Last Call

by Kelly, A. S.

  “I hope you’ve at least brought dessert.”

  I hold up the bag. “I don’t mess around.”

  I go to step through the doorway, but she stops me with one hand.

  “Is it chocolate?”

  I smile proudly. “Double chocolate.”

  She lets me through and closes the door behind me.

  “Sorry I’m a little late,” I say. “Carter stayed for dinner and I couldn’t let him cycle home in the dark, so I dropped him home, then went to get dessert…” I lift my eyes and find hers resting on me, waiting. “And then you,” I say suddenly.

  “Me?” she asks, tilting her head.

  I nod, stepping closer to her as she eyes me suspiciously.

  “The only thing you’ll be getting this evening is half of that dessert.”

  I smile. “I didn’t come for what you think.”

  “I think a lot of things about you, Kerry, and most of them aren’t great.”

  I follow her into the living room, which is illuminated by a floor lamp. The TV is switched off, and there’s no sight of the usual lonely leftovers.

  “Were you already asleep?” I ask, as she sits down on the sofa.

  She grabs a book from the coffee table and waggles it at me. “I had company.”

  I sit down next to her and place the dessert on the table. I look at her, words dangling dangerously from the tip of my tongue.

  “You seem weird tonight,” she says. “Is something wrong?”

  So much is wrong, Jordan. Nothing in my life seems to be going right at the moment – but I’ve decided to do something about it. I’m finally starting to make the right decisions: and that includes you.

  Jordan

  I don’t know if it’s normal that he feels so at home here, in my house. Should I be worried that I feel so comfortable when he’s here, when he brings me dessert? I mean, it’s double chocolate – I can’t exactly kick him out, can I? Besides, I didn’t invite him: he came of his own accord, even though he did ask my permission. Or maybe he told me he was coming and I simply didn’t say no. I’m not laying down any rules. I didn’t ask him to sign anything; and I don’t want to. I can feel myself sinking into trouble that I won’t be able to find my way out of.

  It’s possible to mend a broken heart, but it’s not easy. You need to gather up all the pieces, make sure that there are no cracks, that it can withstand some wear and tear. Because once a heart has been put back together, it’s fragile; it needs to be well-looked-after. It would only take one small jolt to shatter it to pieces again. Nothing can be fixed more than once. And Niall Kerry seems like just the type of guy to keep shaking down your world.

  “Did you hear me?”

  “What’s that?”

  “Don’t you like it? I thought double chocolate would put me right in your good books.”

  “What kind of question is that? Of course I like it…” I sink a fork into my slice. “I was just lost in thought.”

  “Maybe you’re tired. Do you want me to leave?”

  “No, it’s fine.”

  “Okay.” He relaxes, placing his half-eaten slice on the surface of the coffee table.

  “So, there’s been a breakthrough?” I ask, trying to focus on the conversation we were having about Carter and his daughter.

  “I honestly don’t know. Skylar is a tough cookie.”

  “I’d noticed.”

  He sighs, then looks at me. “Thanks.”

  “For what?”

  “For Carter, for the whole thing about her graphic novels.”

  “She told you.”

  I shake my head. “Carter read them, and he liked them. And he knew what they were talking about, too, while I…” He runs a hand through his hair. “I barely know my own daughter.”

  “Niall…”

  “And I want to know her. I want to be part of her world. I want her to trust me, to talk to me and tell me about what she likes, what she’s feeling.”

  “It’ll take time.”

  “I lost out on the first fifteen years of her life. I don’t want to lose out on any more.”

  The sincerity of his words is reflected in his eyes.

  “Help me.”

  “H-how?”

  “You’re a woman, and you’re good with kids, and you’re… You’re…”

  “What am I?”

  He considers this for a minute, then takes a deep breath. “You’re everything I never expected.”

  “Oh…”

  “I didn’t think I could like that everything this much.”

  Don’t fall for it, Jordan. He’s just looking for someone to help him out of this situation. He doesn’t really want you. He’s never been with a woman in his life, and you’re not going to be the one to change him. Niall Kerry isn’t cut out for relationships, and you’ve had enough of men. It’s not worth the effort.

  “We’re friends, Niall. Nothing more,” I say, wanting to make myself clear.

  He reaches towards my face and tucks a stray lock of hair behind my ear. He smiles at me, resting his palm against my cheek.

  “You know that’s not true.”

  “I need it to be true, or I can’t let you stay here.”

  He lets his hand drop, smiling – although the smile has wavered a little.

  “I’ll let you believe it, Jordan. But I’m here, in the evening, on your sofa – and you’re naked under that hoodie.”

  I feel my face flush violently.

  “And I like the fact you’re naked underneath it.”

  I let him speak, drawn in by his charm.

  “It wasn’t like this with the other women.”

  “How was it, then?” I ask, stupidly.

  “They wanted to impress me, to sell me this perfect image of themselves. They wanted to give me something that they weren’t – something I didn’t want. It took me twenty years to realise that,” he says, bitterly. “Then I met you.”

  My heart slams against my ribs.

