The Guestbook (11 page)

Lily finished blowing her hair dry and studied her face in the bathroom mirror, then applied a little more color to her eyes and a touch more blush. “That’s as good as it gets,” she said, heading to the bedroom. She rifled through her closet, trying to decide what to wear. “Saved by the bell,” she said, picking up the ringing phone.

Jude’s voice came through loud and clear. “It’s going to be a girls’ night out, so dress up, for God’s sake. Put on some of those fancy city clothes left from your old life.”

“Actually, Jude, I dumped most of the clothes in the same place I dumped my soon-to-be-ex-husband!”

Jude’s robust laughter filled the room through the phone. “Good call, Lily. I’ll be right over with some of my skinny clothes I have stuffed in the back of my closet. Get out your shoes and jewelry, and we’ll get you all fixed up. Be there in a jiff.”

When she’d dropped off the perfectly constructed desserts earlier today, wardrobe had been no problem…she wore sweats. Ian had written her a check, all business. But now, she wanted to look good. And not just for Ian, she told herself.

Lily hung up the phone and wandered over to her dresser to review her meager jewelry collection. All she had brought with her when she fled Brentwood were some freshwater black pearl earrings, a hand-crafted hummingbird necklace she had bought at an art fair in Santa Barbara, and the new watch her mother had given her for Christmas. The hummingbird was delicately crafted in silver, and the wings were filled with iridescent moonstones and purple tanzanite. All of the Stella McCartney and Armani dress shoes were definitely left behind. She did have the sense to keep her black Stuart Weitzman knee-high boots, and they looked great with everything.

The rumble of Jude’s little MGB sports car in the driveway prompted Lily to head for the door. Jude’s arms were overflowing with clothes as she made a dramatic entrance, dressed from head to toe in varying shades of red silk with a black satin, full-length opera coat. “Here, let me help you,” Lily said as she hopped down the steps and relieved Jude of some of the load. “Just drop everything on the bed for now.”

Jude picked out a long black silk skirt with a handkerchief hem and a periwinkle-colored chenille sweater and handed them to Lily. “Okay, let the fashion show begin. Hurry up, girl, we haven’t got all night.”

Lily pulled the sweater on then discarded her jeans and slid on the skirt. It landed perfectly mid-shin and had a nice swing to it. She added her boots and twirled around to face Jude. “What d’ya think?”

“Absolutely gorgeous. Your eyes really jump out with that periwinkle blue. I think the first outfit is the charm.”

Lily smiled at her reflection in the mirror. She added the black pearl earrings and held up the silver necklace against the sweater. Perfect. “I love it, Jude. Hardly a trace of California Barbie left.”

“Out with the old and hello Pacific Northwest, artfully independent woman!”

“Thank you, Jude. It’s so nice to have a friend like you.” Lily spontaneously gave
Jude a ferocious hug.

“Enough stalling. It’s time to head into town and hook up with Kyla. She’s meeting us at the gallery. And looking like that, you had better watch out for the artsy, single island men that hang out at these things.”

Lily grabbed her purse and wool coat. “Thanks for the words of encouragement. Do you want me to drive?”

Jude finished buttoning up her dazzling, floor-length velvet coat and wrapped a colorful scarf around her neck. “Why don’t you follow me? I want you to have a good time there, drink some wine, have some fun. I’ll be the designated driver home if you need me to. If I weaken and have a cocktail or two, we can have a slumber party at my house.”

✦✦✦✦

When they entered the art studio, Jude, waving to everyone she passed, headed straight to the wine bar. Lily scanned the room for Ian and located him across the room talking to an attractive woman. He had a glass of wine in one hand and was making animated gestures with the other. Her heart skipped a beat, and the blast of heat on her face was not from the warmth of the room. She was jealous. She could not believe it. One dinner, one very small kiss, and she was jealous! He looked up and met her eyes gazing at him. Embarrassment caused her to turn away and head for the wine bar near the window.

Kyla was just leaving the bar and had two glasses of Chardonnay in hand. “There you are,” she said. “Jude told me you were here somewhere. I thought I’d save you the wait and bring you a glass as well.”

