Four Steps Read online

  “Wait, before I tell you, did I hear right that you and Andrew split up? Why didn’t you tell me?”

  She sighed. “Good news really does travel fast. How did you hear that? I haven’t told you because I haven’t seen you all week.”

  “Well, he came by the office when you were out yesterday, apparently had flowers but Jane on the desk refused to take them. She gave him some guff about security and receiving unexpected deliveries.”

  She smiled. “Remind me to bring Jane flowers. That girl has always got my back.”

  “So is it true? Is the lovely Lori Hunter finally on the market?”

  She could picture his eyebrows waggling and knew what was coming next. “On the market, yes. Available, no.”

  “Aw, what. Don’t spoil my fun!” He huffed down the phone at her. “When are you just going to admit you can’t resist me and agree to let me take you out?”

  She played along, putting on her best serious voice. “You’re right Adam. All this time I’ve been wasting and there you were sitting across the room from me all along. I can’t believe I didn’t see it before.”

  “Are you serious? Wait, you’re messing with me. Why must you tease me like this?”

  “I’m not teasing. If you want to buy me dinner and a few cocktails, I won’t complain.”

  “Really?”

  “Really. Isn’t that what friends do for each other when their hearts have been broken and they need cheering up?”

  “Argh. The dreaded F word. Okay, you win. Call me when you’re back and we’ll have a tequila fuelled dancing date. But don’t try pretending you’re broken hearted. In fact, you sound particularly upbeat. Spill, Hunter. What’s the scoop?”

  “No scoop. I’m just getting out there and thinking of myself for a change.” She smiled at herself in the rear view mirror. Yes, that’s exactly what she was doing this weekend, and it made her happy.

  “Well, keep that in mind for the next thing I have to tell you.”

  “Oh?”

  “Are you ready? I think you might just love me after I tell you.”

  “C’mon, Ad, you’re the one teasing now.” She tapped the mouthpiece of the phone with a manicured nail. “Get on with it.”

  “Ouch. All right. My hearing is kind of important for my job you know.”

  “Adam,” she said his name slow and deliberate. “Why did you call?” It was infuriating dragging things out of him sometimes.

  “Okay, okay! Well, I just got a call from an old university buddy in New York.”

  Hearing New York, Lori’s pulse quickened. “And?”

  “And he says there’s a couple of openings coming up that might be of interest to us.”

  She’d been telling the truth when she’d told Alex it was her dream to live in New York for a while and do some work with the UN. There had been plenty of regular translation jobs coming up but that’s what she had already, and they tended to be one language specific. She wanted to move for something more challenging.

  “What are they? And what do you mean by us?”

  He laughed. “You’re not the only one with aspirations, you know. He said they’re looking for two chief of sections. A year secondment in Russian to cover sabbatical leave, and a full-time position in Spanish. What do you say we put our names in the hat? My buddy is more than happy to put us both forward as a recommendation. He’s been chief of section in Arabic for three years with five years previous in Nairobi, so he’s well thought of.”

  Lori’s mind reeled. Normally, she would be squealing with enthusiasm. This was exactly what she had been hoping for and the potential to head there with one of her closest friends made it even better.

  She crossed the border into Scotland. The large, blue “welcome” sign caught her attention. Remembering where she was heading and picturing Alex, she realised why her excitement was lacking. She mentally kicked herself.

  Alex was a friend and nothing more. This was her chance. It couldn’t be coincidence that the opportunity had come up only a few weeks after ending things with Andrew. This was her fresh start.

  Or was Alex the fresh start?

  The speaker crackled and Adam’s voice came through in a stutter.

  “Adam, the signal is going. I’ll see you Monday and we can talk about it.” She felt bad hanging up, but he would disappear in a mile or so anyway.

  She spotted a lay-by and pulled over for a minute. Her concentration was shot, so the burger van at one end was a welcome sight, with its promise of coffee.