  “You, and your well-pressed suits, and your glasses, and your neat hair, always pulled back. And this,” he says, smiling. “Your tracksuits, your oversized sweatshirts – and your nipples, which I can see through the fabric, by the way.”

  I let his words run gently down my spine.

  “And the way you eat, the way you speak, the way you…breathe.”

  “Aren’t you taking this a little too far, now?” I say, trying to steer the conversation into a less dangerous direction.

  “Definitely not.”

  “I’m not what you’re looking for, Kerry.”

  “That’s the amazing thing: I never thought I was looking for anything at all. Not until I found you.”

  “Seriously, you have to stop this, or…”

  “Or what? You won’t let me near you again?”

  “E-exactly.”

  “Help me,” he says again.

  “You know I’ll always be here for Skylar.”

  He shakes his head. “Help me.”

  “I don’t know what you mean.”

  “Help me work out where I got lost, and why I can’t turn back.”

  I smile bitterly. “You can’t turn back because it’s impossible, Niall. What you’ve done, the path you’ve chosen…well, that’s it now. You can’t go back and change it.”

  “But I can make things better, learn from my mistakes. I can be a better son, a good friend. I can be a father Skylar can count on.”

  “Niall…”

  “And a man you’d be proud of.”

  I sigh.

  “Someone you wouldn’t be ashamed to be seen with.”

  “Do you think I’m ashamed of you?”

  “I don’t know, Headmistress. You tell me. Would you be embarrassed to be seen in town with me?”

  “I’d be embarrassed to be seen with the father of one of my students.”

  “You haven’t answered my question.”

  I fumble around for a few seconds, nervously biting my lip. When he realises he’s not getti
ng a response, he gets to his feet.

  “Thanks for listening,” he says, bitterness snaking into his voice. “And for asking Carter to help Skylar.”

  “Niall…”

  “Goodnight, Headmistress.”

  He moves quickly towards the door, as I pull myself to my feet, trying to stop him. But I just stand there and watch him as he opens the door, steps through it, then closes it behind him. I don’t have the courage to say anything, to tell him he’s got it wrong. Because the truth is that I used to think those things; and I’m not sure whether or not I still believe them.

  Niall

  “Don’t you have anything to say?”

  “What do you want me to say? You’ve already said everything. You reached your own conclusion, didn’t you?”

  Tyler hands me a box of cereal, but I gesture towards the one next to it. He puts it back and passes me the right one, which I throw into my trolley. Yep, it’s my turn to do the food shopping this morning: mainly because I’m the only member of the family with fuck all else to do during the day. I called Tyler after I dropped Skylar off at school, and invited him to have breakfast with me before heading to the supermarket. He told me he only had a few hours before he had to go home and get ready for his shift.

  “So no more naughty messages after last night?”

  “We don’t only send dirty texts.”

  “But you didn’t text her either, did you?”

  “I shouldn’t be the one to text first. If she had something to say to me, she’d have said it last night.”

  “Don’t you think you’re acting like a stroppy little kid?”

  “Whose side are you on, here?”

  “Why do I have to choose sides?”

  I grab the metal tongs and slip four chocolate-glazed doughnuts into a paper bag.

  “Maybe you’re moving too quickly.”

  I shrug like a moody teenager and drop the bag into my trolley.

  “I’m being serious. You’re going too fast, Kerry. Some things take time, but you want to rush right to the final stage. Are you even sure you know what you’re doing?”

  “I don’t know. Maybe.”

  “See? You’re getting it all wrong.”

  “But what did I actually ask her?”

  “It’s not what. It’s how. First you tell her you’ll wait until you’ve won the tournament, then you send her sexy messages, turn up at her house, bring her dessert…”

  “It’s not like she turned any of that away.”

  “But she’s a woman, and she’s probably wondering why you’re suddenly so interested in her, when a few months ago you were sleeping with a different woman every week. She’s the head teacher of your old school. Admit it: you’d be asking questions too, in her position.”

  I don’t answer him. I don’t like it when other people are right.

  Tyler looks at his watch. “I really have to go, now. Can you manage?” He gestures towards the trolley.

  “Of course.”

  “You’ve only got junk food in there. Do you have a list, at least?”

  “I’m winging it.”

  Tyler studies me. “Have you ever gone food shopping by yourself before?”

  To be honest, my assistant used to do it all for me; he even used to buy my condoms. But I don’t mention that.

  “I’ll be fine.”

  Tyler leaves me standing there with my trolley full of useless crap, in a half-empty supermarket. I look around and realise that I can’t do this by myself. And things can only get worse from here.

  Having nothing better to do, and no desire to go home and run into my dad, who’ll drag me out into the fields with him, I leave the shopping in the boot of my car. It’s a nice, warm day, overcast but with no sign of rain; so I decide to go for a walk through town.

  I stick my hands into the pockets of my jacket and head towards Main Street – which has barely changed over the years. The shops are almost all the same as they were twenty years ago; apart from a few new brands which have made their way in from elsewhere, the shopkeepers have kept up the town’s tradition. Family businesses have stayed in the family, as expected around here. Maybe it’s exactly what my father expected of me.

