Page 34 of One Moment in Time
And Vegas. Of all places. The one city she would quite happily go the rest of her life without revisiting. Looking over to her right, she caught her reflection in the mirror and wondered what she’d say to that twenty-five-year-old who was here last time. Other than‘turn around right now and run because you’re about to make the biggest mistake of your life.’
In some ways, she could still see that young woman. The blonde hair was still exactly the same shade, only now it came from bottles in the salon, slapped on to cover the grey. She was still exactly the same weight too, mostly thanks to Trevon, who was merciless when they worked out together. The boobs were lower and the arse was flatter, but with a good bra and the right jeans she could turn back time – while singing the words of every other Cher song too. Being a teenager in the eighties had many plus points but the wonder of Cher was definitely in the top ten, somewhere between shoulder pads, Malibu and pineapple, and the joys of getting your first Walkman.
The thought of Malibu and pineapple was like a portal that took her straight back there. That had been Brenda’s favourite drink. Eileen had been more of a vodka and fresh orange girl, with an occasional Dubonnet and lemonade for some variety. When they worked in the Beat House, Brenda used to sneak drinks out from the bar to the ticket office for Eileen, and she’d knock them back before the entrance doors closed and she was redeployed to help the cloakroom staff return jackets at the end of the night. After a few of Brenda’s generously proportioned drinks, it was a miracle anyone went home with the coat they’d come in with.
Brenda. How long had it been since she’d thought about her? After they’d been here last time, Eileen had put her right out of her mind, slammed the vault of Brenda memories shut and refused to open it again. She was probably sitting in Scotland right now, surrounded by grandchildren and loving her life. She’d probably still be nursing, because even when she was in her first year on the wards, Brenda loved her job and everyone could see that it perfectly suited her personality. Yep, Brenda would be happy. Fulfilled. Would have found a way to overcome a rocky start and make a brilliant success of her life. Eileen hoped that was true, because then maybe, just maybe, it would prove that they’d all made the right decisions back then, even if it didn’t feel that way at the time.
Climbing out of the shower, she dried off her body, then unclipped her hair, letting her blonde waves fall over her shoulders. Without even thinking, she opened her Chanel No5 body lotion and began slathering it on. Gary had bought her that cream every single year at Christmas because he knew it was her favourite. She’d never have predicted that her love of Chanel would outlast her love of her husband.
Body lotion on, teeth brushed, and fresh make-up applied, she threw on jeans and a black shirt, then slipped her feet into black Louboutin ankle boots. Now it was a different woman that stared back at her in the mirror. This one was accomplished. Sexy. Confident. Eileen wasn’t sure if that made her good at playing dress-up or a fraud.
Okay, time to go. She could do this.Stay calm. Don’t rise to him. Ignore him if he’s being a dick. Remember why you’re here. Stay calm. Don’t rise to him. Ignore him if he’s being a dick. Remember why you’re here. Stay calm. Don’t rise to him…
No matter how many times she repeated the mantra in her head, she wasn’t sure it would stick.
It lasted until Gary whistled when he opened the door, and followed that up with, ‘You scrub up not too bad for an old bird.’
‘And it’s amazing how you managed to get to this age but avoid wisdom or class.’
Ding ding. Equal points at the end of round one.
Gritting her teeth, she reminded herself why they were there. This was for Aiden. It was important to him that they got along.Make it happen, Eileen. Focus on the positives.Right now, the only one of those she could see was that there was no denying her ex looked handsome. Charcoal shirt and black trousers, his salt-and-pepper hair brushed back to emphasise his piercing blue eyes, and just enough stubble on his face to be sexy but not scruffy.
Holding her breath, she waited to see if her body reacted. That was the problem with Gary Gregg. Towards the end of their marriage, when it was clear they were in a rough spot, her brain could be telling her he was an arse but her body still found him deeply attractive. When he turned around to head back over to the chair at the window, she scanned him from head to toe and waited for an internal response from her erogenous zones. Nope, nothing. Clearly her libido forgot to get on the plane back in Charleston.
‘Hey, Mom, you look gorgeous,’ Aiden said as he came out of the bathroom.
‘Thanks, son. So what’s the plan?’
He sat on the edge of the bed and pulled his black boots on. With his black jeans and T-shirt, most people would be hard-pressed to guess he was a lawyer. If Eileen saw him in the street dressed like this, she’d go with country singer or Tim McGraw’s younger brother. If only he’d stuck at the guitar lessons she’d got him for his tenth birthday.
‘I thought we’d go downstairs and eat in Jasmine, that’s the Chinese restaurant here. I’ve heard really good things about it and I know Asian food is your favourite.’
Eileen wasn’t going to object. Growing up in Scotland, the Saturday night treat had always been a trip to the local Chinese take-away to pick up dinner. Chicken curry. Boiled rice. Spring rolls. That was in the old days, when they didn’t deliver to the house, and anyway, her mum would never have dreamt of wasting money by paying extra for someone to bring it to them.
An unexpected wave of sadness brushed her heart. It had always just been her and her mum, so when an undiagnosed heart problem took her way too early, not long before Eileen came to Vegas last time, she remembered not being able to explain how she felt. Now, looking back, she could see the right word was ‘untethered’. It still brought a twist to her gut when she thought about how she’d already lived ten years longer than her mum, taken before she could love again, or have some adventure or travel to experience anywhere as beautiful as the lobby that Eileen was walking across right now.
When they reached the restaurant, Eileen saw it was busy, but not uncomfortably so. They were seated straight away, and of course Gary Big Bollocks ordered a bottle of champagne. He couldn’t help himself, Eileen decided. When the universe was putting together his genetic code, someone took their eye off the ball and doubled up on the hedonism and flash twat genes.
When it came, Gary proposed a toast. ‘To us. First time together for dinner in… what? Ten years?’
‘And thank you for coming,’ Aiden added. ‘As far as parents go, you two are not too bad.’
Laughing, Eileen raised her glass, reminding herself yet again that this was for their son. And besides, all those Instagram self-help posts always said that letting go and forgiving was the key to moving on to a happier life. Maybe it was time to ditch all the resentments and just play nice.
‘To us,’ she echoed.
If anyone at another table had glanced over at them, they’d have undoubtedly assumed this was a happy family here on a trip. Or maybe a birthday celebration. Perhaps even an anniversary. Or a… hang on. Rewind. Her brain double checked the thought that had just nudged its way to the front of her mind.
‘Mum, you okay? You look like you’re in another world.’
That snapped her back to reality. ‘I’m fine, it’s just that…’ Flustered, she stumbled over her words a little. ‘I’ve just realised the date. It’s the sixteenth of May.’
Gary’s face remained a picture of nonchalance, so she knew he didn’t remember. Not a surprise. This was the man who’d forgotten their wedding anniversary on at least ten of the twenty years they were married. In fact, on their tenth anniversary he came home late from an impromptu paintballing trip with his mates and couldn’t work out why she didn’t speak to him for a day and a half.
‘Last time we came here, we landed on the sixteenth of May too.’
Gary reacted with something between wonderment and puzzlement. ‘We did? How do you remember that stuff?’
