CHAPTER 33 - THINGS CHANGE...AND SOME THINGS STAY THE SAME
THE OLD CHURCH HOUSE - TEN MINUTES LATER
ATTIC
MOLLY
I know it is the most ridiculous thing but I can’t stop crying! The only reason I heard what I heard is because I happened to be heading up to the Attic to meet Eric; they have the Nook and we have the Attic. And I heard Brian shout, but it was Justin’s words after they finished giggling... So simply said and I know he means them.
“So they said they love each other and this is making you cry because?” Eric strokes my back as I calm down.
“After all he’s been through, it’s so lovely and I am so happy.” I snivel and look around for something to wipe my eyes on.
“Me too. Here.” He hands me his shirt and I take it with a wobbly smile.
“You know, I think I might need Brian to help me pick some furnishings for up here. He has excellent taste in furniture and boyfriends.”
“Not that you’re biased at all…but yeah, I really like the rug.” Eric stretches. “So Stanley and Heathan…” He begins slowly.
“What about them and why are you saying it like that?”
“They want to invite us all, including Brian and Justin, around for dinner to say sorry properly.”
“And…”
“Well, Brian is a tiny bit protective of Justin and they want to us to…”
“A tiny bit? That’s like saying that Novotny is a bit of an idiot! However, if they want to apologise to Brian for upsetting his boyfriend then they have to man up like they have grown up and ask him themselves.” I tell him firmly. “Yes, he’s Big Bad but he has a right to be angry like we did.”
“Okay, okay, I’ll tell them to do it.”
“Good. Now enough of that...more of this.” I purr and slide my hand into his jockeys.
“Oh yes definitely more of this.”
NORMAN AND EFFY’S HOUSE - LATE MORNING
EFFY
Since when does he whistle? I look across at Gus and he shrugs. But I know that shrug and head up to my room. Digging into my secret stash, I come back down and wait for Daddio to go back into the garage.
“Three...I’ve got three so do we have a deal?” I smile at him and he nods enthusiastically. “Talk first.”
“One first.” He folds his arms.
“Fine.” I hand over the cacao fudge cookie and he wraps it carefully in the napkin.
“Norm and Melinda are having dinner tomorrow night.”
“I know that!” I huff. “I was there when they said that. What I want to know is what they said when I wasn’t there.”
“2nd one.” He prompts and I give it to him warily.
“But they are having a drink first…”
“Gus!” I hiss and glare.
“Alright Kaa*, calm down!” He chuckles and reaches for the cookie at the same time. “We are going to dinner with them next time.”
My eyes widen and I hand over the cookie. “Next time? You think there will be a next time?”
“Well, I’m no expert in the body language of love like your goodself, but I think judging by the way she watched him walk back to the car...she hopes so.”
I roll my lips in and do my inner happy dance. “But…” I sigh as reality hits. ”This leads us to the other problem.”
“There is no other problem…” Daddio makes us both jump when he stealths his way back into the kitchen. He laughs as we glare at him. “...as the soon to be ex problem said, I am remarkably light on my feet for a man so…”
“Corpulent.” Gus and I say in unison. It was her favourite passive aggressive word for Daddio.
“Yes and that is the last time that word is mentioned in this house. Now what can we replace it with?”
“Rubenesque?” Gus suggests and we both look at him.” What’s wrong with that?”
“I am neither a picture nor a woman...though if I was…”
“Stop that. You can never satisfy the insatiable.” I rebuke him firmly. “Oh how about butterball?”
“Butterball!” Gus splutters. “He’s not a turkey!”
“No, I like it. I like butter and I am ball shaped.” He laughs. “Besides correcting her corpulent with that everytime will drive her bonkers!” We laugh at that for a bit before he sobers. “She was cheating, Gus. You were right. She’s a liar, a thief and, as my mom correctly surmised, a harlot.”
“Grandma said that?!” I gasp.
“Yep. For all her refinement, Mom took me to one side soon after we got married and said, watch your wife Norman, she’s hunting like a harlot in heat…”
“Who was it? I mean do you know who she…” Gus’s face is riven with anger.
