CHAPTER 31

“So, you’re the Drew?” Daisy asked.

“I guess. Am I?” she asked Andy as she shook Daisy’s hand.

“You’re the only Drew I know, unless you count fireman Drew.”

“You know a fireman named Drew?” Daisy asked her girlfriend.

“Yeah. This Drew and I used to go to the park and hang out with a bunch of people. There would be a fire, music, and some drinks and stuff, and Drew would, like, guard the fire, even in the winter when there was a ton of snow on the ground, just to make sure it wouldn’t go anywhere.” Andy took Daisy’s hand, leaned into her side, and wrapped her other arm around Daisy’s, too, making it both clear that they were together and that Andy really was in love.

Andy used to hold on to her like that when they were together, and that was especially true when they were around women who were hitting on Drew. Drew used to laugh at it a little because she was a one-woman woman – she hadn’t ever cheated on anyone in her life and wasn’t going anywhere, even if a pretty woman asked her to – but she also remembered not minding how Andy held on to her like that. Daisy didn’t seem to mind, either. She even placed her free hand on top of Andy’s, linking them even more, but Drew noticed that it wasn’t a territorial thing with her. Daisy appeared to just want to touch her girlfriend, not even caring that Andy and Drew had dated, slept together, moved in with each other, and, at one point, seemingly forever ago now, they’d even talked about getting married.

“You don’t go to the park anymore?” Daisy asked.

“Drew got the park in the divorce,” Andy joked.

Daisy laughed a little and said, “Should we get a table?”

“Yeah, let’s do it. This isn’t awkward at all,” Andy joked again. “My ex, meeting my current.”

“I thought we weren’t doing that. I thought we were going to call Drew your friend, because that’s what you are now, not what you were to each other then,” Daisy replied.

“Wise woman,” Drew said.

“That, she is.” Andy kissed her girlfriend on the cheek. “I’ll get us a table. Be right back.”

She turned and walked over to the host stand at the restaurant where they’d agreed to have drinks and maybe some food at the bar, but that had just somehow morphed into a table, which would probably mean they’d be having dinner together instead. So far, things were fine. Andy was still Andy – Drew had no desire to get back together with her, which made it easy to start a new friendship with her. And Daisy didn’t seem to have a jealous bone in her body. She was secure in herself and in her relationship, based on the vibe that Drew was getting, which would also make this easier, so Drew was glad for that.

What she wasn’t glad for was the fact that Selma wasn’t here. She missed her. They hadn’t seen each other in a week, and the next competition for her was three weeks from now. It was a US competition that wasn’t that big of a deal, but it was in the way that it was only a US competition and Team Canada wouldn’t be there, so it wasn’t a chance for her to see Selma.

This week, they’d talked on the phone, but things had been busy for both of them. Gia had seemed a little extra needy to Selma, who had also wanted to spend more time with her daughter, which Drew understood, but it hadn’t given them much time to plan to see one another again. Drew had been in training, and when she wasn’t training, she was trying to find a new apartment nearby. Her lease wasn’t up soon, but it was a small one-bedroom, which only worked for her and Selma on a weekend when Selma would come by herself. Drew wanted Selma to bring Gia with her one day, though, and she wanted Gia to have her own room and not have to sleep on the sofa in the living room. She knew she was getting ahead of herself here, but if she found something she liked, she wouldn’t just lease it without talking to Selma first to gauge her reaction. If Selma told her she wouldn’t be bringing Gia to town with her for a while, there would be no point in Drew renting a bigger place and paying more money for an extra room she wouldn’t need. And if she liked the idea, Drew could lease the place and set up a room for Gia, trying to make her feel at home from the very first visit.

“So, Andy tells me you have a new girlfriend yourself,” Daisy said after they’d ordered their drinks and appetizers.

“I do. Selma.” Drew smiled.

“Oh, you like her,” Andy teased.

“You know I like her.”

“I do. But you just smiled when you said her name.” Andy draped her arm over Daisy’s shoulders. “She likes her a lot, babe.”

“Am I here to be mocked? Is that why you invited me out?”

“No, I invited you here because I wanted you two to meet. I want my friend back, Drew. And as my friend, you’d be hanging out with my girlfriend, too. So, be nice.” Andy gave her a playful stare.

