Six, p.4
Six, page 4
The girl next to Paige hopped to her feet once more, but this time she was uncharacteristically stone-faced and silent. The conversation puttered away in some circles, but Paige noticed that the redheaded twins had also gone silent and started staring at the door. Tina, meanwhile, took over as the hostess with the mostess and dropped everything to receive one more set of guests almost an hour after the festivities had started.
The moment the door opened, the entire room fell eerily silent other than Tina’s, “Please come in. I’m so glad you got the invitation.”
Paige rose to her feet as well to get a better look at what sort of creature could make a gaggle of tipsy Southern socialites suddenly silent. The strange woman stepped right on in and grabbed Tina in a warm embrace, showing off arms that put even Toy to shame.
The stranger stood a few inches taller than every other woman in the room—a broad-shouldered, tattooed, athletic amazon that had more than one person doing a quick check for an Adam’s apple as she entered the parlor. She smiled slyly at the crowd and tilted her head back ever so slightly, as if she was in on the joke, before turning her steely, almost-violet gaze back toward Tina.
“I’m so sorry I’m late, but I brought a special friend,” the stranger said warmly, with the faintest hint of something foreign in her inflection.
Every aspect of this creature begged the onlookers to stare, from the titillating slit on her black silk palazzo pants, to her plunging neckline that only her body type could pull off, to the crown of shockingly purple hair styled into an impeccable braided bun on top of her head. Paige found herself fascinated by the secondary braid along this stranger’s crown, as it clearly blended into her violet mane, but was stunningly fuchsia. The stranger turned slightly and showed off that the back of her blouse shared the same plunging neckline as the front. Paige tried her best to figure out what kind of Chinese or Japanese character was tattooed on this woman’s perfectly milk-white arm. This woman’s choice in statement jewelry put all the others in the room to shame, with rope upon rope of mixed colors of gold draping down from a shining interlocking series of plates. A very large amethyst drew attention to the base of her neck, while an oversize sparkling belt buckle invited you to admire her very flat stomach, just hidden under gauzy black fabric.
The intriguing Liz Taylor eyes drifted over the gobsmacked crowd and settled on the tiny pair on the sofa. The stranger smiled mysteriously again, this time enough to highlight just how much her jaw and cheekbones looked like they had been chiseled out of marble by some master sculptor. Toy lowered her gaze instantly.
The stranger raised a perfectly plucked brow. “Is there something on my face?” she asked, followed by a little wink. “Tina, darling, you simply have to introduce us around the room.”
It was only when the word us was uttered that Paige’s eyes finally looked past the Technicolor bombshell and noticed a shorter, slighter form hiding in the shadows of his companion. Paige audibly gulped as a pair of ridiculously bright green eyes zeroed in on her. She quickly shifted her gaze back to her drink. She tried to keep it there as she heard the chatter levels start to rise and heels clicking against the flooring. The more she stared at her glass, the more blood rushed into her already pink cheeks.
“Paige!” Tina’s voice cut through the spell. “You have to meet my personal hero. This is Nadia, the woman who gave me my life back.”
“Nadezhda Volkova, Nadia Volkov if you look at my American passport,” the violet-haired lady said as she stuck out her right hand. Paige reluctantly shook it. Just like Toy, this woman had an iron grip.
“I’m Paige,” she responded, “Paige Carmichael.”
The stranger’s grin turned into a full-fledged smile, and she suddenly engulfed Paige in a hearty embrace. “Oh, you are the Paige I’ve heard so much about!” she gushed. “It is a delight to meet one of the few people who didn’t hurt my sweet Tina.”
“I really didn’t—” Paige stammered.
Nadia hunched over slightly so she could stare Paige right in the eyes. “A woman should always take a compliment; we get so few sincere ones in this world,” she warned. She let go of Paige and motioned to her shadow. “Lorcan, darling, come meet one of Tina’s friends.”
Her shadow, with an equally chiseled jawline, gave a slight smile and a nod. “Charmed,” he said in an accent that belonged squarely across the pond.