“Her fellow co-Chairwoman, but she and her husband have an agreement, which it seems your Mom wasn’t privy to and tried to use that to get into the awareness meet.”
“You said thief. Why is she a thief? I mean the clothes isn’t exactly stealing. Because she’s replacing them with something else, but it’s not honest.”
“It’s not the clothes, well it is, but nothing you need worry about.” He smiles brightly and truthfully...oh boy, whatever is coming Mom’s way is not going to be chique. Another word to be consigned to history!
DREW AND EMMETT’S HOUSE
DREW
Oh no! I know that smell. I make my way downstairs and sure enough, my man is cooking his comfort brunch. Pan fried mushrooms with Cavelo Nero and chestnuts on sourdough bread.
“What or who has pissed you off?” I ask as I wrap my arms around him and sneak a mushroom out of the pan.
“Lindsay!” He growls as he pulls out his Kai Shun knife and slices through the sourdough, homemade judging by the breadmaker; shit whatever it is it must be bad. He only uses that knife when he very upset. I move to the side of him.
“Ems, babe, can you put that…”
“Do you know what?!” He whirls round to face me with the knife in his hand and I back up. “I hate her, I mean really hate her, for what she’s done! He’s the sweetest guy and she goes and opens her rotten crotch factory to the first tongue that wags her way!”
“Babe, the knife!” I scoot further away.
“Oh shit sweetie sorry, sorry! Putting it down!” He places it carefully on the counter and I move it out of reach. “She cheated on him.”
“I cheated on you and you don’t hate me. Why is she different?” I approach gently.
He sighs. “Because I can understand your cheating. Not excuse but understand. You had an image to uphold and everything to lose and…she has, had Norman. He should have been just as lucrative!”
“Cheating is cheating no matter what the reason or circumstances.”
“But you were cheating on your girl...fiancé with me.” He points out ruefully.
Time to fess up. I put my arms around him and he sinks back against my chest, a sign he’s calming down. “I didn’t consider you my mistress, though. You were and are my hero. You are so unapologetically you. I couldn’t get enough. I apologise for the other guys, but by the time I told you and you dumped me, I had already stopped fucking around.”
He looks surprised. “You had? Why didn’t you say?”
“You kinda stormed out and told me to never contact you again.” I wince at the memory of one of the most awful days of my life.
“I am so glad you didn’t listen.” He turns in my arms and kisses me gently. “Want to share that?” He swivels his hips and grins. “After?”
“Lounge. Get naked on the way!” I growl.
LINDSAY’S APARTMENT
LOUNGE
LINDSAY
I have been summoned to a meeting of the board tomorrow afternoon, to discuss my riding roughshod over others behaviour, my moral turpitude and my attempt to hold our fellow co-Chairwoman’s marriage to ransom. What utter tosh! I can refute each and every one of those so called charges! And as for her marriage, well I was giving her options! I am glad that what we had is now over in a way. I loved the thrill of meeting up secretly, but her husband being aware of it tarnished the allure, though she did know what to do!
As for fatman, Norman! I can’t believe he announced the end of our marriage in front of Catherine and Henry like that! I tell him when I am walking away, not the other way around! As if anyone would want him or he would want anyone else after he’s had me! Besides he is forgetting that I get half of everything...that includes the house and the garage and I’m not going anywhere without it!
LFD - MONDAY MID-MORNING
VIP TABLE
JUSTIN
I am trying to still the tremble of my hands and keep my face impassive, but it’s a little difficult when Brian’s hand is nonchalantly stroking my cock under the table. He says this is payback for agreeing to dinner with Eric, Molly, Stanley and Heathan on Wednesday night without consulting him. I didn’t think I would have to consult him since he was standing right there at the time.
“Brian, don’t. I have to…”
“Complete that menu? Yes, I know. Oh dear you appear to have made a mistake. It’s croque, not cock, monsieur.”
I look down to check. He is not teasing me and catch sight of his hand moving slowly and languorously in my lap. I am mesmerised. I force myself not to squirm and look around only to find that we are alone.
