One Wish Left

CHAPTER 8: LONER

Laura took several deep breaths in the bathroom stall. At a time like this, she was grateful for maintaining a regular yoga practice. She snatched a square of toilet paper to wipe away any mascara that might have run under her eyes.

Ugh, Brodie. I am serious when I say this is not what I meant when I wished for you back.

She could picture his sure smile, the one reserved for her. It reached all the way to the corners of his warm, brown eyes. He would have tugged her ponytail and winked, saying something like, "Cheer up, babe. Life can't be that bad when you're with me."

She could see him so clearly, in fact, that it hit her suddenly how young he had been. He would always be 18 in her mind, practically a child. The mother in her ached for the boy that was and the mother he left behind.

Eleanor Johnson had moved back to Victoria almost as soon as the funeral was over. Brodie had always told Laura that his mother had moved them to the States for his sake, so it made sense to her that Eleanor would return home after her purpose for being here was gone.

Two very shrill voices ripped Laura from her reverie.

"That blonde in blue is sexy as hell. Did you see him?" the first voice trilled.

"Oh my God, yes. Those shoulders? Yummy," dripped the second. 

"He looks like he's alone out there. You wanna bet I can get his number?"

"If you don't, I will!" came the shrieked reply.

Laura felt a surprising sense of possessiveness take over her, and she strode as confidently as possible out of her stall. She gave the women a forced smile in the large mirror as she washed her hands.

The women—who consisted mostly of sequins and augmented body parts—made eyes at each other, applied ample coats of lipstick, and left, heels clicking away with them. Laura dried her hands and then peeked out the door to spy on them. Sure enough, one of the shriekers was fawning all over Jesse. Laura stifled a snort when she saw him yank his arm out from under a prowling, manicured hand.

Heading back into the restroom, she reevaluated her own looks. She had no desire to appear quite so fake; however, she knew Mother Nature could use a boost sometimes. With that in mind, she reached into her purse for eye drops and concealer—her secret weapons for any emergency of a tired, sad, or hungover nature.

Jesse had an annoyed look on his face when she returned.

"I'm so sorry to keep you waiting like that," Laura said.

His face brightened immediately, and Laura felt relieved that his annoyance was not with her.

"No worries, Laura," he said simply.

They sat in congenial silence eating their food for some minutes. Laura was surprised by how comfortable she felt just sitting with Jesse. How strange it was, to have known someone so long ago but never to have met them. He felt new and at the same time familiar to her. Laura found the experience to be incredibly refreshing, in a soul-deep kind of way.

When she finished her salad, Laura eased back into conversation. "This isn't really a get-to-know-you question, but I was just thinking about Eleanor when I was in the restroom earlier. How has she been?"

Jesse drained the last of his beer.

"When my aunt moved back to Geelong, she had plenty to do between looking in on my mum and taking care of Granddad. He'd really gone downhill in those years with his drinking and was in and out of rehab. Sad as it is, I think it's been a welcome distraction for her over the years."