The Startling Inaccuracy of the First Impression

by A. E. Radley

  Verity could well believe that. She put a couple of takeaway menus on the recycling pile and glanced at Katie. She seemed quieter than she had been earlier, and Verity wondered if she was tired.

  While Katie was doing much better, she still had moments where her energy suddenly left her. Verity recognised it well from her own surgery; it took a long while to get back to normal.

  It was time to encourage Katie to go a little farther afield. Trips around the garden were one thing, but it was time to get back out into the real world. She’d only really build her energy levels by increasing her daily routine, and that involved properly going out.

  “I’m sorry about all of this,” Katie suddenly said.

  Verity looked at her in surprise. “What do you mean?”

  Katie gestured to the paperwork strewn across the table. “This. All of it. I’m a mess, I just… I never know what to do with any of this. And it scares me. It’s so stupid, but it does.”

  “A lot of people get unsettled by bureaucracy.”

  “It’s more than that.” Katie paused. She snatched up an envelope. “Never mind. Just… ignore me.”

  Verity swallowed. She didn’t know what had happened while she’d been picking up Callum, but it seemed that something had upset Katie’s mood. She wondered what she had found lurking in the paperwork. Possibly some bad memories.

  Katie had alluded to a strange upbringing and previous relationships that had issues. Verity wanted to know more about both but didn’t want to ask and overstep.

  “I think we’re all feeling a little cooped up,” Verity said, deliberately trying to inject a light tone into her voice. “It’s Thursday, so it’s late night shopping at the Oasis. How about we head out? What do you think? I can pick up the car from Mary’s when I drop off Callum and then we can have a little wander around the shopping centre. I’m sure it will be quiet.”

  “I don’t know.” Katie shook her head. “I don’t think so.”

  “Come on, we can have dinner out. It will be fine. A nice, calm, controlled environment for you to have your first outside adventure since the accident. Please?”

  Katie was focusing fully on a piece of paper that Verity could see was from a credit card company offering her an account.

  Something had definitely shaken Katie up, and Verity hated to see it. She suspected getting out of the house would help, and she wasn’t above pressuring a little with some blackmail.

  “Come on, you said you’d buy me dinner as a thank-you. You can’t back out now. You said it, I heard you,” Verity kidded.

  A smile curled at Katie’s lips.

  “I’m in the mood for fish,” Verity continued. “Or maybe that new vegan pizza I saw advertised.”

  “Fine, fine, we’ll go and get your vegan pizza,” Katie said.

  “Wonderful. Have you been to Oasis?”

  Katie shook her head. “Only to the restaurants nearby. I’ve not gone shopping in the actual mall.”

  Verity suspected as much. Katie didn’t seem like a shopping kind of person. The chance that she had spent much, if any, time in the local shopping mall was unlikely.

  “My ball is stuck in a tree,” Callum said, poking his head around the corner of the open back door.

  “Oh well,” Verity said. “That’s that, gone forever.”

  “Auntie Vere!” he complained.

  “You’re so mean to that poor boy,” Katie teased.

  “Me? You’re the one who tells him you’ll cheat at every game he wants to play,” Verity returned.

  “That’s just honesty,” Katie said. “We all know you’re going to go and rescue that ball.”

  Verity was already making her way to the door to do just that. She paused in the doorway and looked back at Katie.

  “Why do you always cheat at board games?”

  Katie chuckled. “Because it tells you a lot about people. If someone gets outraged and refuses to play, or if they pretend they haven’t noticed, or if they also start to cheat because you are. It’s fun to see what people will do.”

  Verity smiled. “So, we’re all rats in your maze, are we?”

  “Absolutely,” Katie agreed.

  “And what have you learnt about Callum and I?”

  “Callum’s young, so he’s just shocked that an adult would ever cheat. So, if anything, he’s learning a valuable lesson from me and you should thank me.” Katie had a twinkle in her eye, and Verity couldn’t help but laugh.

  “And me?” Verity asked.

