Page 52 of Geordie

She moves past me, but not before she gives me a look that says,this better be good. I've dimmed the lights in the bedroom to enhance the reveal. I slip in front of her so she has to follow.

When we're inside, I push open the bathroom door to allow her to enter. In the dim space, I’ve placed fifty flameless candles of various sizes everywhere. The tub is in a section of the bathroom that has a backdrop of the city's luminous nightscape. There's a two-person tub filled with white, frothy bubbles. The calming scent of lavender wafts up from the water, the air thick and balmy, like a night in the tropics. A Lucite tray fits across the tub filled with neatly arranged bath items, lined up like surgical instruments. I turn my attention to Lily. “What do you think?”

Her mouth gapes open, taking in the scene until she mumbles, “I don't fucking believe this.” She steps to the tub to dip a hand into the water, coming away with a palmful of foam, until she blows it away, like extinguishing candles on a birthday cake. “The water is still hot. How, what, why?” she says, not completing her thoughts.

“You've helped me every time I've asked. The least I can do is give you a place to relax. I want you to take as much time as you need. The music is piped in,” I say, pointing to a panel near the lights. “There's a music station, so you can call up any genre, artist, or album you want to listen to while you're here. You can control the music with the remote on your tray. Why don't you change into a robe and come back while I get something else ready for you for your experience.”

Lily leaves for her room, shaking her head, while I head for the kitchen. I'm no gourmet cook like Lily, but this one treat I can handle. I shove the prepared plate inside the microwave and turn it on for a minute. When the microwave dings it's done, I retrieve the plate, throw on some napkins, grab Lily's favorite white wine that's open in an ice bucket, and a glass and head back to my bedroom. She stands outside the bathroom door with her hair twisted up into a loose knot, wisps of hair already astray, a long, white satin robe belted tightly about her waist. She smiles when she sees what I have in my hands. I pull out a small stool to be in easy reach of the tub and set down the champagne and the plate.

“How did you know I love pizza puffs?”

“They served these at your surprise birthday party.”

She picks up her glass, and I grab the bottle to pour. She tilts the glass to me. “Thank you. No one's ever done this for me.”

I sigh inwardly, grateful that the gamble paid off.

“Now, get out of here,” she orders, “so I can enjoy this treat alone.”

I grin, backing out of the bathroom, well pleased with myself. “Let me know when you're finished; I have another surprise for you.”

She smiles. “So, you intend to spoil me tonight.”

For an hour, ethereal, ambient music drifts from my bathroom and down the hall to the living room. The thought of Lily bathing is distracting. I'm wishing I was in the tub with her. It's built to accommodate two people, with plenty of room for me to scrub her back. I read a wine magazine, trying to get the thought of Lily's naked body wet from the bathtub out of my head. I give up and play a game on my huge TV. Me and five other players are taking a hill, when I hear someone clearing her throat a few feet away from me. I stop the action to look over. Lily's cheeks are flushed a slight pink and her messy bun droops a bit. “Are you serious that there was another surprise?”

I turn off the TV, put away the console, and scramble to my feet. “Aye, it's there facing the balcony.” Her attention is drawn to an area draped under a sheet. Lily arches an eyebrow, probably not convinced the surprise could be as good as the one she just experienced. I move toward the sheet and pull it off like a magician revealing a trick. “I've assembled a pedicure station. Your surprise ends with a pedicure.”

Lily's hand covers her mouth. “You've outdone yourself. And when did you learn this hidden talent?”

“I picked up the skill today, in fact.”

She skirts the chair and inspects the foot spa filled with water in front of the chair. She sighs, “This is so nice, but I just had a pedicure a few days ago.”

My shoulders drop. This was to be a crowning moment until a thought crosses my consciousness when I glance at her unvarnished feet. “I can give you a foot massage and paint your toes,” slipping into the chair.

She’s looking at me doubtfully, hands on hips, but clearly taken with the effort I’ve shown. She admitted no one has done this for her. “You can paint my toenails, but no foot massage; my feet are ticklish. I’d end up kicking you.”

I place a towel over my lap and indicate that she should sit in the chair. “Now, choose your paint. I have three: Pink Flamingo Sunset, Ruby Martian Red, and Blue Moon Midnight.”

She squints at the small bottles, then points. “Blue Moon Midnight.”

“Wonderful choice, my lady,” I say in a snooty Scottish brogue.

She giggles and places her foot on my lap. I take this pink separator thingy from the table and put it between her toes, then I pick up a base coat and shake the bottle the way I was shown. I twist and pull out the wee black brush attached to the top, saturated with a drop of clear liquid. I hold her toe gently as I paint her big toe with three strokes. She moves forward to check my work, me relishing this closeness.

“You really know what you're doing. Did you work your way through school in a nail salon?”

I bark out a laugh at the absurd picture. “Me bent over a foot for hours working among a sea of women. That would have been a better way to earn pocket money instead of hauling barrels in the whiskey house for the MacTavish family business. It's probably not too farfetched an idea. It would've been a great way to meet women.”

Lily sits back, fingers dangling over the armrest, looking at peace. “I imagine you would've had a lot of women requesting your services if you worked in a salon.”

I grin at that and start my three-stroke brush process on the next four toes.

“Seriously, when did you learn this?”

“I wasn't telling a lie. I got a ride down to Pretty Girl Beauty, that chain store. The saleswoman who helped me was a treat. I first asked what I should purchase to pamper my girlfriend with a bath. She called three more women over and they worked out what I should buy. They're the ones that suggested the lavender bubble bath and the wee tray that went across the bathtub with all the items.” Lily nods sagely as she places her other foot on my lap.

“So, you told them I was your girlfriend?”

---