“How long have you two been together?” Daisy asked.

“Not long.”

“Not long? You were like, ‘We’ve been talking about this for months,’ when I saw you last,” Andy noted.

“We have been talking about it for months. Well, not exactly. I think I said we’ve been building up to it for months, not talking about it, but we have. We’ve been together for a little less than a month.”

“We haven’t been together all that long, either,” Daisy shared. “But when we met, I just knew I didn’t want anyone else, so we’ve been together– We didn’t really just date, did we?” she asked Andy.

“Nope. We kind of went all-in there.”

“And you made fun of me?” Drew teased.

“I only made fun of you because you went from not knowing if she was even into women to being her girlfriend in what felt like a night, when anyone at that table the night we all had dinner could easily see that the woman was totally into you. She practically scanned your entire body with her eyes, Drew. She wanted you.”

“She has a thing for my lucky jacket,” Drew said with a little cocky smirk.

“And what’s under it; I’d imagine.”

“Anyway… It’s been less than a month, but I’ll round up because it’s easier: about a month.”

“Well, if you ever need any flowers for her, let me know. I know Andy told you that I own my own shop.”

“She did, yeah. And, thanks. I might take you up on that. I don’t know when she’ll be back for a visit yet, but when I do, I’ll let you know, and maybe you can help me pick something out that means something good.”

“You don’t know when you’ll see her again?” Andy asked.

“Not yet. We’ve both been really busy, and it’s been hard with Gia.”

“Who’s Gia?” Daisy asked.

“Selma’s daughter,” Andy explained. “That I wasn’t even aware she had until Drew told me. She’s what, eight?”

“Nine. Well, almost ten, actually. Her birthday is in a week. I need to figure out what to get her, don’t I?”

“I have a ten-year-old niece. Maybe I can help. What is she into?” Daisy asked.

“Physics.”

“Sorry?” Daisy said.

“She’s a genius,” Drew explained. “She’s taking high school classes, and she’s into science and math. I guess she likes art, too. Drawing, not painting, though. Maybe there’s something there. She’s taking a drawing class.”

“She’s taking high school classes?” Andy asked.

“It’s why it’s hard for Selma to get away. Gia goes to this special school for gifted kids like her, but she’s even more gifted than most of them, so she’s in this customized program just for her, and it means that the schedule isn’t always the same. Plus, they’re now talking to Selma about her graduating high school next year or the year after, at the rate she’s going through the curriculum they thought would be too hard for her, and that’s freaking Selma out a little because she doesn’t know if she wants her eleven or twelve-year-old to go to college.”

“Wow,” Daisy said.

“I think she might move wherever Gia ends up going.”

“Like, if she got into Harvard, Selma would move to Cambridge?” Andy asked.

“Maybe. I don’t know that she’d let her or want her to go to school in the US. There are plenty of great schools in Canada. But if she got into one in another city or part of the country, I think Selma would move. I know that weighs on her because her grandmother owns the ski resort, and she’s getting older, and there’s no one else to help Selma with it. So, I don’t know what’s going to happen, honestly, but that’s why it’s complicated right now.”

Andy looked at her seriously and said, “You’re head over heels in love with her.”

“What?”

“Drew, you’re in love with her.”

“Well, yeah.”

Andy smiled softly at her and said, “I think that’s great.”

“Me too. But it’s also really hard, Andy.”

“Some of the great love stories are,” Daisy suggested. “But it’s not insurmountable.”

“No, but I live in one country, and she lives in another. She and I haven’t even talked about that, really. I want to move in with her one day. Not tomorrow, but how would we do that? Do I have to get a visa? Will she? Will we get married? Where? How? Will I have to change my citizenship? Will she? There’s just–”

“Drew,” Andy interjected.

“What?”

“Right now, if I were you, I’d focus on seeing her again. Maybe visit her there. I think you need to see her.”

“Of course, I do. I miss her.”

“No, I think you need to see her. You’re freaking out a little bit, and my guess is that Selma is someone who can calm you down.”

“She does,” Drew replied with a coy smile.

“So, let’s have our drinks and apps, and then you go home and call your girlfriend. Arrange something to get to her, okay? I think you need it.”