Lily took a large sip and then another. “Thank you. Shall we look at the paintings?” She could hear Jude’s distinctive laugh over in a corner, and they followed the sound.

“Lily, come here, I want you to meet someone,” said Jude waving her hand. “Lily this is Cherise. She owns the Raven Gallery.”

The woman was dazzling, dressed in hand-painted silk and strands of saltwater pearls. Lily shook Cherise’s hand. “Nice to meet you.”

“Love the desserts you made, Lily. I must get your number. Do you have a card?”

“Not yet,” Lily stumbled for a moment. “I’ll give you a call next week.”

Cherise was off as fast as she had appeared. Another attractive woman, no wonder Ian has a show here, Lily thought.  She watched the well-coiffed woman as she worked the room.  Eclectic, was the first word that came to mind. Cherise was so elegant and seemed comfortable in her own skin.

Lily saw Ian walking toward her, but just steps away, he was intercepted by Cherise leading a well-dressed couple.  Lily leaned over discreetly to listen to the conversation.

“Ian, darling,” drawled Cherise, “I want you to meet Bob and Helen Cosby. They came over all the way here from Mercer Island.” Lily couldn’t believe she was actually eavesdropping. She downed her wine and sought out Jude, determined to forget about Ian and have a good time with her woman friends.

Lily joined Jude and Kyla as they moved from painting to painting. “Some of his best work I’ve seen,” commented Kyla.

“Really?” said Lily, moving into their conversation. “I haven’t seen his work before. It’s very distinctive, blending a bit of Native American and Asian influence together in a unique style.”

“Somewhere on his mother’s side is quite a bit of Native American heritage. He definitely taps into that with his work,” Jude added.

Kyla continued, “And you know he traveled with his mother through Japan for several years as a teen.”

“No, I didn’t know,” answered Lily. “I really don’t much about him.” But Kyla sure did, she noticed. Her eyes drifted involuntarily around the room again, looking for Ian just as he turned a corner and headed right for them.

“Ladies,” he said, approaching with a big smile and a hug for each of them. “Welcome and thank you for coming. Grandpa John just left, he’ll be sorry he missed you.” He put his arm around Lily’s shoulder. “So, which is your favorite?”

Lily was still recovering from her reaction to his touch and did not realize he was looking right at her. Flustered, she turned to see Kyla and Jude eying her as well. “The one with the misty sunset really moved me.”

“Hmm,” he said, shaking his head up and down slowly. “That is a recent one inspired after a walk along Crescent Bay.”

To her dismay, she felt the top of her lip break out in a sweat. Did he mean
their
walk on the beach? She could hardly breathe and fanned her face with her hand. “The crowd,” she gestured. “It’s a bit hot in here. I think I’ll step outside for some cool air.”

Jude followed her to the door. “Are you nuts? It’s thirty degrees out there tonight.”

Lily opened the door, stepped outside, and then jumped back in. “You’re not kidding.” She stood by the door, calming herself. “I think I need another glass of wine. What about you, Jude?”

Jude contemplated the question for about three seconds. “Twist my arm, I’d love one too. And some more of the crab puffs and cheesy things they’re walking around with on those trays.”

At the bar, both women ordered another drink. A large boisterous man swept over and wrapped Jude in his arms. “My lady, how nice to see you,” he said in a mock old English accent.

Jude looked delighted. “Lily, this is Stanton, he does Shakespeare in the Park here in the summer.”

Lily shook his rather sweaty hand and forced a smile.  Stanton gave her a quick once-over, then turned and continued his conversation with Jude.

Wine in hand, Lily wandered off and found an empty, overstuffed chair in a quiet alcove by a window. From this comfortable position she could people watch and still be part of the party. No sooner had she sat down than a man with a long silver ponytail and wearing a faded leather jacket sat in the empty seat beside her. “Hi, pretty lady, I’m Tom. Are you new here?”

Inwardly she groaned. “Yes, I am.”

“Do you know the artist?” he asked.