  This is a strange time in my life. I don’t know if it’s because I came back home, or because of my daughter and everything that happened with her mother. Maybe it’s a combination of everything; or maybe I’m just ageing, grumpy and alone, just as Mary Hannigan predicted before leaving town.

  I cross the main road which takes me into the heart of the city, The Diamond. I stop at the sight of a familiar figure outside, watering the flowers outside her shop.

  I approach her and lift the cap from my head.

  “Good morning, Iris.”

  She turns slowly towards me.

  “God, you’ve aged, boy.”

  I laugh, planting a kiss on her cheek. “You look radiant, as always.”

  “Does that really work on women?”

  I shake my head and follow her inside her shop.

  “This place hasn’t changed at all.”

  “Just like everything around here.”

  I smile at her; I’ve realised only recently just how true that is.

  “It took you a while to come and say hello.”

  “You’re right, I’m sorry. I’ve been a little caught up lately.”

  “I’ve heard that you’ve brought a teenager along too – apparently she takes after her father.”

  “Wow, word moves fast around here.”

  “Faster than you’d think.”

  Iris seems to have heard something that hasn’t quite reached me, yet. It doesn’t surprise me – from what I remember, she and Jordan have always been close.

  Iris stops behind the counter, her hands resting against the wooden surface, her glittering blue eyes on mine.

  “It’s not going well for you, is it?”

  I take a deep breath. “You have no idea.”

  “And would my granddaughter have anything to do with this?”

  “To be honest, I’d like her to have something to do with it – but she’s decided that she wants nothing to do with the resident ex-arsehole of the town.”

  “Ex?” she asks, lifting an eyebrow, questioningly.

  “Look at me,” I say, gesturing to myself. “I’m not the same guy from all those years ago. I don’t even know who I am anymore.”

  “You’ve still got time to work that out.”

  I smile affectionately at her. Iris is an amazing woman – everyone in town knows and loves her. They all respect her, and not just because she took in a fifteen-year-old girl with no family. They love her because she’s a beautiful person. It’s not hard to imagine why Jordan turned out to be the incredible person she is – and I don’t just mean physically.

  “I’d love to meet your daughter.”

  “I’m sure that you two would get along really well.”

  “Well, if she’s anything like you…” She winks at me. She’s always had a soft spot for me – unlike her granddaughter.

  “Why don’t you both come round?”

  “To your house?”

  “For dinner. I’m always on my own, and I wouldn’t mind a bit of company.”

  “I don’t know what to say.”

  “Just tell me you’ll come for dinner tonight and I’ll be happy.”

  “Are you sure Jordan wouldn’t mind?”

  “Jordan has her own life, and I have mine.”

  Her invitation seems sincere, and so does her desire to meet Skylar. Why not?

  “If you don’t mind eating late, of course. You know I don’t finish up here until the evening.”

  “That’s no problem for us.”

  “Good. I’m curious to meet this girl.”

  I already know that Skylar won’t take this well, but I think that getting out of the house and meeting people will help her feel less lonely.

  Niall

  “Could you try to smile?”

  Skyl
ar glares at me, as if she’s about to wrap her hands around my neck.

  “Please be nice. She’s invited us over for dinner.”

  “She invited you for dinner. You dragged me here!”

  “Stop being so dramatic.”

  She scoffs, crossing her arms. “I have school tomorrow.”

  “So?”

  “So we’ll be late, and I’ll be tired.”

  “We won’t be late. I promise you’ll get enough sleep. Besides, since when did you care about school?”

  “Since when did people I don’t know start inviting me over for dinner?”

  “Firstly, Iris is a lovely person. And she knows me – isn’t that good enough?”

  “Exactly! She knows you.”

  I open the car door and wait outside for my daughter to join me.

  She climbs out of the car, making sure that the door slams violently shut behind her.

  “I’m not going to be a polite little girl.”

  “At least try to watch your language.”

  “Shall I just not speak, then?”

  “I’m only asking you to stop saying fuck every other word.”

  She rolls her eyes and steps onto the pavement with me.

  “How old is this woman?”

  “I don’t know exactly; no one does. She’s a bit of an enigma around here.”

  “Right,” she says, dripping with sarcasm.

  “See that?” I say, pointing to Iris’ shop, which is currently closed. “It’s been here for at least fifty years. It’s actually become a tourist attraction.”

  “Wow,” she says, unenthusiastically. “So exciting.”

  I shake my head as I ring the buzzer. Iris lets us in right away, and I push the door open to let my daughter pass, before following her up the stairs. Iris lives in the apartment above her shop, on the first floor.

  “Good evening,” she says, welcoming us with a dazzling smile. “I’m so happy to have you both here.”

  “Thank you for inviting us.” I kiss her on the cheek and hand her a bottle of wine.

  “Come in, come in,” she says, bustling us into the living room.

  “It smells amazing,” I say, as my stomach begins to growl.