“You know. You look so very hot right now. Your mouth parted, your lips wet and the soft quivering of your thighs as you try to hold off...Leucous.”
“Mmmmmm!” I groan quietly as my cock starts to leak and pulse.
“So fucking hot!” He rumbles in my ear. “Oh the things I could do to you; will do to you; want to do to you.”
“Fuck it! Fuck me! Fuck me now!” I hiss and start to push the papers off the table.
“As you wish!” He shoves the table forward and then me over it. “Need to feel your heat!” He snarls as he hauls down my pants.
OUTSIDE SOUP AND DROP - EARLY AFTERNOON
HEATHAN
The morning rush has died down and I can see Stanley coming down the street. Unfortunately, I can also see Royston and Albert. While Royston has remained civil, now that we have been officially ostracised by order of our former Captain, Albert is behaving like a punk-assed dickhead, according to Stanley, who’s language has become more colourful now that Eric is about, which I have to say is a bit of a turn on! He’s taken to coming to report on our misdeeds every lunchtime to his Captain, despite said Captain actually, but just barely, working in the same place as me.
“Hey. Where are going for lunch?” He asks after he kisses me hello.
“Heathan and Stanley sitting in a tree, k-i-s-s-i-n-g…” Albert sings.
“There’s a crow behind you.” Stanley says and Albert whirls around flapping his arms before he rushes inside and peers nervously through the door.
“And that was…”
“He’s afraid of birds.” He replies, smirking.
“That was mean!” I chide him, barely holding off my smile. “How would you like someone to do that to you?”
“They did this morning, when you made us go and see Brian Kinney and invite him to dinner!”
“It wasn’t that bad.” I maintain. “It could’ve been a lot worse…”
Start of flashback
LFD - EARLY MORNING
HEATHAN
I knew this was a bad idea! We are currently shrivelling under the malevolent stare of Brian Kinney, who’s behind Justin, leaning against the counter.
“And you have graced us with your dubious presence because?” He drawls.
“We wanted to invite you both to dinner.”
“Both? You do realise I am dating and fucking a gorgeous man that cooks perfectly? Tell me why I would want to eat your fayre?”
“Brian...be nice. They…”
“Combined nerdy forces with Dickdead Batter-Up Boy to ruin your business. Which part of me should be what part of nice?”
“Dickdead Batter Up Boy?” Stanley laughs and then stops when Brian glares at him. “I’ve not heard that one before…”
“You may bow in the presence of my genius.” He jibes.
I pause to see if he is joking but he merely stares back. “Um...these are new pants you see and…”
“Christ on a bike, not literally!” He scoffs. “No wonder you were under his control for so long…”
“Not our finest hours...” Stanley begins.
“So do you accept our invitation to dinner? We’re going to be hosting at my place…” Again I trail off when he just stares.
“Yes, we accept. What wine do we need to bring?” Justin looks at him reproachfully and he shrugs.
“Red would be perfect, a full bodied one. Thank you. We’ll see you then…” I start to push Stanley out.
“Wait a second geniuses lovebirds, aren’t you forgetting something?” He calls out and we pause, look at each other and then look at him. “What time and the address?”
“I’ll get that from Molly, you guys go.” Justin tells us smiling.
We don’t wait for a second invitation to be elsewhere…
End of flashback
AN HOUR LATER - STAFF MEETING
MICHAEL
I roll my eyes as the lovebirds come back in hand in hand and Albert comes to the counter. “Hey roomie!” He chirrups like some fucking cricket. “Do you want me to do some recon on them? I heard them say something about inviting Brian Kinney to dinner before they left.”
“Brian? With those two? As if! Yes go and do some recon and swiftly. If anybody is going to be having dinner with Brian Kinney, it will be me! I’m one of his best friends!”
“As it should be.” He whispers conspiratorially and scurries out to follow Stanley.
“Staff meeting will now commence!” O-Bitch calls out and I notice that Miley, Kiki, Traitor Vic and one of the busboys Hunger or whatever his name is plus the rich lesbians are in here.
“What’s going on?” I ask Jacob and he just shrugs.