  “You let me get away with it and don’t try to stop me from doing it. It tells me that you’re easy-going and a good person.”

  Verity watched her for a couple of seconds, surprised that the joking seemed to have stopped and some honesty had taken its place.

  “You’re just saying that to butter me up,” Verity said in order to diffuse the tension in the room.

  “Yep,” Katie agreed. “Did it work?”

  “Of course, who doesn’t like to be complimented? But you’re still buying me that pizza.”

  26

  Dining Out

  “Try it.” Verity held out her fork with a bite-sized piece of pizza speared on it.

  “No, thank you,” Katie said. She’d tried a vegan pizza once a year ago and didn’t like the texture of the cheese. She was sure that things had improved since then, but didn’t want to take the risk. “And who eats pizza with a knife and fork?”

  “I do.” Verity gleefully ate the piece of pizza. “It’s extremely good.”

  “Not as good as this.” Katie gestured to her lasagne. The meat was rich and flavourful, and the sauce was creamy and delicious. It was undoubtedly incredibly bad for her, but she was savouring every last bite. “Would you like to try a bite?”

  Verity shook her head.

  “Your loss,” Katie said with a grin.

  She was glad she’d agreed to come to the shopping centre that evening. It was relatively quiet and so good to be back out in the real world. Properly going out had lurked in her mind like the bogeyman for the last few days. She’d known she was getting closer and closer to having to leave the apartment, but every time she considered it she thought of a new, terrifying reason why she should just stay home.

  But now that she was out, it felt like a weight had been lifted. Her recovery was nearly complete. The scar would take a while longer to properly heal, but she had a good range of movement and it didn’t hurt whenever she laughed or bent over. Her energy levels would take a while to get back to normal, but Katie knew she’d been extremely lucky and would gratefully take the hit when confronted with the possible alternative of her death.

  She raised her gaze to surreptitiously watch Verity. Without the woman sitting opposite her, Katie didn’t know where she’d be. She certainly wouldn’t have recovered as quickly as she had, and there was a big chance that she’d be hiding in her apartment a whole lot longer.

  Mary’s words echoed in her head. While she didn’t like Mary’s attitude, or her completely false assumption, it had woken Katie up to the reality of the situation. It would have been so easy to have sleepwalked into a relationship with Verity, and while Katie was absolutely not after Verity’s money, it would have been wrong to throw away a friendship and embark on something that Katie knew would be destined for failure.

  Because Katie Ross simply wasn’t made for relationships. She knew that she was hard work to be around and Verity was kindness personified once you got through the hard outer shell.

  Katie’s assumptions about who she was in those first few weeks had been miles off. Her first impression couldn’t have been more wrong. She knew there was a lesson in there somewhere.

  Mary’s involvement had been horrible, but it had shaken Katie up enough to stop her from making a mistake. Verity deserved more than what Katie could give her, and if Katie was to ever repay her for all her kindness, then finding Verity a proper girlfriend would be a great way to do it.

  “Have you ever been to Sticks?” Katie asked.
<
br />   Verity looked up and shook her head. “Never heard of it.”

  “It’s the local lesbian bar. We should go.”

  Verity blurted out a laugh so loud that a couple of other diners turned to look. She quickly recovered herself but continued to smile in something close to disbelief. “Are you joking?”

  “No, why would I be joking?”

  “Well, you do joke a lot.” Verity lowered her knife and fork.

  Katie considered that for a second. “Okay, yes, I do, but not this time. Have you ever been to a lesbian bar?”

  A touch of a blush appeared on Verity’s cheeks. She shook her head.

  “Don’t you think it’s time you did?” Katie asked gently.

  “Don’t you think that time has passed? More than passed?”

  Katie frowned. “What do you mean?”

  “I mean, people in their fifties don’t go to bars,” Verity explained.

  “Of course they do. Especially if they look like you,” Katie replied.

