Page 36 of October (New Orleans #10)

“O h, hey,” Finley said when she saw India walking by her.

“Oh, hey,” India said back, repeating Finley’s greeting. “What are you doing out here?”

“I’m walking around the city,” she replied. “Have been for a couple of hours now. I haven’t done this in a while. It’s nice.” She looked around the still-not-busy sidewalk. “You?”

“I went for a run. I’m in my cooldown,” India said, pulling the earbuds out of her ears and pressing the screen of her phone, probably trying to turn off her workout playlist that Finley knew all too well.

“Why are you out walking? It’s, like, ten in the morning.

And you’ve been out for a couple of hours already?

” India squinted at her in suspicion. “You don’t wake up before ten on the weekends. ”

“Well, today is the exception,” she said.

“What’s going on with you right now?” India asked her. “You don’t seem like yourself, and you look exhausted. Wait. Were you with Molly last night? And you’re exhausted. Don’t tell me. I don’t need details.”

“I’m just tired. I woke up early, for some reason, and my body needs more coffee than the one cup I’ve had.”

“Well, I can let you get back to it. I was going to walk the rest of the way home and get some work done.”

“Okay. Yeah. Cool,” Finley said.

“Hey, can I ask you something?”

“Sure.”

“Can we just… I don’t know. Can we maybe try to be friends?

I mean that for real. No tricks. No trying to get you back or anything.

I know that you’re with Molly now, and I respect that.

I think I’m only starting to realize that I really miss you.

I’m not talking about the being together part.

I do miss that part, but I mainly mean the part where we hung out sometimes. It was nice.”

“It was nice because we always did the things you liked. You wanted to go shopping. I went with you. You wanted to see some French film with subtitles. I went with you.”

“Okay. So, I was a bad girlfriend. I get it, Finley. I’m trying here.” India tucked her phone into the side pocket of her workout pants and asked, “What would you want to do if we just hung out?”

“Grab a beer. Go to a football game. Shop at a tech store; not one that sells clothes.”

India laughed and replied, “So, nothing I’d want to do. Got it.”

“You can have wine, India. I can have the beer. And I don’t actually expect you to go to the football games or even watch them. Molly loves football.” She shrugged a shoulder. “I don’t need you to go shopping with me, either, so maybe we just grab a beer and wine one night sometime.”

“Molly would be okay with that?”

“I don’t know,” she said. “But I can talk to her if you really mean this, India. It’s not a ploy?”

“It’s not.” India shook her head. “I wouldn’t do that. I like Molly, and I can tell you really like her. I’m not trying to cause problems for you two. I just don’t have many friends.”

“You have a ton of friends.”

“Not real friends, Fin. I have a few friends from work, but they’re not going to be there for me when I really need a friend.

Case in point: they’re not here for me now when I’m trying to get over a bad breakup.

” India looked around then. “I have my old college friends, but I barely talk to them these days, and I’ve got a couple of old family friends, but they’re the rich people friends.

They’re the kind of people you see at parties, and you all brag about things and embellish to make yourself look good, so you’re not really friends with them.

” She looked at Finley. “I know I wasn’t perfect, and I’m not great at compromise, but I’d like to try to work on that if it means we can attempt to be friends.

I’ll even consider letting you pick out a beer for me or something. ”

Finley laughed a little and said, “Okay. Maybe.”

Her phone buzzed in her pocket then, so she pulled it out and was surprised and grateful to see a text from Molly, even without knowing what the message would say, because she’d worried that after she had run out on her this morning, she might never get a text from Molly again.

Molly Jewel : Hey. I’m not sure if you’re awake, but Jules invited us to this barbecue thing with Gwen’s sister-in-law and her partner.

I guess it’s pretty open, and a lot of people will be there, so it’s not a big deal to add two more to the list. Logan and Rory, whom you know, and maybe Ava.

Plus, Candace and some others. They’re going to be there around two.

Do you want to go? We could hang out, meet some new people, and maybe talk. Let me know.

“Molly?” India asked.

“Yeah,” she said and looked up at India. “Do you want to put your money where your mouth is?”

“What money, exactly?”

“There’s a barbecue today. It’s an open thing hosted by a friend of Juliet’s. Or, I guess, her girlfriend’s. Molly and I are going. Do you want to go, too? I think it’ll be a bunch of lesbians, and at least one of them is for sure single.”

India laughed and said, “You’re trying to set me up?”

“No, but if you’re looking for something else, it might be a place to meet someone.”