“Don’t mind him,” Nadia said, still smiling. “So, you were friends with Tina, and it’s so lovely that you could connect again after she’s had such a transformative experience. I tell all my girls to let go of what causes them pain, but to never forget their pasts entirely. It’s sad but true that those who forget history are indeed doomed to repeat it. Isn’t it, darling?”
Lorcan gave another pained smile and looked over toward the kitchen. “I try not to answer rhetorical questions before dinner, my little volchitsa,” he said. “If you would excuse me.”
Nadia rolled her eyes. “He hates parties with a fire dwarfed only by the sun.” She laughed. “Anyway, I’d love to get to know you, Paige.”
Paige looked over desperately to Tina and Toy, but they seemed to both take this moment to excuse themselves as well to get the last bits of dinner prep completed. Paige sat back down and tried to keep the smile going as this larger-than-life woman eased down beside her and continued to make uncomfortable levels of eye contact.
Nadia rested her hands on her lap and continued to stare until Paige finally cleared her throat and said, “Um, I’m Paige.”
“This we’ve established,” Nadia teased gently.
“I’m, um, an accounting admin for a company that makes dumpster parts. I haven’t seen Tina in years, but it’s awesome to see her so . . . so . . . ”
“Thin? Confident? In control of her life?” Nadia asked.
Paige nodded. “She’s like a whole other person.”
“Well, she was strong enough to ask for help when she realized she was unhappy,” she said. “It’s a difficult journey, but I couldn’t be more proud. I can’t help but notice how uncomfortable you seem to be right now. Is something wrong, Paige?”
“Um, no,” she said, shaking her head. “I guess I’m just a little like your boyfriend. Parties have never been my thing. I just usually end up feeling awkward.”
“Boyfriend?” Nadia asked, giggling. “I wouldn’t tell his wife that!”
Paige turned bright red. “Oh—”
“Well, I’m sorry if this sort of thing makes you uncomfortable. It’s always tough to break the ice, especially when you are alone. You didn’t have anyone to bring?”
“My boyfriend, Cal, he works on Saturdays,” Paige offered. “Please, don’t be sorry. I’m always being told to get out more and to stop being so self-conscious by my mom too.”
“It can be tough being in the shadow of someone,” Nadia said. She reached into a pocket and pulled out a sequined wallet. A second later she produced a clean, crisp business card. “You know, I make a living helping women find their confidence. If you ever want to talk, just give me a call.”
“Nadia Volkov—Life Coach and Personal Trainer,” Paige read. She looked furtively over and couldn’t help but notice this woman’s six-pack peeking through the deep gap in her blouse. “How do you get to be a life coach?” she finally asked.
“I like to think of myself as a personal transformation specialist,” Nadia said. Paige braced herself for the rest of the pitch, but she only finished with, “But it’s just a title. The important thing is that I get to help people who want to be helped, and, wow, do I smell bacon? Should we go get some bacon?”
Paige took a deep breath. The aroma of pork overpowered even the Bobs’ cloud of lingering cigarette smoke and cologne. Tina peeked back through the entrance of the kitchen and declared, “Food’s in here, and the tables are set up outside. Let’s eat!”
“Let’s get some bacon,” Paige said eagerly as all focus shifted toward the spectacular array of scents wafting into the room. For a time all remained blissfully pleasant. Paige followed the crowd into the gourmet kitchen and ogled the spread of modern Southern comfort favorites as much as the next guy. She could even nod and comment on the grits with tasso ham or the four-cheese mac and cheese without getting terribly tongue-tied.
She loaded her plate and took a deep breath before daring to follow the herd through the back doors and onto one of the most dazzling deck setups in the middle of Memphis. Somehow Tina had managed to turn bug zappers and citronella candles into a halo of light. Two rows of dazzling white picnic tables were littered with even more candles and dainty little bowls of white flowers. A glittering mixture of fairy lights, jasmine, and moonflower vines draped over the pergola overhead, while soft music seemed to drift from the rocks in the lily-filled flower beds.
“Wow,” Paige mouthed as others squealed and complimented the hostess.
