Oliver was still waiting awkwardly on the top step when I returned from putting the flowers inside, accepting the arm he held out to me, my hand rested in the crook of his elbow as we walked the path to where he had parked his car.
Holding the door for me, I climb in and my eyes follow his movements as he rushes around to the other side before getting in behind the wheel.
* * *
Getting the trip underway, we leave Fosford behind. “Are you going to tell me where we’re going?”
“All I’m going to say is we’re going to rewrite some history so we can make a better future.”
“What does that even mean?” I laugh at him, his vague answer had my mind reeling.
“Can you just wait and see?” He watches me from the corner of his eye before he picks up my hand that was clasped in my lap, kissing each knuckle in turn before he laces his fingers through mine.
“Do I have any other choice?”
Shaking his head as he grins, clearly proud of himself, before flicking on the radio.
* * *
The lights of Jefferson grew brighter and the glow, wider on the horizon.
“So, we’re going to Jefferson. Now can you tell me what we’re doing?”
“Remember our first date?”
“The one where you got food poisoning and it ended up with you in the hospital for two days afterward? That first date?”
He chuckles, it hadn’t been funny at the time, and it’d been scary. I’d never seen someone so violently ill before, what should have only been a thirty-minute car ride back to Fosford ended up taking three times as long for each time Oliver had to pull over to vomit. The date had been memorable but not for any of the right reasons.
“That’s the one, I’m calling a do-over. A second first date.”
“You’re not taking me back to the Golden Horseshoe, are you?” If he had ideas about having another meal there in either of our lifetimes then he needed to think again. No way in hell was I going back there.
“What? No. Do you think I’m fucking insane? My stomach turns at just the thought of eating Chinese food now.”
“Thank God.”
“Everything else we didn’t get to do that night, that’s what we’re doing. Now, can you relax and just let it happen?”
Sighing, I give in. “Fine, but can we go somewhere we’ve eaten before and survived. If you have some kind of grand plans for the night how about not ruining them with a trip to the emergency room?”
“But don’t you think it would be romantic? His and her hospital gowns?”
I glare at him and he chuckles again, I still loved the sound of his laugh. “If tonight is going to have me flashing my butt to everyone then you can turn this car around right now, Oliver Coxen, and take me home.”
“Daisy Blossom,” He acts shocked, his hand fluttering to his chest, “but I’m not that kind of guy. I don’t care how much you beg me, I’m not going to sleep with you on the first date.”
Rolling my eyes at him, earns me another bout of laughter. “That’s not what I meant and you know it.”
“I guess we’ll never know cause we’re here.”
Oliver pulls into the carpark of the Crazy Bull, it was a barbeque house that we’d been to on our second date, it was the kind of place that had peanuts on every table and you were encouraged to throw the shells on the floor. I’d always wondered if the cleaners at the place were well paid because there always seemed to be a lot of cleaning up to do.
Oliver laced his fingers back through mine as we walked into the restaurant. Inside was just as I remembered, red vinyl booths lined the walls with rustic wooden tables dotted around the floor. There was even taxidermy animals mounted on some of the walls.
As the bell rang, announcing new patrons, a perky blonde girl with a welcoming smile greeted us.
“Hi ya’ll, my name is Amber and welcome to the Crazy Bull.”
“Hi, Amber, we have a reservation for two under Coxen.”
Amber runs her finger over the page in the reservation book, before grabbing two menus and instructing us to follow her. She leads us back to a booth in the corner.
A familiar voice halts us before we make it to our table. Sitting at the table in front of us is Jason and his wife. “Fancy seeing you two here.”
“Oh hi, guys.” I smile at each of them in turn. As Jason stands, Oliver shakes his hand.
“Congratulations on the new job. I was just saying to Mel that it’d have to be a huge change moving from the City back to a small town like ours.”
My jaw hangs open as I eye Oliver, waiting for him to say something; purposely he avoids making eye contact with me.
“Yeah, it will be an adjustment but it’ll be worth it.”
Sheepishly, Jason introduces Oliver to Melissa, Oliver leans forward to shake her delicate hand and she also offers her congratulations and pleasantries about it being nice to meet him. I stood there silently, feeling like a fool, as if everyone else in the room had been let in on the secret except me.
We say our farewells to the other couple but not before Oliver agrees to having dinner at their home one weekend before the end of summer. Placing a hand on the small of my back he guides me to the booth where Amber was still waiting for us.
“Can I get you folks something to drink whilst you look over the menu?” Amber still smiles, I’m jealous of her stamina on holding the fake smile in place.
She scribbles down our order before hastily retreating back to the bar. Fleetingly, I wonder if it had anything to do with the steam coming from my ears.
27
oLIVER
* * *
Daisy narrows her eyes at me, I had planned for the night to be perfect, for Daisy to admit how good things could be between us again before telling her the news about my transfer.
“You and Jason and are going to be working together? How? Why? Where?”
“Fosford, I requested a transfer.”
“When were you going to tell me?”
I flick my wrist to reveal my watch, checking it as if it is going to reveal the answer to Daisy’s question. “Tonight. I was going to tell you tonight.” I thought she would be happy about the news but the scowl on her face proved that she was anything but.
“Was this something you thought might be a good idea to talk to me about? Does this decision of yours involve me?" She was pissed, and I couldn’t understand why.
“Of course it does, Daisy. It’s always been about you.”
“Ollie, I don’t want you giving up on your dream because of me. I should never have carried on like I did back then, it was immature and selfish and I’m ashamed of the way I behaved.”
There was a misery in her eyes that caused my chest to ache. Reaching across the table, she lets me take her hand in my own.
“If I went back to the city I would be giving up, giving up on you, giving up on us and I would regret that. More than I already did. Daisy, this is it for me, you are it.”
With her free hand, angrily, she wipes a rush of tears away. “I can’t ask you to do that, not when I’m not willing to do the same for you.”