  As she walked to it, her phone beeped with a text.

  Are you far away? The beer is chilling and I have a chef for the evening ready to cook us a treat. And I don’t mean Frank! X

  She smiled and rubbed a thumb over the small picture of Alex next to the message before tapping back.

  Just stopped for coffee. An hour or two, tops. Can’t wait x

  She pressed send and it beeped again, this time it was Adam,

  Didn’t catch your reply but I’m hoping you’re as excited as me. This is it Hunter. You, me, and the big apple. The world is our lobster. It’s gonna be amazing x

  She laughed at lobster and, for some reason, she knew he was right. She could feel it.

  Whatever happened next was going to be amazing.

  Chapter 17

  The sky was relatively clear with only a light breeze that promised to continue through the weekend. Alex decided to take the party outside, and Jess worked quickly alongside her. She was a veteran of helping to set up for their bi-monthly group get-togethers at the farm.

  They chattered as they worked and Jess regaled her with stories from the previous weekend at Mint. Hook ups, break ups, and all the drama that went with them. Alex found herself rolling her eyes more than once.

  The farmhouse was spread across one level. At its heart was a wide L-shaped kitchen/dining/living area that Alex had modernised a year after Rachel had left. It had helped to make the place feel like home again instead of a museum of memories. It was no longer the family home she grew up in, now it was just hers. It was with a heavy heart, that she had donated or placed antique family furniture and art in storage, then repainted, re-floored, and refurnished.

  Original ceiling beams and stone work were exposed and she had kept the space traditional but stylish. Furnishing the living area at one end with worn leather sofas and chairs positioned sociably around a low scuffed coffee table. She softened the cold stone with cushions, throws, and rugs. Tall lamps lit dark corners.

  A long dining table with high back chairs sat twelve people comfortably and shared its space in the corner of the ‘L’ with a custom-made bar that was always well-stocked.

  The kitchen at the other end continued the traditional theme, with solid oak worktops, a breakfast island, seven burner stove, and deep Belfast sink.

  All of it was designed around a wood burning fire, which stood proudly in the middle, pulling each spacious area together toward its warmth.

  Double doors opened onto a large patio with the two inner walls of the ‘L’ providing some protection from the elements. Living in Scotland meant there were very few truly hot days, so she’d had a high wooden beamed roof erected over it, fitted with outdoor heaters and nets of fairy lights, which she connected to the main’s power.

  There was an area to the right, away from the house, that had become an unofficial bonfire pit with large rocks around the edge making it safe. Broken branches and fencing that had accumulated throughout the farm over the harsh winter were topped up with extra logs from the barn. When the night turned cooler, they would light it up and bask in the glow. She could watch a fire longer than any programme on television.

  They dragged out an extra table and chairs she kept in the barn, positioning them under the roof to form a table large enough for everyone expected. Jess uncovered and checked over the gas barbeque. It had become her domain as chef while Alex’s expertise lay in the bartending. She rolled a mini keg of her favourite local craft beer from the barn and
sat it in place to settle under a table her neighbour had made especially for hooking up beer. It would be tapped and the rest of the bar inside set up the following morning with a variety of spirits and wines guaranteed to keep her friends happy.

  Alex couldn’t cook much more than an egg or soup with her home-grown veggies, so she’d shopped with the list Jess had e-mailed. She now sat back sipping a beer at the kitchen island watching Jess prepare the meat for the barbeque. Her friends would all contribute to the party with their favourite sides and desserts.

  Jess loved to cook but didn’t get much opportunity to do so in her cramped city centre apartment which she shared with two rather messy housemates. So she’d let Jess design the kitchen with a generous budget, in return for her continued services as chef whenever Alex had a party.

  “Right, well, I’ve given you all my gossip,” Jess said, massaging her famous spice blend into chicken legs. “Now it’s your turn. Where’ve you been hiding?”