Most of the guests seemed more focused on the true crowning glory of this deck area, a built-in grill puffing out smoke and the promises of something barbecued and lovely. Paige let everyone else dive for legs and breasts and some sort of red and black sausages while she tactically surveyed her seating options.
“So, are you a breast girl or a leg woman?” Toy asked as she slipped around the McKinseys and waved to Paige with one hand and balanced a frat boy-worthy heaping plate with the other.
“Dark meat for me, please,” she said.
Toy plopped her plate down at the end of the table closest to the chicken and dove for the tongs. A moment later, Paige was rewarded with a beautifully charred leg quarter to top her grits.
“You are a woman after my own heart,” Toy said while pointing to the convenient, left-handed seat across the table. “Come on; let’s eat.”
Paige took the spot at the end and tucked in eagerly. For a few more blissful minutes everyone’s mouth was full of food, and Paige could enjoy the mix of salty, sweet, crunchy, and creamy against her tongue. It was only after she had cleaned to the bones of her barbecued chicken that she noticed just how many bones littered the plates of Tina and Nadia.
“Yeah, I am jealous of their metabolism too,” Toy said as she polished off her third leg. “But it’s training season, so we all get extra calories.”
“Training?”
“Ultramarathon in Mississippi. Somehow Alpha Bitch got us all to agree to do it together to celebrate Tina’s opening.”
“Alpha—”
“Nadia; sometimes when she’s nice, I call her Violet Beauregard.” Toy sighed. “Still, I’m willing to run a lot of miles to get this caliber of chicken.”
“I’m going to have to run off a lot of bacon,” Paige sighed back.
“Well, make sure to budget miles for the peanut-butter-banana pie,” Toy warned. “It’s as spectacular as the chicken and waffle sliders.”
Both of them munched quietly for a bit as the conversation picked back up. Paige tuned in and out of talk of the restaurant and local sports. All of the Bobs lamented the prospects of the upcoming season of the Titans and the Grizzlies rather loudly, while others discussed the ridiculously early onset of the heat, even by Memphis standards.
“Oh, you’re Paige . . . Carmichael, right?” Mrs. McKinsey asked suddenly, jolting Paige back into the moment. “Are you Steve Carmichael’s daughter, the ambulance chaser?”
“No, I’m Dr. Dexter Carmichael’s daughter,” Paige said softly.
“That guy on Alien Week?” one of the Bobs said, laughing. “That guy is a hoot!”
“Yes, the expert on Alien Abductions and Mysteries is my dad. He writes books on conspiracies too,” she said while looking down at her plate.
“So, what is it like growing up with a father like that, dear?” Mrs. McKinsey asked.
“I wouldn’t know; he ran off with his publicist when I was eight,” she said flatly. “But I had my mom and all the servers at her restaurant to raise me, so I turned out all right.”
“Restaurant?” another Bob pressed. “Wait, you don’t mean Stefano’s, do you? The one with the MILF chef?”
Paige took a sip of wine before responding. “Should I get you her number?” she snapped.
This sent her table into a titter as the Bobs laughed as one. Indeed, the table continued to talk about alien conspiracies and hot local Italian chefs without bothering to include Paige in the conversation. In fact, it got so lively that Paige was able to bus her plate and slip into the kitchen unnoticed.
She pattered to the sink and started scraping her scraps into the trash. She then noticed the growing pile of dishes in the sink and a sticky note on the dishwasher marked “clean.” Without skipping a beat she started unloading and kept puttering away at her project until she heard an exceptionally musical burp behind her.
“Sorry; too much cheese,” Toy apologized as she scraped off her own plate. “I am so glad you’re doing this. The last time someone caught me tidying at a party, they gave me tips the rest of the night.”
Paige finally smiled again. “Wow.”
“Don’t let them get to you, Shorty Spice. It’ll be their bedtimes soon,” Toy promised.
Paige did her best to hide as indeed the older crowd began to head for the door as soon as pie was served and devoured. She could hear Nadia holding court and keeping the drunks amused with innocuous anecdotes.
