diet of them since high school.

I wasn’t sure I knew how to keep them whole.

-What are you wearing?-

That surprised me!

-
Are you sexting me?-

No, just send me a pic. I want something to remember you by until I see you again. In fact, you want to VideoChat?

I looked around the room. There was a heavy door, but I’d never seen Janice close it. I got up and gave it a try, and it glided easily shut.

Before I could get back to my chair, my phone was beeping for a video chat.

I answered it, brushing my bangs away from my face and wishing I had time to refresh my lipstick.

“Hey, sexy,” I said, watching his smile grow like a breaking dawn.

“Hey, yourself. Wow. You’re even prettier than I remembered.”

“Oh, Laurie,” I said, the sigh escaping before I could help it. How many glasses of wine had I had? Maybe one too many. “I think I miss you already.” The candor of my words surprised me, and I could see myself blushing in the cam. What was this country boy doing to me?

“So it’s not just me.” He sounded as breathless as I felt. I wished I could reach through the phone and kiss him again. “God, I wish you were here right now,” he said. “I feel like a kid again, you know that? I might just drive up to Chicago tonight.”

The door to the study opened, and a very drunk Troy staggered in. “Wren! Baby! I found you! You ready to go?”

Laurie’s face scrunched, crumpling before me. “Um, I guess I better let you go,” he said.