“You must join us. The more the merrier.”
Still he holds back. I can’t force the man to be sociable.
“It’s no big deal, Dirk. At least let me thank you for helping with my shopping now and then. One drink. One peanut, or an olive if you’re allergic. Are the neighbors so awful?”
“I haven’t met many actually.”
“Perfect. We’ll see who turns up. Nice to get to know each other a little better, don’t you think?”
Chapter 14
Dirk
Does Lucy mean herparty will allow us to get to know the neighbors, or does she mean we’ll get to know each other better?
Already she’s bossing me around. I like my solitude. I’m content in my silent apartment. I shrug. According to Jill, Lucy’s a vulture and I’m carrion. Jill reads trash fiction. It’s how she sees the world. According to Jill, since Lucy’s a single woman, she must be a gold digger, and since I am single, I am the gold, or something silver. Silver wolf or something.
I haven’t pointed out the hypocrisy. Jill’s been single for a decade and I don’t see her out chasing men.
Well, if Lucy and I are a literary cliche about to happen, there’s only one answer to her invitation.
“Yes. Thank you,” I say. “That would be lovely.”
I think about Lucy’s party for the rest of the week. What do I wear? And what do I bring? Millie would have baked something, like cheese sticks, but that’s not happening.
I would bring a bottle of wine, but I know for sure that Lucy hardly needs more alcohol. I’ve carried up all those clinking bottles.
I decide to bring her a small bunch of flowers, nothing meaningful, nothing “language of flowers” – just something cheerful. She seems to like color.
I catch her on Thursday morning, slipping something under my door, and I swing it open. There’s her fragrance again, fresh and fruity and floral.
On the carpet between us is the invitation to her drinks party, beautifully written on a creamy, textured card. Lucy is class.
We bend together to pick it up and she laughs as we bump awkwardly. She snatches it up ahead of me, straightens and hands it across.
“You’re sure you want to invite an old widower,” I say. “We’re not much fun, but according to Jill, we’re very interesting to single women.”
