“Oh, I’m so glad!”
“Wait here a minute. I’ll be back.”
I nod automatically. As if I wouldn’t do anything Lincoln Page asked of me.
He disappears and returns a moment later with Felix. “Dude, this woman makes the most amazing stuff. She’s an artist like you!” He motions to my phone. “Show him those photos you showed me.”
“Oh, I’m not an actual artist.”
“What you do is art,” he says firmly. “Please. Show him.”
I nervously open the photo gallery. Felix glances down at the images. And then rips the phone out of my hand to look at them more closely.
“Link is right. This is art. Wow.” He then studies me for a moment. “I love your look. I’ve decided we have to be friends. Link, she’s mine now.”
He laughs. “Whatever makes you feel better about yourself, buddy.”
Felix grabs my arm. “We’re ditching this place before a couple of ladies come back to throw themselves at a practically married man and a gay one. But I insist you come with us. I want to know everything about you.”
“No, no. I don’t want to impose.” I almost say I know they don’t get to catch up very often, but then they’d know I was listening in on their conversation.
“You are not imposing. We invited you. It would be rude to say no.”
I know this is not going to end well for me, but it’s physically impossible for me to refuse.
“Well, in that case, thank you. I would love to hang out with you both.”
I sneak a glance at Lincoln. He seems completely at ease with me tagging along.
Felix ushers me out ahead of him, and we all leave the bar.
I need to be on my best behaviour tonight.
SIX
Lincoln
The three of us walk farther along the wharf, and I have to say, I’m really enjoying myself. Seeing Felix was exactly what I needed and running into Tash again was a happy coincidence.
Tash turns to me. “I talked to Daisy tonight, and she was so happy when I told her I got your autograph.”
“I’m glad such a simple thing can make an impact,” I say. “Is Daisy with her dad while you’re away?”
“Uh, no. Her dad isn’t around. He left before she was born.”
I furrow my brow. “I’m sorry to hear that.”
“It’s okay. I’m glad he did it early on, rather than leave later.”
“I guess.” I never understood how fathers could abandon their kids like that, but I’m not going to make Tash feel any worse about it than I’m sure she already does.
“Anyway, to answer your question, Daisy is staying with my friend Millicent. She has a little boy the same age as Daisy, and she’s also on her own. But her ex is quite demanding with the custody arrangements, and he’s always taking Ryder on these slightly terrifying outings, like dirt biking and ATV trekking. It really stresses Millicent out, because her ex isn’t the most responsible of people.”
“That sucks. But good that the dad is involved, I suppose.”
We stop in front of a Mexican restaurant. “Are you hungry?” Felix asks.
“I could eat,” I say.
“Actually, that’s the reason I was at Nicky’s, and then I forgot to order,” Tash says. “So yes, let’s do it.”
As soon as we sit down, Felix orders a jug of sangria. “You want some?” he asks Tash.
“I won’t say no to sangria. You know, I read somewhere that the name sangria comes from the Spanish word for blood, which is sangre.”
“That’s a fun fact I always tell people!” Felix says, delighted. “See, I already know we’re going to be besties.” He grabs her hand and kisses it playfully.
Tash orders some nachos. I order a vegetarian burrito, and Felix orders some quesadillas.
“Are you vegetarian?” Tash asks me.
“Yep. Almost ten years now.”
“For ethical reasons?”
“That’s right.”
“Ah.” She looks like she might regret having ordered a meat dish just now.
“I’m totally fine with whatever anyone else wants to eat, though,” I assure her.
“I’m not turning vegie for you, sorry, Link,” Felix says.
“I don’t expect you to. I mean, I would obviously be happy if more people ate less meat, but it’s a personal decision that you have to arrive at yourself.”
“Are your girls vegetarian?” Tash asks.
“Mostly. Rachel isn’t, though, and the girls wouldn’t understand why they can’t eat the same food as her, so I don’t push it. I figure I’ll be able to explain my reasoning to them once they get a bit older and they can decide then. I don’t agree with scaring children into doing something.”
She nods. “I’m the same. I don’t like using fear as a motivator.”
The sangria arrives, and Felix pours us each a huge glass.
Tash downs half of hers in a couple of mouthfuls. I raise an eyebrow. “Thirsty?”
“I must be,” she says, blushing.
Felix looks at Tash thoughtfully. “If you don’t mind me asking, do you have Japanese ancestry?”
“Yes. My mum is from a small town north of Tokyo. But my dad’s family is from England.”
“I love Japan. Have you been?”
“Yeah, a lot. I’ve visited my mum’s family every couple of years for as long as I can remember. I even once lived there for twelve months. But my written Japanese is terrible, and my ability to speak it is very average. Have you visited recently?”
“The last time was three years ago. I spent five days in Tokyo, but I also went to Kyoto and Kanazawa.”
“Oh, I love Kanazawa! The gardens are beautiful there.” Tash turns to me. “What about you?”
I shake my head regretfully. “I haven’t been yet, but I’ve always wanted to. Felix often talks about it.”
“You should definitely go one day. I’m sure Felix will be able to advise you.”
“Did you learn how to make those rice ball animals in Japan?” Felix asks.
“Not really. I mean, I got the idea from there, but I learned more from my mum, and websites and blogs while I lived here.”
Our food arrives, and we all dig in. Tash must be hungry because she eats quickly.
Felix tops up our sangria. I don’t usually get drunk, since I’ve seen what alcohol can do to a person, but I’m happy to indulge a little tonight.
“You should have made it to the final of Sing to Me,” Tash tells me.
“It’s okay. I’m actually kind of relieved I didn’t. When you win, there’s a lot of pressure on you to release your debut single immediately, and you don’t get as much input into the music on the album. That’s what happened with Have You Got What It Takes? I was cast as this generic pop clone when I wanted to sing more stuff like what I’ve been doing now…rock and a little folk.”
“Do you write your own music?” she asks.
“I do. But I haven’t released any of it.”
“Not even on YouTube or Soundcloud?”