“Absolutely,” said Shona, not bothering to keep a straight face.
Nell returned Shona’s grin as they each took one of Mattie’s arms and set off for the restaurant. With each slow and sure step, her worry at Mattie’s state lessened, especially seeing how she took Shona’s advice on board, even though it did come with a side order of flippancy. Nell pursed her lips as her overthinking brain sprang into action. Had Mattie only leaned on her like the world depended on it because Shona wasn’t there? She’d made do with Nell? This was why she stayed away from emotional attachment. It was too hard to decipher.
Warm air, soft piano music, and the smell of roasted garlic filled Nell’s senses as they entered La Trattoria. The waiter led them to a table by the window where a woman—Lisa, presumably—was already sitting.
“Bloody hell, Mattie, what happened to you?” she asked.
“You’re using your playground voice, babe,” Shona said, as diners seated around them looked up at the commotion. She pulled out a chair for Mattie. “Sit down before you fall down.”
Mattie sat. Nell loitered, unsure where to sit or what to do.
The other woman held her hand out to Nell, and a jumble of silver bracelets slid down her arm. “I’m Lisa.”
Nell smiled as she shook hands. Lisa was approximately 5’4”, with no distinguishing facial marks and four hooped earrings in her left ear. She had blond hair, wore black jeans, a white shirt with a pin-striped waistcoat, and scuffed Doc Martens. Nell groaned inwardly. Okay, clearly she was nervous, because her brain had clicked into its default behaviour of making a mental inventory of her dinner companions. It was her brain’s equivalent of fidgeting.
Shona sat next to Lisa, leaving Nell the seat next to Mattie. The waiter handed out menus and the wine list. Nell opened the menu. Could she stomach food? Mattie was her only point of reference with these women. She was hopeless at small talk unless she was in her professional guise, and this wasn’t one of those occasions. She was here as Mattie’s friend, or maybe her occasional lover. The lack of clarity added to her jangling nerves. Discreetly, she studied Mattie. At least her face had lost some of its ghostly pallor, and her breathing appeared steadier, but she was uncharacteristically quiet.
Shona held out the drinks list. “Nell, would you like to share a bottle of wine? The Barolo is very good. Unless you’d prefer white?”
“I prefer red, but I’ll have to stick to the one glass,” said Nell.
“Busy day at your conference tomorrow?” asked Shona.
Nell appreciated Shona’s attempt to draw her into the conversation. “I’ve got a three-hour seminar starting at nine.” She remembered seeing Shona taking Mattie’s pulse. “You work in the medical profession?”
“I’m a consultant rheumatologist.” Shona grimaced. “I have the joys of my weekly departmental meeting to look forward totomorrow, where we’ll be asked to do double the workload on half the budget.”
“You’re such a pessimist, Shona,” said Lisa, her voice lacking bite.
Shona scoffed. “Realist, more like.”
“Whereas I’ll be teaching the rise of fascism in Europe in the 1930s to a group of hormonal teenagers.” Lisa rolled her eyes. “Two will be half asleep on arrival, another two will gaze adoringly at each other rather than me, one will be upfront about not having done homework, and a further three will make excuses that get more outrageous by the week.”
Shona nudged Lisa’s shoulder. “Spoken like a true optimist.”
“Shut up,” Lisa said and kissed her wife’s cheek.
She gave the impression of being comfortable in her skin, and Nell couldn’t help being envious. They agreed on just one bottle of Barolo between them and placed their food orders.
Mattie gave a wry smile. “Sorry about the drama-queen act back there.” Her voice cracked, and she gulped a mouthful of water.
Shona winked at her. “We’re well used to it.”
“Ha ha.” Mattie stuck her tongue out.
“So rude.” Lisa shook her head. “You’ll get used to it, Nell.”
Nell smiled. “You’re the peacekeeper, I’m guessing.”
“I’ve got skills the United Nation would pay for,” said Lisa. “Is this your only night off, Nell?”
“Strictly speaking, it’s not a night off, but I can only do so much talking shop.” That was true, but Nell wasn’t ready to admit that she’d put her desire to see Mattie above the conference.
“Put a group of doctors or nurses in one room together and invariably, the talk turns to something medical,” said Shona. “That’s why I stopped dating anyone in medicine.”
“The same goes for teachers,” said Lisa.
A look of mischief crossed Shona’s face. “Lisa and I are complete opposites. Grumpy and sunshine, especially when her damn cushions are everywhere.”
