Without a Net

by Kimberly Cooper Griffin

  Maureen shoulder bumped him. “P doesn’t want to be friends, and you know it.”

  Josh shrugged. “And as flattered as I am by the attention, he’s not my type.” Josh wasn’t gay and P knew it, but it didn’t keep P from flirting with him all the time. Josh didn’t seem to mind, either.

  Maureen picked up her spoon and aggressively stirred her tea. “You kill me. People basically throw themselves at you. Guys, girls, everyone in between. And you act like it’s nothing at all.”

  Fiona watched the exchange with amusement. Maureen and Josh had always reminded her of a sitcom couple with their constant fake—but not really—bickering. Except they weren’t a couple.

  Josh slurped his coffee and put his cup down. “Hey, I appreciate it. I’m comfortable in my skin, is all. People vibe with it and relax around me. You should try it.”

  Maureen slumped back into the booth. “Who has time to relax? It takes an hour for me to get out the door. I wasn’t blessed with Fi’s naturally clear skin and effortless hair.”

  Fiona was taking a sip of her coffee and only sheer exhaustion prevented her from doing a spit take. Her? She knew some people thought she was attractive, but she’d always felt like a wallflower next to Maureen. She swallowed the warm liquid and was happy it settled in her stomach without issue. Maybe she would be able to have some real food.

  “What does my skin have to do with anything?”

  Maureen’s shoulders relaxed. “Nothing. I’m just cranky today. I stayed out past my normal bedtime last night and had to get up early this morning because Robert had to get to the airport early. I guess I’m just jealous of the unencumbered freedom you two seem to have.”

  “Well, you have been in the same relationship since high school,” Josh said.

  Fiona yawned.

  “Are we boring you?” Maureen asked.

  Fiona tried to sit up taller. “I’m tired. I think I caught a bug or something.”

  Maureen studied her over the rim of her coffee cup. “Well, I didn’t want to say anything, but you do look like shit.”

  What happened to the clear skin and effortless hair comment of a moment ago? She knew Maureen didn’t mean it in a bad way. She smiled sweetly. “And here I was, thinking how lovely you look, as usual, with flawless face and hair.”

  Maureen glowed at the compliment. She waved her hand magician-like before her own face. “The magic of makeup, I assure you. Beneath the spackle is a different story. I’m running on four hours sleep over here.”

  Josh shifted in his seat to face Maureen. “Did Mr. Charisma keep you up all night? You two didn’t stick around The Limerick very long. Did Robby pop a Viagra and use his magic wand?”

  Maureen shifted to face Josh. “Yes, in fact Robert did keep me up all night. But not in the way you think. We got in a fight. And you know Robert, he won’t let something rest until he’s analyzed it to death.”

  Maureen’s fiancé, Robert, was not one of Josh’s favorite people. Fiona had never understood why. He was a bit of a stick in the mud, but it didn’t bother her. Josh could barely stay civil around the guy, though.

  Josh shifted back in his seat and smiled into his cup. “Trouble in paradise?”

  Maureen glared at him. There was a whole story playing out in the silence, but Fiona had no idea what it was. Maureen and Josh had always been this way. She’d stopped trying to figure it out after their first year of law school.

  Maureen swung her gaze across to Fiona. “Tell me about your night. I’m calling bullshit on the “caught a bug” thing, by the way. You’re hungover. I’ll bet my beloved Coach bag on it.”

  Fiona really didn’t want to talk about last night. Not now, not ever. What a mistake.

  Josh set his cup down with raised brows. “Are you recovering from a hangover, dearest Fi?”

  Fiona hated that he was surprised; it made her feel like a dud. Yet the truth was, it wasn’t like her to be hungover. She wasn’t much of a drinker, but they’d all been out celebrating the results of their bar exam the night before. Under different circumstances she’d relish admitting to the hangover simply to prove she wasn’t such a bore, but not today. Not after the Big Mistake.

  She sighed. “A hangover would be a step up from the meat grinder I crawled out of this morning when I first woke up.”