Lily looked over the crowd to Ian, who was now talking to Kyla. “A little bit. Actually, we only met recently.”

Tom continued. “He’s quite well-known, done shows in New York and Europe, too. In fact, we’ve shown at a few of the same galleries.”

“Really,” she answered without interest. “What type of artist are you?”

“A potter,” he said. He pointed toward the entrance. “You see that large planter over there with the bonsai tree in it? The one with the spikes and opalescent glaze. That’s one
of mine.”

Lily eyed the pot, definitely not her style. She smiled politely. “I’ve never seen anything quite like it before.”

“I know, my style is very distinct.  If you would like to see more, I have my own studio up-island, and I would be glad to give you a private showing anytime.”

“Well, thank you, Tom” she said as she reluctantly gave up her place of refuge. “I’ll keep that in mind.”

Tom rose to follow her. “Here, let me give you my card.”

Lily pocketed the card and headed toward the ladies’ room. He hadn’t even asked her name; at least that was a break. Before she reached the door, she caught a glimpse of Ian walking into the back room of the studio with his arm around Kyla. The door shut and the two of them disappeared.  What was that about? she wondered.  Just how many women is he interested in? The word “womanizer” crossed her mind, and she dismissed it, along with her interest in him, as she moved to the sanctity of the women’s restroom.

“Lily?” Her name was being called from outside the stall.

“Jude? How did you know it was me?”

“No one has boots like that on this island,” Jude yelled out over the sound of the toilet flushing. “I saw our resident Don Juan Tom talking to you earlier. I almost came to your rescue.”

Lily groaned. “Thanks for the thought. I made a quick exit into here. I think I’m about ready to go home.”

“How about one more glass of wine, Lily? The night is still young.”

“Ok, but just one, and then let’s find Kyla and call it a night. This art scene reminds me too much of Los Angeles, and Ian seems to be quite busy and involved.”

Jude laughed. “You could say that.”

Kyla reappeared from her private meeting with Ian looking a bit flushed in the face. As Kyla joined them for another glass of wine at the bar, Lily felt her hackles rise. “Looks like people are starting to head home, it’s almost eleven. What do you think, ladies?”

“I’m ready,” volunteered Lily.

“Okay, let’s get our coats,” Jude said, standing a bit unsteadily.

Ian met them at the door. “Thanks again for coming. I’m sorry I didn’t have more time to chat with you all.”

“Was the show successful?” asked Jude.

“We did pretty well. A few pieces sold and I made some good contacts for future commissions.”

Lily placed her hand on the door, pulled, and started outside. “Someone’s in a hurry to leave,” whispered Jude as she followed close behind.

“Drive carefully, ladies,” Ian called after them.

“Hold up, Lily,” Jude said, catching up to her with Kyla in tow. She threw an arm around Lily. “So, my coconspirators in crime and wine, how about we take this party down the street to my house for the night, have a girls’ all-nighter at my place?”

Lily considered the offer. She wouldn’t have to drive, and she wouldn’t have to ask Jude, who’d had several glasses of wine, to drive her home down a dark island road. Plus, she’d have good company for the night in Jude. Kyla, she wasn’t sure about. Still, a no-brainer decision for sure. “Sounds good to me. Are you in, Kyla?”

Kyla hesitated.  “C’mon, Kyla,” urged Jude. “Let your hair down, have a little fun and girl bonding time.”

“Okay, but only if you’ll make your Mexican coffee drink for us.”

“Deal,” Jude agreed.

The threesome strolled arm-in-arm down Front Street.  At Cedar Street they walked the few blocks back to the café.  “Look at the stunning scarf in Cousin’s Boutique,” Lily said as she leaned in close to peer through the storefront window. “I love hand-woven chenille. I’ll bet it costs a fortune.”

“Come on, Lily,” Jude said, scooting her along. “It’s too cold out here for window shopping. We can come back tomorrow and check it out then.” They approached the wooden steps alongside the back of the building that led up to Jude’s apartment above the café. “Careful on the stairs. They get slippery with the frost.”