“I’m not really looking to meet someone at some backyard barbecue, Fin.” India shook her head and smiled. “But I don’t have any good plans today. Are you sure it’s okay with Molly?”

“I’m sure it’s fine. We all work together, and she knows I’m with her . Besides, it’ll be a dozen or more people, so my thought was even if you don’t meet someone to date there, you might make some more of those friends you want.”

“Are you trying to offload me on other friends now, too?”

“I’ve got some baggage, India. You and I were in this thing for a long time, and I don’t know that I can just jump into a friendship with you, especially one where we’re alone together.

I’m with Molly now, so nothing would happen, but last time you were at my place, after you promised you were only there to pick your stuff up, you tried to kiss me, and–”

“I know.” India looked down at the sidewalk. “I know. And I’m still really sorry about that. Do I need to apologize to Molly, too? I will. I was an idiot.”

“I don’t think so personally, but that’s up to you. I know you’re trying. I’m just not sure that I can trust you fully yet.”

“So, this backyard thing is a test or something?”

“Not a test,” Finley said. “It’s a chance for you to meet some new people and see if you like any of them. In time, I think we can be friends, but things are still so new with Molly and me; I don’t want to risk that. I don’t want any confusion about what I want.”

“Or whom?” India guessed.

“Yes.”

“Okay. Well, if you think she’ll be okay with it, then, yeah, I think I’d like to give it a try.”

“I’ll text you the address when I get it.”

“What kind of wine should I bring as a hostess gift?”

“None,” Finley told her with a laugh. “It’s a barbecue. Bring beer.”

“Beer? Gross,” India replied. “Something else, please.”

“Fine. Go to the store and buy a few of those premade pasta salads or something. Everyone loves those things.”

“You want me to buy premade pasta salad from a grocery store? Are you crazy? I don’t know how old that stuff is. What if people get sick?”

“No one is getting sick.” Finley laughed. “Get a few of those, and if you really want, bring a fruit tray or something, too.”

“A tray? Like, buy that , too?”

Finley laughed and said, “Yes, they make them for you. All you have to do is pay for it.”

“I’ll bring fruit, but I’m slicing it up myself and putting it on my tray. No pasta salad, Finley.”

“Whatever you want. I’ll see you around two.”

“Okay. Hey, Fin?” India asked when Finley started to walk past her.

“Yeah?”

“Thank you for this.”

Finley nodded and went on her way. She responded to Molly’s text, and after getting home, she hopped into the shower, taking her second one of the day but needing it after her long walk.

She still had no idea how to bring things up with Molly, and that was after many practice conversations she’d had with her in her head.

At a barbecue, they would at least be around other people instead of alone right away.

Finley could use the warm-up to, hopefully, help them go back to being how they were with one another before last night.

◆◆◆

“Hey, babe,” Finley greeted when she got out of her car and saw Molly doing the same on the other side of the residential street.

“Hi,” Molly replied with a cautious smile.

‘Okay, so we definitely need some of that adjustment time,’ Finley thought.

Molly walked over to her, carrying a six-pack of beer and a container of what looked to be pasta salad, which made Finley smile. When she arrived at Finley’s car, Finley took the beer from her, leaned in, and kissed her on the lips.

“I could’ve picked you up,” she said.

“I know. But this is fine. I don’t know how long I’ll stay. You might want to stay later.”

“Why would I want to stay later if you’re not here?”

“Jules is your friend, too. Maybe you’d want to hang out longer.”

“Molls, can we–”

“Hi. Is this the house?” India asked.

Finley looked across the street and saw her ex carrying a fruit tray that she’d undoubtedly made herself. India nodded at the house behind them as she walked toward them.

“Hey, Molly.”

“India,” Molly said, turning from India to Finley.

“I invited her,” Finley explained. “I hope that’s okay.”

“You didn’t tell her? Finley, what the hell?” India said.

“I fell asleep,” she said, trying to defend herself. “Sorry, babe. I ran into India this morning on a walk, and you invited me here, so I invited her here. I meant to tell you, but I took a shower and passed out until it was just time to get here. I was going to tell you when I saw you, but she’s–”

“I’m here. And I’m sorry, Molly. Finley was supposed to ask if it was okay. If it’s not, I can go.”

“No, it’s fine. I mean, of course, it’s fine. It’s not really my party, but I’m sure it’s okay. Yes, this is the house. Juliet told me they own both of them and kind of share a yard. You can just go on back, if you want. I need to talk to Finley just for one second.”