  Maureen laughed. “I’m not surprised. I saw you and Mike do half a dozen shots before Robert and I left. I’ll bet you could barely roll yourself out of bed at the crack of noon.”

  “More like an hour ago. I’m finally starting to believe I can eat something without it coming right back up.” Fiona stopped trying to pretend she didn’t feel like roadkill and pulled her hands down her face.

  Josh signaled to P for more coffee. “I’m impressed. You finally let loose enough to have a little fun for once, eh, Fi? You must have kept the party going after we all left last night.”

  “Yeah, something like that.” Fiona knew he wanted details, but she wasn’t going to give them. She had a lot more introspection to do before she talked with anyone about what had happened.

  P dragged himself away from the guy at the end of the counter and topped off their cups.

  Josh flashed his most charming smile at him. “Can you leave the pot… Pasqual? Our Fi tied one on last night and needs a pick me up.”

  P shook his head with a smile and set the carafe on the table after topping them all off. He gave Fiona a teasing conspirator’s smile. “Do you need a little something to doctor your coffee? I can bring you some Baileys or Kahlua.”

  They all looked amused and Fiona hated being the target of their ridicule. She waved him away. “I’m fine, thank you.”

  P laughed and went back to the counter to flirt.

  Maureen shook her hair back. “Don’t worry. It wasn’t only you letting loose last night. I’d say aside from me and Robert, the entire group woke up with a headache this morning, including innocent little Josh over here.”

  Josh straightened his shoulders. “Hey, I was fine this morning. I didn’t have anything more than my usual last night.”

  “If your usual entails a half dozen shots and as many beers, I stand corrected and in awe that you are not in some sort of rehab,” Maureen said.

  “Hardy-har-har.” Josh rolled his eyes.

  Maureen ignored him. “I’m not one to judge, though. I’d be hanging too if Robert hadn’t scheduled a six a.m. flight.”

  Josh cast his eyes upward at the second mention of Robert. “Big surprise there,” he said into his cup.

  “What did you mumble over there?” Maureen asked.

  Josh glared at Maureen. “I said, I may have drunk a lot, but I wasn’t out of control. I think the occasion called for it.”

  “Can we stop talking about alcohol?” Fiona made a face. She still felt like shit and the conversation wasn’t helping, but more than anything, she wanted to forget about last night.

  Maureen returned Josh’s glare. “Sure. But just for the record, I don’t blame you for drinking yourself into oblivion, with Mopey Mike hanging all over you. My god, I love the man, but he needs to face up to a few things. First, he failed the bar exam because he wasn’t focused. All he needs to do is regroup and retry. Plenty of people take it twice. Second, he needs to step out of the closet and shut it behind him. And, finally, he needs to stop letting people treat him like shit.”

  While Fiona agreed with all of Maureen’s declarations, she felt a flare of shame at the last one.

  Josh sat back in the seat. “I honestly can’t believe he went out with all of us last night. Why would he want to hang out with a bunch of people celebrating something he failed? Besides, he should have known Charlie would show up with one of his bim—.”

  Maureen put a hand over his mouth. “I know you weren’t about to name call a woman you’ve never even met.”

  Josh grabbed Maureen’s
hand and playfully bit the tip of her finger. “Oh, come on. If a woman would date Charlie, she definitely isn’t an upstanding citizen.”

  Maureen pulled her hand away and smacked his shoulder. “Okay, I can’t believe I’m about to say it, but I agree. Let’s assume she hasn’t seen his real side. He’s good-looking and if you don’t know him, he can be kind of charming. Maybe it was their first date. It doesn’t mean she’s a bimbo.”

  Josh waited for Maureen to turn back to Fiona before cupping his hands over his chest and mouthing the words, “total bimbo”, to her.

  Fiona closed her eyes and shook her head. She was with Maureen on this.

  When Maureen turned to look at him, he gave her an innocent wide-eyed smile and rested his arms on the table. “Where’d you guys go after the bar?”

  Fiona searched for an answer that would provide the bare minimum of information. “We planned to go home, but Mike didn’t want to be alone when the Lyft we shared got to my place, so he talked me into going to Sylvester’s.”