  Alex sighed. “Don’t give me that tone, Jess. I haven’t been hiding, I’ve just been busy. I’m in the final stages of writing some new code and you know what I’m like after an obsessive stretch in front of the computer screen. I had to get away.”

  Jess smiled wryly. “Yeah, because it’s so hectic living out here. I don’t know how you get a minute’s peace.”

  Alex rolled her eyes. “You think you’re funny, but you’re not. If you must know, I took your advice and went out to the bothy me and Rachel shared on our first climb together last weekend.”

  Jess’s eyes widened in surprise. “Wow, three years and we finally have progress. I’m proud of you.” She wiggled her spice covered fingers at Alex. “I’ll hug you later.”

  Alex shook her head. “I’ve known you for ten years and I still can’t tell if you’re being sarcastic sometimes.”

  “On this occasion, I’m only being half-sarcastic.”

  Alex poked her tongue out.

  Jess laughed. “I’m serious. I’m really proud of you. I know it must have been strange going out there on your own and spending the night, even if you did have Frank. But let’s be honest, it’s about bloody time. She spoilt enough for you.”

  Alex suddenly found the label of her beer bottle interesting, picking it around the edges. “Well, I wasn’t actually on my own. I ended up sharing it with another climber.”

  “Oh really? I feel a story coming. Male or female?”

  “Female.”

  “Good start. Please continue.” She waved her hands expectantly.

  “Well…” Alex continued to peel her label, unable to meet Jess’s eyes.

  “C’mon, Alex, don’t leave me hanging. Was she good company? Did she snore? Have stinky feet? Did she say pants and socks a lot?” She laughed while packing the last of the marinated meat in airtight containers and stacking them in the fridge. As she washed her hands, she glanced over her shoulder to study a quiet Alex, before grabbing a beer and joining her.

  The front label was off. After folding it into the tiniest square possible, Alex put it on the worktop before starting on the back of the bottle. “She was surprisingly good company. She didn’t snore that I’m aware of. There were no embarrassing stinky feet situations or obsessive compulsive word play. In fact, we kind of hit it off.”

  Jess’s eyebrows shot up. “Oh, please tell me I’m about to get a saucy bothy story?”

  Alex finally looked up and laughed. “You wish. No, I don’t mean like that. Well kind of like that. Oh, I don’t know, Jess.” She sighed and slumped back in the stool. “She’s just split up with her boyfriend so A, she’s straight and B, she’s on the rebound.”

  Jess shook her head and Alex watched her shoulders deflate. “Which in my experience always equals D for drama?”

  “I know, I know. But…” Alex looked down at her bottle again, not sure how much to admit.

  “She’s really got to you hasn’t she?”

  Alex took a deep breath and looked her in the eye. She couldn’t lie to her best friend. “Yes. I think there was something between us and I think she felt it too. I don’t want to get myself too excited, but I haven’t felt anything even close to this in such a long time, Jess. What if I’ve got it all wrong and make a fool of myself. Or worse I’m right, but the idiot in me either freaks out or stalls so much it passes me by? I don’t want to let it pass me by.”

  “So don’t let it. I mean apart from the being straight and on the rebound, what’s your real problem here?”

  Alex blew out her cheeks as the reality of Jess’s glib comment tightened the nervous band around her chest. What was she thinking even considering the possibility of something more with Lori? “Oh, you know, the usual. A touch of paralysing fear that she’ll reject me coupled with a little bit of worry for my face when she laughs in it.”

  Jess took her hand. “Is that all? Sounds like a typical Saturday night for me. It’s character building, honest.”

  “Jess, I’m being serious.” She drew a circle in the air around her face. “Note the panic face. You need to help me.”

  “Hey, c’mon okay. I’m sorry.” She went to get them another beer from the fridge, forehead crinkling the way it did when on the odd occasion she tried to choose her words sensitively.

  “Okay, I like that look. That’s a sensible Jess look. Let me hear it.”

