by Kristin Noreen (1137 words)

The writers are entertaining themselves, thank God, Margaux thought as she left the dancing guests in the yard and carried the bottles of Scotch to Jasper’s room. Of course he was gone, and now there was a pool of vomit on the floor. Bunny’s pink bra had been kicked under the bed, and she was gone too. Odd choice of bra for an old lady, Margaux noted. I would have pegged her for a Playtex Cross Your Heart. Do they even still make those? she wondered. The lingering smell of Bunny’s old-lady perfume swirled in Margaux’s nose with spilled Scotch, vomit and sex, and she hastily set the bottles on the dresser and backed out of the room. 

Now what? Once again it was up to her to try to rescue this farce of a writers’ retreat. Why was she even surprised? 

*****

Lucy flopped down on her bed, breathless from the Dance of the Sun Dogs. Finally, something worthwhile came of this dreadful retreat. This was just like her husband Paul, his heart was in the right place, God love him, but he always did things on the cheap. Like their anniversary trip on a riverboat that was really more of a floating casino than a cruise ship. Actually, that was generous—it was Billy Bob’s Bargain Booze Cruise. When Lucy thought of the retreats in the region Paul could have sprung for, headed by names like Seán Dwyer, Lisa Dailey, Cami Ostman—she sighed in resignation. You Are Here, she thought, bringing to mind her favorite song by Ruth Moody of the Wailin’ Jennys:

And there’s no making cases
For getting out or trading places
And there’s no turning back,
No, you are here… 

Margaux is right, Lucy thought. The outdoor dance was kind of magical. She might as well get what she could from this experience, because she was stuck here until they cleared the road. Even if she could call Paul for an extrication mission, it would hurt his feelings too badly. No, the only option was to make the best of it. She thought about calling home to check in, but it would be too hard to pretend she was enjoying herself. Better to let Paul think she was having such a good time, she forgot to call. 

That scene in the woods at the old cabin—what had that been all about? Charles had been there with some woman who sounded like Bunny Beacham, but could have been her daughter for how much younger she was. And who was this Jimmy they were talking about? At the time, she’d turned back to get away from the scene that wasn’t meant for her—it would be too embarrassing to be caught eavesdropping, but she couldn’t stop thinking about it. Maybe tomorrow she’d go back to the cabin and see if there was more going on. It would be something to do.

Restless, she started to walk to the lobby to see how close they were getting to dinner, such as it was likely to be. This place definitely made her appreciate her own cooking. At least she didn’t have pigs running through her kitchen. As she turned the corner onto the main hallway, she noticed Jane ducking out a side door, dressed for the chilly night in a dark green puffy jacket and black watch cap. There was a furtive quality to the way she closed the door softly behind her. Something interesting happening? Lucy waited a minute, then followed. Dusk had fallen in earnest, and Jane had the advantage of a headlamp she turned on when she entered the woods. Lucy pulled her thin sweater tightly around her and sneaked glances at the ground to keep from tripping on the narrow trail. 

Jane took the right fork to the old cabin and Lucy followed. This trail was harder to navigate in the dark. Roots tugged at the toes of Lucy’s shoes and she struggled not to go sprawling. Who do you think you are, Colter Shaw? her inner voice scolded, referencing one of the few TV shows she and Paul enjoyed together after putting Eleanor to bed. The thought of Eleanor tugged at her heart. What she wouldn’t give to be home with her. 

In for a penny, in for a pound, Lucy thought with a sigh. Even though she was starting to shiver, the thought of returning to the lodge to drink cheap wine with that motley bunch spurred her on. 

A harsh bluish light glowed in the cabin from an LED lantern. Lucy could see Charles and Bunny—yes, it was definitely Bunny, hideous crocheted sweater and all, but she sat cross-legged on the table like a young woman. Jane entered through the open doorway. “I swear, you enjoy that getup,” Jane greeted Bunny. “You must have pillaged every Goodwill between here and Bend.” 

“You can’t get this quality geriatric gear at Goodwill,” Bunny’s voice answered. “It takes small-town church thrift shops to level up to this. Nobody appreciates the work this takes. Some days I actually contemplate getting a job.” She and Jane laughed harshly. 

Charles scoffed, “You had a perfectly good job on General Hospital, but you were so bad, they had to kill your character.” 

“I don’t see you stepping up to set a honey trap,” Bunny said. “Though Jimmy could go either way. I think his sexuality is whatever gets him the most attention at the time.”   

“Where is Peter?” Jane asked. “I thought he was here already. I had a hell of a time breaking free of Mavis. Talk about an oversharer. I was tempted to chew my own leg off to get away.” 

“Haven’t heard from Peter,” Charles said. “I thought he was with you.” 

“We might as well get started without him,” Jane said. “It’s not like he’s that useful anyway.” 

Lucy heard a twig snap behind her and whirled around. “Well, well, look who’s here,” Peter grabbed her arm and propelled her into the light. “Who’s useful now? And what are we going to do about this, gang?” 

“Read me in?” Lucy said brightly. Where did that come from? she thought. “I mean, seriously, this weekend is a train wreck. Give me something I can use.” 

“Not a chance,” Jane snapped. “You’re not part of the plan.” 

“What plan? Or are you going to send me back to the lodge for meatloaf and box wine with Mavis, Ed, Whatshisname and the Hack Twins? Seriously? If there’s a plan, I want in.” Who knew I could think on my feet like this? Lucy marveled, adrenaline zinging in her veins. Ed would be handy around now, why couldn’t he have followed her? Jane was clearly the ringleader, and Lucy knew almost nothing about her. What was she going to do about Lucy’s intrusion?