“I bet you do,” India said, glaring at Finley. “I’ll maybe wait for you before I walk in, though, if that’s okay. I don’t know anyone back there.”

“Sure,” Molly replied.

India gave Finley another glare and walked to the front yard and toward the houses. Finley didn’t follow her with her eyes, though, because she was too busy staring at Molly.

“I’m sorry,” she said.

“You invited your ex-girlfriend?” Molly asked.

“Not like that,” Finley replied. “We bumped into each other this morning, like I said, and she asked if we could be friends, Molls. I told her that I don’t know yet, but you said everyone would be here right when she was telling me that she doesn’t really have any good friends, and I thought she might get along with some people at the barbecue.

It was totally innocent, I swear. I should’ve asked you first, though, and I didn’t. ”

Molly sighed and replied, “It’s fine. She’s here. It’s not like I’m going to tell her to leave.”

“Am I in trouble? I’m in trouble, aren’t I?”

“You’re not in–” Molly stopped. “Finley, I’m in trouble. I need–”

“Hey, you two,” Juliet said from just down the sidewalk.

“Fucking hell,” Finley said under her breath. “Can we just go somewhere and talk? We keep getting–”

“Finley, hi,” Gwen said.

“Interrupted,” Finley finished and took Molly’s hand with her free one. “Hey, Gwen.”

“Why are you all out here?” Gwen asked when she approached hand in hand with Juliet.

“Babe, let’s go inside. Maybe they were talking or something.” Juliet turned her head. “Is that India?” she asked and turned back to look at Molly with a concerned expression on her face.

“She’s here as Finley’s friend,” Molly shared. “I didn’t know.”

“You invited India?” Juliet asked.

“Can we do this whole ‘scold Finley for being an idiot’ thing later, maybe? There’s a party or something we’re supposed to be attending. Besides, my girlfriend is the only one, really, who can be mad at me for inviting my ex, anyway.”

“Girlfriend?” Juliet asked.

Finley closed her eyes. She hadn’t meant to say that.

“Let’s just get inside,” Molly suggested. “India is waiting patiently, and by patiently, I mean she’s glaring at us.”

She pulled her hand away from Finley’s, and they all walked toward the back gate together. Molly joined Juliet and Gwen, leaving Finley back with India, who still held on to her fruit tray.

“You’re in trouble,” India said. “I should just go. You can take the fruit tray.”

“If I’m already in trouble, you should just stay. I can’t get into any more trouble, right?”

“I don’t know, Finley. Did you invite any of your other exes to this party without telling your current?”

“I’m an idiot,” she said.

“Here, have a strawberry,” India said, removing the bit of cellophane from her tray and shoving a berry into Finley’s mouth. “Feel better?”

“What? No,” she said as she chewed.

Molly had, of course, chosen that moment to turn around and saw the exchange between them.

“Can you walk, like, far ahead of me and maybe let Jules introduce you around?” Finley asked.

“Sure. I’ll stay out of your way.”

“Thank you,” she said.

India walked through the gate right after Gwen and Juliet, which left Molly and Finley standing outside. Music was playing, and Finley could see two dogs running around.

“Gwen brought Carly over earlier and left her to play with Buster. I guess they’re boyfriend and girlfriend,” Molly said as she looked out at the women in the yard. “I don’t even really know these people. What am I doing here?”

“It’s a party. You can get to know them.”

“It’s a lot of people, though,” Molly said. “And they’re all coupled off. That makes it harder.”

Finley placed her free hand on Molly’s back and rubbed it.

“You’re here with me, Molls.”

“ Am I?” she asked.

“You said Ava might be here.”

“She’s over there,” Molly replied, pointing to Ava, who was standing next to Rory and Candace. “Why?”

“I thought she and India might hit it off.”

“You set your ex up with Ava?” Molly turned to her.

“I knew she’d at least have one single woman to talk to, and I thought maybe they would like each other enough to hang out. You’re not interested in–”

“Finley, last night I told Ava it wasn’t going anywhere. I told you I was with you, remember?”

“Yeah, I just…”

“Hey,” Logan said, walking up from behind them. “You heading in? I forgot the booze Candace contributed in the trunk. Mind if I get by? It’s heavy.”

“Oh, sure,” Molly replied and moved out of the way so that Logan could carry a box of alcohol through the gate. “We should get in there,” she added and didn’t wait for a response before she walked through the gate and seemed to reluctantly join the party.