Magnolia Parks: Chapter 41

I come home after a long(ish) day at the office (lunch) and find Tom’s car out front. He’s not in my bedroom, not in the living room, not in the parlour, not in the other living room, not in the library, so I begin to wonder if maybe he’s just parked here and gone for a walk around the park.

And then I hear Paili laugh from the kitchen.

I walk into the kitchen and Tom, Paili, and my sister all look up at me.

“What’s going on here, then?” I look between them all brightly, flattening the skirt of my dark green Leona velvet mini dress from Khaites.

“Tom’s teaching us to make a martini,” Paili tells me.

“And how to order one,” Bridget adds.

“Is he now?” I smile at him and he puts down a jar of olives, walks over to me and gives me a covert wink before kissing me.

“He is,” he tells me as he pulls back. He looks so handsome. Bumblebee yellow, contrast-tipped, ribbed, cotton sweater and the tapered, pleated, linen and cotton-blend, drawstring trousers, both from Brunello Cucinelli. “How was your day today?”

He walks back towards my sister and best friend and eyes their handiwork. “It’s either one or three olives, Bridge. Never two.”

She nods obediently. I nod, watching him, my cheeks going pink. Why is he such a goodie?

“I had a work lunch with Kitty Spencer—”

“A work lunch?” Bridget blinks. “What’s she doing in leisure for Tatler?”

“Well, it was a lunch during work hours so—”

My sister laughs.

“Paili”—Tom gestures to the refrigerator—“will you get the glasses out of the freezer for us?”

She obeys.

“Okay, now—” He glances at the ingredients in front of him. Gin, vermouth, olives. “Dirty?” He looks between Bridge and Pails.

“Filthy!” Bridget declares, delighted. Then shakes her head. “Just kidding, I’ve just always wanted to say that.”

“Come over here.” Tom nods me over towards them. “You should learn too.”

“Everyone should know how to make a dirty martini,” Paili tells me and I can tell she’s just regurgitating what Tom said and I find it endearing. I perch up on the bench next to him.

“As much ice as you can in the glass, please Bridge,” he tells her and she nods, piling in the ice cubes.

Paili passes him the spoon and he starts stirring. He’s slotted right in and it strikes a chord in me I can’t quite understand. A sigh of relief and a nervous tummy at once.

“Not shaken?” I ask, blinking away the most confusing parts of my mind.

He shakes his head.

“We want it smooth,” Bridge tells me proudly and I can tell she likes him and that makes me like him more.

“Good girl,” Tom says, and nods approvingly. “We’re going to stir it for just shy of…” He trails and looks at Paili.

“One minute!” She grins.

“Very good.” He nods.

He pours us each a martini, and Bridge plops in her little olive garnishes.

“Tada!” she sings as she gestures to it.

They cheer each other, but I look at Tom with pinched, suspicious eyes.

“You came here to teach my sister and my best friend how to make a martini?”

“No.” He swipes his hand through his hair. “I came here to ask you on a date.”

I take a sip, amused. “…We’re already dating.”

He shakes his head and takes me by the hand, pulling me off the bench and out of earshot of the girls.

“Foxhole business, I’m afraid,” he tells me.

“Ah.”

“Clossy’s birthday.”

I nod. “Okay.”

“So you’re free Wednesday?”

I nod again. “I will be.”

His face looks strained for a second. “I think she’s seeing someone.”

I blink a few times. “Oh.”

His face shifts from strained to frustrated. “Maybe. I don’t know—”

I hold his arm and look for his eyes. “Are you okay?”

He gives me a tight smile. “Can you wear a dress that makes the whole world stare at you?”

“Do they not already?” I blink playfully.

He makes a “hah” sound as he kisses my cheek. “Thank you.”

19:13

Paili

Babe, so you and Tom are like… a thing.

Pails, we’ve been dating for months.

Yeah but you were “dating”…

And now you’re DATING

That’s because we’re TOGETHER.

🙄 you know what I mean.

I do not.

How’s Beej.

I don’t know.

Fine.

We left it in a weird spot the other day.

He’ll come around. He always does with you. 💞

🤞

For the record, you two are also TOGETHER.

🖕

22:26

Christian

Hey x

Oy xx

Question..

Yep?

Is Beej fucking around a lot?

Hah

Beej is always fucking around

How much though?

Come on

Don’t make me answer that

Right.

That bad?