  “What a dive,” Maureen groaned.

  Fiona shrugged. “It’s close.”

  Josh laughed. “Close to being a shit-hole.”

  Fiona couldn’t argue. People only went to Sylvester’s for the cheap drinks. “It’s not that bad. Locals like it. Anyway, we ended up having a few more drinks, and then Mike walked me back to my apartment.” What happened after was a disaster she was trying to forget. Some people forgot things when they drank. Not her. She remembered every pathetic and embarrassing detail, and she wasn’t about to divulge any of it.

  Josh shook his head. “I don’t blame him for not wanting to be alone. I can’t even imagine having to take the test again. You’re a saint for hanging out with him. How’s he taking it?”

  Fiona traced a scratch in the Formica on the table. “Badly, which is expected.”

  Maureen tore her napkin in half. “I’m a terrible friend. I shouldn’t have called him Mopey Mike. I’ll call him later to check in. He was pretty hammered last night.”

  Josh leaned forward and looked around the table. “Missing the bar by two points. I know he wasn’t the only one who failed from our study group, but being the only one out of us four… well, no one worked harder than him. I don’t blame him for being devastated. I was surprised when he told us.”

  Maureen shook her head. “I felt guilty about celebrating in front of him, but should we have thrown a wake instead? I know. I’m such a bitch. You know what I mean, right?”

  Fiona knew Maureen had a heart of gold, but she didn’t often let it show. “Mike went out with us for his own reasons. Mostly to drown his sorrows with friends, I guess. But Charlie bringing a girlfriend was too much for him. He said that bothered him more than failing the test.”

  “Is that why you left with him? So he wouldn’t be alone?” Josh asked.

  Fiona didn’t want to tell them Mike had basically begged her to leave with him. She probably would have anyway, but they didn’t need to know the sad details. They didn’t need to know how Mike had sobbed in her arms. “I’d already had too much to drink. And, honestly? I was pissed at Charlie, too. He’s an arrogant ass. I never liked him for Mike, but I never thought he’d play games.” Maybe if she hadn’t felt so sorry for Mike, she wouldn’t have done what she did.

  “Fi?” Maureen waved a hand before Fiona’s face and she realized she’d zoned out on them.

  “Huh?”

  “I just changed the subject. I said it was nice of your work to let you have the day off. Weren’t you supposed to go in today?”

  Fiona shrunk back into the booth seat. “I slept right through my alarm.”

  Josh looked astonished. “Perfect Fiona was late for work? Did you get in trouble?”

  Fiona flipped him off with a smirk. “Ha ha ha. When I talked to them, Gregory told me to consider the day off a gift for passing the bar.”

  “My firm would have fired me.” Josh thumped back against the booth. He was miserable in his job. While Fiona had gotten lucky with her firm, Josh had been equally as unlucky in his. The personal injury law firm he was at worked him like a dog and treated him worse. He’d hated it from the start, but he wouldn’t leave. Fiona secretly thought he enjoyed telling the horror stories.

  Maureen, who worked at her family’s law firm, gave him a sympathetic look. She’d once told Fiona she’d never hire Josh because he acted like he was entitled to a position simply because he’d finished law school. Maureen thought his current gig would give him a little dose of reality. Fiona agreed.

  Maureen patted Josh’s shoulder and turned to Fiona. “Should we call Mike? See how he’s holding up? Maybe ask him to come down and have a cup of coffee with us?”

  Fiona wasn’t ready to see him yet. Embarrassed was not a strong enough word. She wondered if she’d ever be able to face him again.

  “He might want to be alone,” Josh said, unwittingly giving her an out. “I know I would.”

  Fiona nodded, glad for an excuse not to see him. “That’s probably true.”

  10

  “Can I tell you something and you’ll promise not to get mad?” Betty asked the question as she wiped the wand on the espresso machine with one hand and poured the steamed milk to make a leaf shape in the foam of the latte she had just brewed with the other.

