How Times Change

Claire laughed, sounding like polished silver bells. “You two were quite a pair back then..” Someone from the far side of the dance floor called Claire’s name in a nearly identical upper crust New England tone. “Ah, that’s Gloria- you remember Gloria?” Jade didn’t. “ I’ll have to go save her from the chocolatini’s. Listen, Jade darling, do catch up when you can?“ She cracked a sultry grin, leaned in close to whisper and flashed her eyes toward Luc who was just heading back. “…And get me a number, ok?”  With that she was gone to rescue Gloria, leaving the table in a splash of red and a turn of blonde hair.

Poor Gloria.

Lucas made it back just as Claire moved out of earshot. He was carrying two crystal goblets of a deep purple punch and balanced on it was a plate of cookies. He proclaimed, “Dessert!” and then dropped into the chair Claire had just vacated.  He nodded towards the departing socialite.

“What did tall blonde and wicked want?”  He popped a shrimp into his mouth.

Jade smiled. “That’s not nice Gnat- true, but not nice.” She followed that with a sigh. “She mostly wanted to talk about you I think.”

The look of horror on Lucas’s face nearly made Jade laugh out loud. “Me?” He crossed himself and rolled his eyes toward heaven.

That’s the same, at least- never say something serious when there’s a perfectly good laugh to be had instead. When he was twelve and they were living together in Tony and Eve’s house that meant an endless stream of puns and knock knocks, followed by that horse laugh of his. Just as she thought that she was shocked to hear the rich baritone notes of full grown Lucas’s laugh.

If Lucas noticed, he didn’t let on. “It’s not her I worry about anyway- it’s that Gloria. When I was up there at the line, she grabbed my..”

“Shh.” Jade lifted a finger to her lips. “ Some things I don’t need to know.”

They settled in to noshing their way through the shrimp and then the cookies too. On the way they talked about old times. The time Lucas, still in full Gnat mode, thought it would be funny to tell Jade that his tarantula Charlie had gotten loose and he’d seen it heading for her room. The time that Jade had caught Luc and his friend Steve setting up an advance surveillance post in the tree-house that happened to have a great view of her friend Kim’s bedroom. By the time they’d made it to barren plate and empty cup land, the sun had dropped, and the party lights had come on.

The dance floor was finally thinning. Off in the center, Eve was dancing with Richard, her head on his chest as they shuffled off beat to a recording. At least that singer girl finally gave up. Lucas noticed his mother too.

“She’s really happy this time Jade. Really happy, and Richard is a great guy.” She could hear a tone in his voice.
“But?”

“No buts. It’s just that,” he rubbed the back of his neck. “I can’t be home like I used to, and I worry. It’s probably stupid.”

Jade smiled. “No Gnat, it’s sweet. You’re supposed to worry. It’s your mom. But you and I both know that she can handle herself. Now, him on the other hand,” She pointed out Tony, who had a group of his cronies off in the corner and she could tell he was warming up to a great punchline. “Him, I worry about.”

Lucas chuckled low and then turned back to Jade. “God it’s been good to catch up JJ. It’s been way too long!” His glasses caught the shine from the lights so his eyes were hidden.

It had been good. It had also been unsettling. Nothing about seeing Gnat as a full grown man made any kind of sense to her. It had to be the warm champagne…

“It has been, but Luc,” She checked her phone. “I still have my phone, and it’s telling me if I don’t get going I’ll never wake up to catch that plane.” She reached out her hand to pat his, only to find his other hand on hers, warm and strong. Very strong.

“Don’t make it so long next time, hm?”

She couldn’t explain it, but something lurched. Has to be the champagne, has to be the champagne. She pulled her hand away, too fast, and blurted out something to the affect that she wouldn’t, but she really had to go. The rest was a blur- saying goodbye to Eve and Richard, then to her father, and then, finally, mercifully, hitting the road for the drive back to Seaside and her hotel.

She was halfway there before she realized she’d left her shoes.