  Jess sat down and popped off their bottle tops. “Okay, well no situation can be ideal so I think you need to forget the ex/straight element. For you, what’s going to work is to only concentrate on how you feel and, more importantly, try to get a sense of how she’s feeling.”

  Alex rolled her eyes and took a sip. “Easier said than done, but you’re right about the situation. I guess I can’t change that.”

  “Exactly my point. I know what it took for you to get close to Rachel and then she goes and craps all over you so you’re bound to be suspicious and well…I don’t blame you for that either or for being scared but…” She sat back in her stool, blowing across the top of the beer bottle in thought.

  “But what, Jess? C’mon spit it out. Don’t pretend you’re considering my feelings.”

  “Can I be honest?”

  “I like how you say that as if it’s a question.”

  She shrugged her shoulders. “It’s polite to at least warn someone before saying something mean.”

  “Do they teach you that in one-night stand school for the morning after?”

  “Hey, now who’s being mean?”

  Alex threw up her hands. “All right, I’m sorry. You know I only get mean when I’m about to become defensive. Out with it.”

  “Fine, well to be honest, I’m relieved you’ve finally met someone who might thaw out the ice queen we’ve been dealing with this past while. I mean, damn, you’ve been cold and distant and, frankly, a little miserable to be around. I thought we were through those dark times, Alex. I was beginning to worry that being out here all alone with only a dog and a goat for company was finally getting to you.”

  Alex took a long drink and rocked slightly on her stool. She could only nod and let her best friend’s words sink in. “I hate it when you’re mean but right. Although, don’t forget the chickens.”

  They stared each other out a moment and then they both laughed. Alex felt a little relief. “So you don’t think I’m crazy hoping for something to happen with a straight girl?”

  “Are you sure she’s straight?”

  “Well, she didn’t exactly have it branded on her, but she’s been with her boyfriend for seven years.”

  “That means nothing, sweetheart. You should know better than to assume. But even if she has been up until this point, I defy her to not fall in love with you.”

  “Wait a minute,” Alex held up a hand. “Firstly, easy with the L word there and secondly, I thought you’d be the first to warn me off this kind of potentially messy situation.”

  “Normally you’d be right. Maybe if you were some serial dater with a ‘plenty more fish’ attitude, I would. But
as this is the first flutter you’ve felt since Rachel, and given the ice queen Alex I just told you about, I’m willing to hear you out before warning you off her.” She winked and sat up straight, feigning a business-like manner. “So, I’m going to need the full facts if I’m to help you make an informed decision about how to move forward. Let’s start with a name, occupation, location, and sexiness on a scale of one to ten.”

  Alex relaxed a bit. This is what she needed. To talk it out with someone who would give it to her straight, tell her she was crazy or give her the push she needed to go for it.

  “Her name is Lori and she lives in London. She’s an interpreter for parliament in Westminster and speaks, like, a million languages.”

  Jess gave a low whistle. “Wow, impressive. But you forgot the scale and you know that’s all I’m really interested in.”

  “Too bad, I’m not. I will just assure you that she’s outrageously gorgeous and funny, as well as smart.”

  “So, she’s a ten on all counts. I’ll say it again. Wow. And follow it with a, ‘what’s the catch’?”

  “No catch. Well, not that I’m aware of anyway, if you take away the potential straightness and rebound issues. There’s no arrogance about her, she just has this way…I don’t know how to explain. It’s like a kind of poise that you can’t be taught. I only got to see her in hiking gear, which she totally pulls off by the way, but I also have this feeling she’s one of those sophisticated city folk that look just as at home in a designer suit and killer heels. Oh, and she loved your brownies, by the way. I took a bag from the freezer.”

  Jess laughed. “Take a breath, my misty eyed friend. Are you sure she’s real?”

  Alex slapped Jess’s thigh. “I know it’s been a while but I’m not so desperate I have to make someone up.”