  Verity looked surprised, and Katie reminded herself to be cautious. She didn’t want to give Verity the wrong idea. The plan was to get Verity a date, not to string her along.

  “Sticks will be full of women who would love the chance to get your number,” Katie continued quickly. She picked at her food with her fork, suddenly feeling full.

  “I…” Verity looked uncertain.

  “Come on, you were looking to date someone before you were… offered… early retirement. That was, what, a year and a half ago?” Katie asked.

  Verity inclined her head a little, indicating that was correct. The blush was intensifying, but Katie knew she had to push past Verity’s nerves and encourage her to put herself out there.

  “And has there been anyone since you gave up work?” Katie fished. Suddenly she wasn’t sure if she wanted to know the answer.

  “No,” Verity admitted.

  Relief rushed over Katie, and she hated herself for it. She needed to focus on getting Verity a girlfriend she deserved, not a relationship with someone who just couldn’t cope with them.

  “There you go then, high time you found someone to date. We’ll hit Sticks, it will be fun.” Katie felt a heavy weight sit in her stomach. It had nothing to do with overeating the delicious lasagne.

  “We’ll see,” Verity said softly. “I’m not sure it’s very… me.”

  That much was true.

  Katie couldn’t picture Verity in a lesbian bar no matter how hard she tried, but that didn’t mean she shouldn’t go. Katie distractedly wondered about Verity’s relationship history. Had she been in many relationships before? What happened? How long had it been since she’d dated someone?

  Katie sat up a little taller and pushed all the questions out of her mind. Going down that road just led to upset that she didn’t need. She needed to focus her attention on the fact that Verity deserved someone in her life, but that person couldn’t be Katie.

  She lowered her fork.

  Verity raised an eyebrow. “All done?”

  Katie looked at her plate; she’d eaten around two thirds. Enough to get away with the lie. “I’m full,” she said.

  Verity looked down at the half of her pizza that remained. “I’m also full,” she said. “I’ll ask them to box this up and then we can have a short stroll around the shops.”

  27

  The Return of Deanna

  “Can we sit for a minute?”

  Verity immediately came to a stop and gently took hold of Katie’s arm and guided her to the bench. They’d been walking for around twenty minutes, slowly exploring the shopping centre and meandering in and out of various stores.

  She’d been in her own world most of the time, only just managing to nod and smile when Katie pointed something out in a shop. Was she really so terrible at reading signals? She’d been certain that there was something developing between them over the last few days, a natural progression from friendship to something more.

  But then Katie had blindsided her with the suggestion that they go to a lesbian bar. Not on a date together, as Verity had initially hoped, but to find Verity a date.

  Apparently, Katie pitied her and had taken it upon herself to find Verity someone who would consider dating her. Humiliation had washed over Verity, and it was all she could do not to run from the restaurant. Only the knowledge that she had to get Katie safely back home had kept her in her seat.

  “Sorry,” Katie said as she sat down. “Not used to so much walking around.”

  Verity took a seat next to her on the bench. “It’s quite all right. Take as long as you need.”

  Verity crossed her legs and looked away from Katie. She felt a little guilty for Katie’s sudden tiredness; she’d set a speedy pace around the shopping centre in the hope they could call it a night.

  Right now, the idea of going home and drowning her sorrows with a glass of wine was very appealing.

  The mall would be open for another hour, and Verity hoped that Katie would soon suggest they go home. She looked around at the shops; just a handful of shoppers were scattered throughout the upper floor. She imagined it was the same downstairs.

  Usually, she enjoyed the quiet pace of the late-night shopping hours. Tonight, it felt too quiet, as if the peaceful hush meant that her thoughts were surely on broadcast to Katie. It had been a long time since Verity felt so stupid. She had felt certain they were getting on well and were firmly on the same wavelength, but suddenly Katie was keeping her at arm’s length. And now she was trying to hook Verity up with someone else. Presumably to avoid another disastrously embarrassing time where they almost kissed.

  “Shall we just walk to the end of this row and then head home?” Katie asked, shaking Verity from her thoughts.