◆◆◆

“I love your face,” Drew said as she stared at her tablet screen in bed later.

“Well, hi, babe,” Selma replied with a little laugh. “I love your face, too.”

“I haven’t seen it in a week.”

“I know. I’m sorry. I hate missing our video calls.”

“Gia in bed?”

“Finally,” Selma replied on a sigh. “That girl has been driving me crazy all week. I love her to death, but she wants to be in every club and class now. She went from wanting nothing to do with school to wanting everything to do with it very quickly. We’re trying to figure out the right schedule for her that’s challenging but not too much. She’s only nine, Drew.”

“She’s almost ten,” Drew said.

“Don’t remind me.” Selma moved until she had the phone likely leaning against her other pillow and was lying on her side. “I’m planning a birthday party on top of everything else. She actually wants to invite kids from school now, which she never wanted before, so that’s been fun.”

“I can help.”

“Help with what?”

“The party.”

“How can you help? Do you know a place in Vancouver to get a physics-based birthday cake for a ten-year-old?”

Drew laughed and said, “She does not want–”

“Oh, she does,” Selma interrupted.

“Well, no, I’m not sure I can help with that. But I was thinking I could be there.”

“Be where?”

“Maybe I could be at the party, Selma.”

Selma’s eyes widened a little, and Drew worried that she’d overstepped.

“You want to come to her birthday party?”

“I want to see you; both of you.”

“Babe, I want that, too. I miss you. But I don’t know.”

“It’s okay. I get it. I was hoping that I could still get her a present. Is that okay?”

“Of course, it is. And I wasn’t saying that because I’m worried about you being at the party.”

“Um… Okay. Why, then?”

“Because I’m so busy with that, training, Gia’s school, and helping my grandma. I don’t know how much time I’ll have for us next week. In a couple of weeks, her birthday will be over, and I should have this school thing settled for a while, at least. I’d have more time.”

“Selma?”

“Yes?”

“We’re in a serious relationship, right?”

“Unless there’s something you’re not telling me – yes, this is a serious relationship.”

“And our lives are always going to be busy, right?”

“I hope not. But yes.”

“Then, let me help. I won’t come if you think it will be a mistake where Gia is concerned, but I want to be there for her and for you. I want to be a part of your life. I know your ex didn’t even meet her, but I already have. And I know I was only your sort of friend then, but I hope it’s different with us. I hope you know I’d never do anything to–”

“Babe, I know,” Selma interrupted quietly. “I know.” She smiled softly. “I miss you so much, and it’s only been a week.”

“I miss you, too.”

“You really want to come here when it’s going to be a madhouse?”

Drew nodded.

“And you know you’d have to get a room, right? I mean, I’ll comp it, obviously, but you’d be in your own room. I can sneak in and out after Gia’s asleep, but–”

“I know. I understand. She doesn’t need to know that we’re together yet.”

“Are you sure that’s okay with you? I mean it, Drew. I’m asking here because I don’t want to make this all about my needs and Gia’s and not yours.”

“I’d love for her to know about us,” Drew said and moved a little closer to the screen. “I’d love to be able to be there as your girlfriend, if you’re asking me what I want. This is the first visit back, though, so I’m not going to rush you. But, Selma, I don’t want to be like your ex. I don’t want Gia to never know about us.”

“It’s not never. I promise, it’s not never. I just… She’s so smart, Drew. I wasn’t prepared for this. And now, they’re telling me that she’s probably ready for college soon.”

“I know, babe.”

“I don’t know what to do, and it’s scary.”

“Let me be there for you. We can talk about this as much as you want, okay? I’m not going anywhere. I’m kind of hoping that if you drop Gia off at school in a couple of years for her first class, I’ll be beside you in the car.”

Selma smiled, but Drew saw the hesitation in her eyes, too. That was okay, though. She could handle that. They were talking about scary and far-off things, and Selma was a protective mother, so Drew would be patient.

“Come here for her party.”

“Yeah?”

“For however long you can stay, not just for her party. I want you here. I know Gia does, too. It’ll be a surprise for her. And I want to sneak into that room and have you hold me all night.”

“Happily,” Drew replied.