“As you know, the Vaseline Tower was being refurbished and I am pleased to announce that it is finished and ready to move into.” There is cheering and whooping and but all I feel is disdain. I have heard of the Vaseline Tower. The only thing that could improve it was to knock it down! “So over to you, Annalise…”
“Thanks, Odette. Yes, so with some fast and hard grafting, it is done. So, I am hoping that Hunter will accept the honour of being the warden of the Vaseline Tower…”
“What?!” He gasps in shock. “Why me?”
“Miley was telling us how you started there and you know all the places that the homeless go, so why not you?” She asks.
“A-are you serious? What am I saying, of course you’re serious. So I would have to give up the diner then?”
“Yes as it is a full time job.”
My ears prick up. So they will be needing another waiter in the diner; this is my chance!
“Vic…”
“You are the best man for the job.” My dear Uncle Vic interrupts him. “And speaking of best men, I have spoken to both Odette and Justin and we would like to speak to Jacob about coming to work at the Diner in Hunter’s place.”
WHAT????!!!!
“That is all. Staff meeting is over.”
I push past people to get to Traitor Vic and pull on his arm as he attempts to leave. “You throw me out and now this?! What have I done to deserve this?! I am...”
“Michael!” O-bitch interrupts. “Kindly take your personal problems off the premises. This is a place of employment, not a place for your petty squabbles or your rapidly dwindling band of merry men to convene when they haven’t got jobs to go to!”
I have had enough of this! I slowly take my apron off and dump it on the ground before crushing it underfoot. “You know what... you can keep your job and your ideas of family. I am done with this shit!”
“Do you promise not to come crawling back again, like you did with Cyril?” Annalise scoffs.
“I don’t need this job. I can be employed anywhere…”
“But the Avenue! Trust me, nobody but you wants you here!” She snaps and peels my fingers off of his arm. “This is my place and once again, you need to use that door and never come back!”
I look her scornfully up and down. “You are wrong, so very wrong. Later, suckers!”
CATHERINE’S HOUSE - TWO HOURS LATER
LOUNGE
CATHERINE
Well that soon sucked the cavalier wind out of her sails! Lindsay soon to be just Peterson is staring at the newspaper in fury. For there in all her glory is Effy, the saviour of earrings everywhere and proudly behind her is Norman and Brian. The spread on the awareness meet is vast. In fact, it takes up most of the pages of Pittsburgh Out and she is nowhere to be seen...well apart from here, almost having palpitations on what she missed out on.
“Lindsay, can you concentrate on what we are saying please? You are not featured, so stop looking. After much consideration, we have decided against removing you from the council…” The supercilious look starts to creep back across her face. “But, we will be removing you as co-Chairwoman. Your actions and behaviour are not befitting of a person of such standing and as such, you will remain a junior board member with no voting powers until such time as we the senior members of the board feel that your behaviour has improved.”
“And if I refuse to accept this temporary suspension?”
“We will take it as your resignation and accept it accordingly. Oh and make sure that every board in the Pennsylvania area knows exactly what you are like. Needless to say, but I feel I must, there will be no need for your goodwill services in future. What is your decision?”
LINDSAY’S APARTMENT - EARLY EVENING
LINDSAY
Secretary! They have demoted me to a mere minute taker! I knew she was vengeful, but as well as that, they all came to my apartment and took back every stitch of clothing that they had given me for goodwill. My wardrobe is bare apart from the Annalise dress. I can’t believe my societal aspirations have come to this! What other trial or tribulation could befall me?! Why does the world have it in for me so much?! My maudlin musings are halted by the phone ringing and it’s a number I don’t recognise. Whomever it is has been calling me all day, but not leaving a message.
“This is Lindsay Peterson, who is this?” I demand, having put the call on speaker so I can have my wine at the same time.
“This Claudia Welch from the IRS, ma’am. You are due an audit on your business Chique Boutique. I was hoping to arrange that…”
Trade cookies: https://houseandhome.com/recipe/donna-hays-cacao-fudge-cookies/
Emmy’s brunch:
Bread knife: https://www.knivesandtools.co.uk/en/pt/-kai-shun-bread-knife.htm