“Nea, why don’t you come and help me in the kitchen,” Kate suggests, and the two ladies head off, leaving Eli and me in the living room.
“Drink?” Eli offers. “Beer, cider, and Kate has some wine.”
“Beer sounds good, thanks.” He disappears for a short while and returns with two bottles, handing me one before he settles on the sofa.
“So, you two are hitting it off?”
“We are. I like her. She’s different, so very different from Shay. I feel happy for the first time in a long while.”
“You look it,” Eli says, tipping his beer toward me. “So, have you told her about your past?”
“I guess. Not too much. You know I have trouble opening up. I’m sure she’ll have seen some information online, the bare minimum that’s there.”
“That’s not the same thing as hearing it from you,” he tells me, and I know he’s right, but it worries me. Being open and honest with someone is new to me. With Shay, she didn’t give a shit if I’d killed someone as long as I could finance her shopping sprees.
“I know. I don’t doubt that for a second, but to talk about my past like that, I just don’t know if I can go through it. Yeah, my marriage was a sham, a stupid mistake, and I don’t want to put that on her shoulders, not yet.”
“I get it, but with Kate, I knew honesty was the best policy, even if it was difficult to talk about. Sometimes, it’s the hardest conversations that bring about the closeness you need. I’m not saying you should tell her you love her yet or anything, but if she knows where you’re coming from, maybe it will make it easier on her to understand who you are. Also, since you said Shay’s returning to NOLA, it’s best that Nea knows before she walks through the door.”
“You know, Eli, sometimes you make a lot of sense. Doesn’t happen often, but when you do, you sound so much older than me.” My teasing earns me a “Fuck off,” and we both chuckle. I have to think about how to broach the subject of my crazy ex-wife and her antics.
Perhaps Nea wouldn’t even care that my ex-wife is coming here. But even as I think it, I know it’s a lie. I don’t know what Shay wants; perhaps she’s heard I’m happy and has decided to come and squeeze the last ounce of my soul from me.
Her play was that the paperwork wasn’t real, and we’re actually still married, but I haven’t even told Eli that. He knows Shay is on her way here, but not that we’re still husband and wife. And that sets me on edge.
“Dinner is ready,” Kate calls from the dining table, and Eli and I head over to find a spread fit for a king.
“This looks amazing,” I tell her. It’s the truth. I can’t do much in the kitchen, so this is a treat. Nea and I have yet to really use my kitchen and enjoy a home-cooked dinner together. Perhaps we can do that once my ex-wife is out of the picture for good.
“So, Nea says you’re painting more than usual,” Kate broaches the subject, looking at me as we tuck into our meal.
I nod. “Yeah, I’ve enjoyed having inspiration hit. The show you saw was just the start. I’m going to hopefully have new canvasses done soon, and we can perhaps have another show.
“It’s good to see you back,” Eli tells me, then glances at Nea. “You’re a good influence on him.”
Nea blushes at the compliment, which only makes me smile. I love watching her cheeks turn pink. It just makes her even more beautiful. She’s a unique beauty.
“Thank you,” she says shyly. I love how different she is. She’s confident in her work, but at times, she is the shy girl who has come to steal my heart. I don’t know if it’s love, but I know one thing is for sure. She’s someone I need and want in my life for a long time.
“Just watch him, though. He can be an asshole at times.” Eli chuckles before popping a forkful of food into his mouth.
“Watch it, Boudreaux. I’ll make you choke on it.” I gesture with my chin toward his plate, which has both of us laughing out loud and the girls just shaking their heads.
The banter continues through dessert until it’s time for us to leave. I can tell both Kate and Eli like Nea, which is great. Even though I don’t spend a lot of time with them, it means a lot that they like the woman in my life.
“That was nice,” Nea says when we’re on our way home. I’m not taking her back to her apartment; I’m taking her to the house because I want her to stay tonight. I haven’t told her why, and even though I know I should, I don’t.