For a long moment, Jennifer said nothing. Then she just rolled her eyes. “You know, Lane, I think I’m going toprofoundlyregret meeting you.”
Which was another one of those Jennifer Hallet compliments that Audrey was secretly beginning to treasure.
* * *
It was a beautiful evening to be walking home with a beautiful woman. Not thatbeautifulwas an adjective that Jennifer Hallet seemed like she’d appreciate. Besides, it was too simple a word for her. Because while she certainlycouldbe beautiful, in the same way that a shark or a cyclone could be beautiful, it wasn’t the thing that drew you in. And it certainly wasn’t the thing that kept you drawn. At least if you were Audrey. It was as if some mischievous imp had appeared in a dream and said, “I bet I can find a way to keep you fascinated and annoyed for the rest of your life. Also she’ll be really hot.” And—fool that she was—dream-Audrey had said, “bring it.”
At the edge of Crinkley Furze, a little sign pointed temptingly towards a public footpath.
“How about,” suggested Audrey, “we go that way?”
Jennifer Hallet looked at her like she’d rather deepthroat a walrus. “Why?”
“Because it’ll be fun?”
“It’ll be fun to walk across a muddy field in the dark?”
“By starlight. And it’s not going to be that muddy. It’s summer.”
“It’s the countryside. It’s made of mud.”
“You really hate rural England, don’t you?”
“I hate everything. Have you not been paying attention?”
And taking a leaf out of Jennifer’s very well-worn book, Audrey responded with an eloquent, well-thought-out, “Oh fuck off.”
Which only made Jennifer laugh.
They did, however, turn onto the footpath and stroll between the hedgerows, the fields stretching out on either side of them in great dark lakes.
“I’m still waiting,” said Jennifer, after a minute or two.
This wasn’t even a trap. It was a call and response. “You want me to say, ‘waiting for what?’ don’t you? So you can say something devastatingly cynical.”
“I’m waiting for whatever experience you expect me to have that’s going to makethisbetter than the shorter, easier walk up the road we could have been having.”
“Does this help?” The part of Audrey that, despite Natalie’s best efforts to kill it with self-consciousness, was having a serious crack at living its best life took Jennifer’s hand.
“You could do that anywhere,” Jennifer pointed out. Although she didn’t pull away.
“Yes, but it’s less…” Audrey stopped herself from sayingromanticat the last minute. “Nice?”
“Have I told you today,” said Jennifer, still holding Audrey’s hand, “how much I don’t like you?”
“You tell me that pretty much every time I meet you.”
“And it still doesn’t fucking stick.”
“I must think you lack conviction.”
“I have conviction,” retorted Jennifer Hallet, going full Jennifer Hallet. “I have so much conviction that—oh, forget it.”
This brought out Audrey’s helpful side. “You have so much conviction that you’re currently serving six concurrent sentences?”
“Stop it, Lane.”
“You have so much conviction that they’re putting you on a ship to Australia.”