  She smiled as best she could. “Absolutely. If you’re sure? I don’t want you to overdo it on your first adventure out.”

  Katie gingerly stood. “I think I’ll be okay to finish the last row. As long as you’re okay?”

  “I’m fine, always fine.” She stood up, and they continued walking their slow pace along the shopfronts.

  “Katie?” a voice called.

  Verity stopped and watched a young woman come jogging out of a shop and approach them, a concerned look on her face.

  “Oh, hi!” Katie greeted the woman.

  “Oh, wow, what happened?” the woman asked, raising her hand to almost graze one of the lingering scrapes on Katie’s forehead. “I wondered where you were; I hadn’t seen you in Whitely’s for a while. I thought you changed area again, but… did you have an accident?”

  Verity felt very much like she didn’t belong in this conversation and took a small step back. Whitely’s? she wondered. Who is this woman? And why is she almost touching Katie?

  “Yeah, I got a little banged up. Had my bike stolen,” Katie confessed. “It’s Deanna, isn’t it? I’m sorry, I’m really bad with names.”

  Deanna flashed Katie a bright smile. “Clearly you’re not. You remembered me.”

  “Hard to forget,” Katie replied.

  Verity looked at the woman again, and a flash of recognition hit her hard in the gut. It was the waitress who had been working the night she dined at Whitely’s and Katie had come in to pick up an order. Verity had been so surprised to see Katie there that evening that she had found it difficult to tear her eyes away from her. She’d seen Deanna and Katie talking, and saw Deanna hand over a slip of paper. Now she realised that was probably her number.

  The sensation of foolishness instantly doubled in her heart. This was the kind of woman Katie would date, young and beautiful. Not some old woman. How could Verity be so blind as to think otherwise?

  “I’m so sorry you lost your bike. People are monsters,” Deanna said. Her eyes were roaming over Katie’s body, seeking out any apparent injuries. “Are you okay?”

  “I’m getting there,” Katie said. “This is Verity, my neighbour.”

  Deanna turned and offered her the smallest of smiles and a hello. Verity felt one in
ch tall. She was the neighbour. Nothing more, nothing less.

  “So, did you think any more about my offer?” Deanna asked, biting her lip in a way she probably thought looked cute.

  Katie chuckled softly. “I’ve been pretty busy with having my bike stolen. Not much time for socialising.”

  “I bet. Do you have some time now, though? Maybe tomorrow night? I could pick you up?”

  Verity couldn’t believe what she was hearing. Deanna was just blurting it out like she was asking about the weather. It had barely been two minutes, and already she was diving in with both feet, fearless. Was this dating these days? If it was, then it was no wonder that Verity was single.

  Katie was smiling and chuckling, clearly enjoying the attention. Verity couldn’t blame her. Who wouldn’t?

  “You don’t quit, do you?” Katie asked playfully.

  Deanna shook her head. “Nope. Not when it’s something I really want.”

  Verity wanted to cover her ears and sing at the top of her lungs. This was quite honestly the last thing she needed considering how pathetic she was feeling.

  “Fine, but not for long. I’m still recovering from the accident, so I don’t want to be out for any longer than an hour,” Katie said.

  “Two hours?” Deanna fished.

  Verity barely restrained herself from giving Deanna her best death stare.

  Katie laughed. “An hour and a half, final offer.”

  “I’ll take it,” Deanna said playfully. “What’s your number? I’ll text you and you can let me know your address and what time tomorrow.”

  They exchanged numbers. Verity had never felt so uncomfortable in her life. Nor so old. Did she really expect Katie to have any interest in her? She had lived her life and was now retired. What would a young and vibrant woman like Katie see in her?

  It was obvious that Katie needed someone equally youthful and exuberant, and it seemed that she’d found it. While simply strolling around the shopping centre that Verity now cursed herself for suggesting they visit.

  She tried to keep a smile on her face. It wasn’t her place to say anything.