“It’s her superpower,” Toy said as she heard the purple-haired vixen laugh. “That woman can make people laugh at a funeral. Hey, I’m going to get some more wine and then pop outside. I hate all this AC.”
“I think I’ll join you.”
The pair wandered back to the bar and reloaded before heading to the much more empty deck. Nadia, Tina, and the twins had taken over the table by the barbecue and moved all the trash to the now abandoned picnic setting. An empty pie dish sat incriminatingly in front of Freckles, while another bottle was poured all around by Tina.
“Hey, Toy, can you look at this?” Freckles asked as she waved her phone. “Just you.”
“I’m going to get some fresh air,” Paige said, taking the hint. “I’ve got a long drive soon.”
She tiptoed past the lively group, past the party décor and the sentries that warded off the early-season bloodsuckers. As it was well past dusk, she took her chances and wandered off to the less civilized sector of the yard—an area where the grass had a few patches and an old brass and grayed-wood bench sat under a trimmed magnolia. She straightened her dress and perched daintily on the edge of the seat and smiled as the landscaper had thoughtfully repurposed an old stump as a little side table so she could set down her wine and just stare at the stars.
“They really are quite lovely, aren’t they?”
Paige jumped from her seat at the sound of a rather British voice coming from the shadows. As she clutched her chest to calm her racing heart, Lorcan stepped into view, his face shining in the moonlight. Even at night she could pick up flecks of green in his eyes.
“I didn’t mean to startle you,” he said softly. “I sometimes forget how quiet I can be when I’m trying to avoid small talk.”
“You don’t like parties either?” Paige asked.
He shook his head. “Parties were always my wife’s thing,” he said.
“Oh, I see,” she said. “It’s Lorcan, isn’t it?”
“Lorcan Darcy at your service,” he said as he took her hand and kissed it. He raised a brow at Paige’s stunned face. “Sorry, was that too European of me?”
Paige shook her head. “I’m Paige,” she stammered out.
“So it’s been established,” he said. “You like looking at the stars?”
“My dad and I used to look at the stars and wonder what kind of aliens were out there. We’d talk about little gray men and lizard people and how faster-than-light travel should work. Most little kids think the world is enormous, and I always thought we were just a speck. Um, I’m sorry; I just kinda went on and on.”
Lorcan smiled. “Keep talking, please.”
“I don’t know what to say.”
“Well, I’ve spent the night hearing about your father, the alien author, and your mother, the chef, but this is the first time I’ve heard anything about you.”
“I’m just an accounting admin—”
“For a company full of garbage that makes products to contain garbage,” Lorcan finished. “I’d rather hear about why you think the world is a speck.”
Paige looked up and pointed to one of the lights in the sky. “See all these stars? They are just a tiny fraction of the stars in one little galaxy. We’re just a tiny blue dot spinning around a slightly larger yellow dot in the Milky Way in a universe that is ever expanding. We’re rather a sad little speck teeming with even tinier creatures that have even tinier creatures inside them. It’s just a matter of scale. Yeah, my dad made me watch Cosmos when I was a kid.”
“And do you think that there is life out there, as your father does?” he asked.
Paige settled back down on the bench. She looked over to find Lorcan easing down next to her, staring intently with his bright green eyes. At this distance she could see an earring dangling since he had bothered to tuck his dark waves behind his ears. Something about his sharp features didn’t quite balance, but she couldn’t stop staring at the dramatic lines his face made in the dim light. She stared intently at him, looking for a smirk or some twinkle in his eye, but he remained utterly stone-faced serious.
“Would you laugh at me if I said I did?” she finally asked.
“Why do you care what I think?” Lorcan asked. “If it’s what you believe, be proud of it.”
“You think I’m ridiculous, don’t you?”
“I think it would be . . . arrogant of mankind to think that they were all alone, arrogant and sad,” he said softly. “What I don’t understand, though, is why mankind keeps thinking that aliens built the pyramids, drew the Nazca Lines, and all that. That is the only bit of alien lore that I don’t understand.”
