Page 8 of Until Next Time
She winks at me with her drawn out annunciation of “Southbound.”
“Sounds good mama, love you.”
She makes a little kiss face at me and shuts the door behind her.
8
Dawsen
The caterers are all set up, the first musician on the roster is about finished putting the rest of his set together, and Greg and Savannah are behind the bar polishing the backup stash of wine glasses.
There’s a line starting to form outside, and we’re set to open the doors in about 10 minutes.
I round the end of the tasting bar and I let them know that I’m going to run upstairs to change.
There’s an apartment above the shop that I moved into when I inherited the place. It’s nothing fancy, and it served as extra storage when my Pop and Mema owned the place.
It’s got solid hardwood floors, high ceilings, and it’s an open concept with the small kitchen jutting into the living space. The kitchen is simple, wooden cabinets, and open shelving above the sink.
My favorite part is the floor to ceiling windows in my living room. They let in the perfect amount of natural light during the day. It has one bedroom with a small bathroom attached and an office space just across from the primary bedroom. Again, nothing fancy, but I’m a simple guy and don’t need much.
I grab a pair of dark brown corduroy pants from my closet, and a plain white long sleeve henley.
I don’t want it to look like I put a lot of thought into what I’m wearing, but I also want to look good. Not for anyone in particular—at least that’s what I tell myself, but I know these pants look good on me, and you can’t go wrong with a henley.
So, it’s settled.
I slide on my faded brown vans, fasten my leather watch, and run some pomade through my hair.
I’m about to head downstairs to face the music. Literally and figuratively when I feel my phone vibrate in my back pocket.
River:Hey Jackass. You throw a party and can’t even bother to show up? Get down here.
I groan and rub my hand over the stubble on my face. I guess I’ve lost track of time, and to be honest I’m not really in the mood to socialize. My phone vibrates again.
River:Also, heads up—Stephanie is down here. She looks like she’s on the prowl for you. And she looks fucking hot. If you don’t get down here soon, I’m gonna swoop in.
At that, I roll my eyes and sigh. Now I really don’t want to join the party. Stephanie is nice and all, but I think she’s looking formore than I can give her—more than I’m even willing to give.
We hooked up a couple times over the last few months, and as shitty as it sounds, that’s all I was interested in. I am kind of an asshole when it comes to women these days, and I’m not above admitting that.
I’ve watched my dad’s light slowly start to dim ever since my mom passed, and it scares me shitless to think about giving that power over me to someone. Besides, I know Stephanie wouldn’t be thatsomeone,even if I was looking for something more.
She’s a sweet girl, and she’s obviously an attractive woman, but she’s about as deep as a puddle. She also has an entire cabinet in her bathroom dedicated to her never-ending skincare routine. It took her forty-five minutes one night just layering serum on top of serum. I thought it would never end.
That type of maintenance is just way above my pay grade.
I think about telling River that I would actually be grateful for him swooping in on Stephanie, but I don’t want to hear him tell me how much of a dipshit I am all night, so I just respond, “on my way.”
9
Birdie
Casey showed up on my doorstep at 6:00 PM sharp. That woman is so punctual it actually gives me a headache. Especially because I am perpetually late. I cannot help it. No matter how much padding I give myself to be somewhere, I am always late. I have decided it’s fate, and I’m not meant to arrive places in a timely matter. Some people would probably think that’s flaky, to which I acknowledge they are probably right, but it sounds nicer if I convince people that it’s all just part of my charm. My irresistible charm.
I open the door with so much excitement because I’ve missed my best friend. As soon as the door swings open, Casey has jumped into my arms. “I’ve missed you so much. Please stay here forever.” I giggle and soak up the warmth of her embrace. “I’m here until further notice. Your girl got straight up fired… and kicked out of my apartment.”
She grabs my shoulders and presses me forward to look at me. She deadpans, “Excuse me, what?” I just shrug and wave it off, “I’ll give you the details later. Can we talk about how good you look for a minute?”