  “Are you ambidextrous?” Meg asked, avoiding the question. She was a couple hours into her first shift at the coffee shop and she still couldn’t figure Betty out.

  Betty winked at her. “The ladies seem to like it.” She grabbed another cup, filled it with milk, and put it under the wand. She looked over her shoulder at Meg. “Are you going to answer my question?”

  “First of all, no safe conversation has ever started off with a request to promise not to get mad.” Meg took a break from dusting the mug display to face Betty. “And second of all, I don’t know you. I suspect your idea of boundaries and mine are significantly different, so promising probably wouldn’t be in my best interest.”

  Noel snorted from behind the register. “Smart woman.”

  Betty tossed the rag she was using at him. He batted it away with a laugh and turned to the next person in line, which stretched nearly to the door.

  Meg was supposed to be learning the lay of the land and doing things like restocking, wiping down tables, and filling in at the register when Noel took a break, but one look at the line and she stepped up to the second espresso machine and took the next order. Betty glanced at her and nodded approvingly.

  So far, Meg was pleasantly surprised by how well run the shop was, especially with Taylor out of town. She was most surprised by Betty. Despite the weird introduction the day before, Betty was mostly acting friendly this morning. She was also a hard worker and good with the customers. It was a nice change from most of the people Meg had worked with at her uncle’s coffee shop in Ithaca, where it seemed she was the only one who put in any effort. Betty seemed to be wired the same way.

  Once the line dwindled, Meg went back to dusting the mug display.

  Betty held the metal frothing pitcher with both hands under the steaming wand. The loud shooshing of the machine filled the space. When she closed the valve, the noise abated. “Okay, no promise.” Betty poured a shot of espresso into a cup and poured the frothed milk in after it.

  So much for Betty forgetting her question.

  Betty placed the cup on the pick-up counter and called out the name written on the side of the cup. “Now, I mean this in a kind way.”

  “Watch out when she says that,” said Noel from his position at the register. “It normally precedes something you don’t want to hear.”

  “Shut it, Noel.” Betty glared at him as Noel pretended to shake in fear.

  “That doesn’t sound ominous at all,” Meg laughed.

  Betty broke her gaze from Noel and went back to work on the next order. “It isn’t ominous
. I totally didn’t expect to like you, is all.”

  Noel laughed. “Betty doesn’t like anyone.”

  Betty ignored him.

  “Why?” Meg asked.

  “To begin with, you’re friends with the boss. I thought you were going to act all superior.” Betty cleaned the steam wand with a new rag. “And you’re a doctor. I thought you’d be all superior and not want to do any of the shit work.”

  Meg absorbed the statement. She appreciated Betty’s candor.

  “Fair enough, I suppose.” Meg refaced all of the mugs she’d moved around. “But I wouldn’t want to ruin a friendship by doing anything less than a good job for Taylor, even if I’m only filling in. As far as the veterinarian thing, I haven’t started yet. I have the degree, but I wanted to spend time in the city through the spring and summer before I went back home to practice in Okanogan.”

  “You obviously know your way around a coffee shop.”

  “I worked in my uncle’s shop in Ithaca while I was going to school.”

  Betty shrugged. “I admit I was totally judging a book by its cover.”

  Meg grinned. “If it makes you feel any better, I did the same thing.”

  “Interesting.” Betty placed the order she’d prepared on the counter and folded her arms across her chest with an amused look on her face. “Tell me what you thought of me at first.”

  Noel, who had a break in customers, assumed the same position. “This is going to be entertaining.”

  Meg glanced from one to the other. She felt fenced in. “Is this a trap?”

  “Not at all.” Betty waved her hands impatiently. “Now go.”

  “Well, you’ve got that hard-core, rock-chick thing going on,” Meg said.

  “And?”

  “There’s a certain vibe you put off. A ‘don’t eff with me’ vibe. So, I admit, I was a bit intimidated. I suspected you’d be more aloof and wouldn’t be one to mince words.”

  Betty laughed. “I’ve never been accused of holding back, if that’s what you mean.”

  “Don’t I know it!” Noel said, turning back to the register to help a new set of customers.