By the time the plane landed in Cork, I’d already started to formulate a strategy to talk to Darci about the plan. But as soon as I turned my phone on, a text from my brother came dinging through.
West: Sorry to be the one to confirm it, but it’s true Darci is with someone else. Couple days ago, I saw her sneak into the on-call room with one of the pharmacy reps. The next night Otto and Seth saw them holding hands at the Pinecone. Sorry, brother.
I was surprised to feel something akin to relief, but I wondered what that would mean for my future at work. Would things be even more awkward between Bruce Ames and me or would it actually help the situation? Was he relieved his baby girl had gotten over me so quickly? And what did that mean for my love life? I was something of a serial monogamist. I’d always had a girlfriend.
What would my life be like now without someone to take care of? I’d always dreamed of the wife, the white picket fence, the two point five children. Was I really going to have to start all over? The thought had me absently reaching for the hand sanitizer again before I realized what I was doing. I glanced at the woman next to me and listened as she and her traveling companions talked excitedly about whiskey and Irish men. Their unabashed enthusiasm made something loosen in my chest just a little and I turned to stare out the window as I considered my seat mate’s earlier words.
Maybe she and the other two old ladies were right. Maybe I did need to do something wild for once.
2
Charlie
Charlie’s Words To Live By:
Never date the ones named Rory. Oh, or Simon or Pat either.
They’re cheating bastards, every last one.
That was another one down. I’d run up to the pub in Doolin for a quick pint with my sister, Cait, and run right into Rory with his fucking tongue rammed in some bloke’s face in the corridor to the jacks.
Classic case of my having assumed the relationship was more than it was.
“What the fuck, Rory?” I squawked.
He and the tosser he was with jumped apart and started in with some nonsense about it not being what it looked like. Whatever. I should have known better, to tell the truth. The first boyfriend I’d ever had warned me early on that one of the benefits of being gay was not having to deal with all that monogamy bullshit.
But stupid Charlie kept trying for it anyway.
Stupid dope Charlie.
I turned on my heel and made my way back out to where Cait sat.
“Shut your gob before flies get in,” I spat. “Let’s go.” I tossed down a tenner before disappearing out the front door without another word.
Cait came running after me, but I ignored her. Heat ignited my face, and I was sure it was all splotchy. Fucking pale skin—couldn’t hide feelings for shite.
“Charlie, wait. Fuck him, brother. Really. The guy’s a royal jackass if you ask me,” she said, jogging a bit to keep up with me. She was one of the only people I knew who was smaller than I was.
I spun to face her. “I did ask you! Jesusfuckingchrist, Cait. I did ask you. Two months ago when things seemed to be getting more serious, I said I fancied him for more than a fuck and what did you think of the guy. And you said, ‘yeah, fine.’”
“Yeah, fine isn’t the same thing as saying he’s an amazing human being, Charlie. What did you expect me to say?”
I threw up my hands. “I expected you to say, ‘Charlie, he looks like another user who’s going to step out on you when you least expect it, in your very own local pub no less.’”
Cait winced. “Yeah, what was up with that? Couldn’t he have gone to Dan Lowrey’s instead if he was going to fuck around behind your back?”
I rolled my eyes and started walking again. “That’s not the point.”
“No, but seriously. Why would he have done that when he knows we share a pint here every Thursday after your dog meeting?”
“He thought I was scheduled to go out of town for that big delivery run for Uncle Dev. I got the dates wrong. It’s actually day after tomorrow,” I admitted. “Did you see that bloke he was with? I wouldn’t have ridden him if he’d had pedals.”
We arrived in front of my sister’s flat and stood on the pavement. I couldn’t wait to get back home to my cottage instead. I loved my solitude on the old family property. Just me and the sound of the sea over the cliffs. Thank fuck I hadn’t asked Rory to move in with me yet. That would have been a disaster.