I went weeks trying to figure out how to let Maeve down, worried that this would affect our ability to play music together. Ultimately, the choice was taken out of my hands when I found Maeve in bed with someone else. She had gotten wasted after a performance one night, which was par for the course, and decided to bang one of the road crew.
When I found them, there was no huge blow up of a fight, and in fact, I was relieved. I just quietly told Maeve that it was time that we went back to doing what we did best... and that was just being band mates.
She agreed and for a while, it was business as usual. But lately, she's been coming on to me, usually after she's been drinking and Maeve drinks...a lot. It's starting to wear thin.
I resolve to sit down soon and have a serious talk with her, when we're both sober. If I don't nip this problem now, it could be disastrous for OTE down the road.
I pick up my Guinness and, in a few huge swallows, kill it off. Standing up from the booth, I decide it's time to get the hell out of here and get some sleep.
I wonder what Renner is doing right this minute—and if she's thinking about me.
CHAPTER 3
Renner
My apartment door flies open as Cady and Teagan stroll in. Frick and Frack, Mutt and Jeff, Siegfried and Roy... where one went, the other was usually not far behind. They'd probably marry Siamese twins just so they could always stay together.
"Don't you ever knock or is it common practice to just barge into people's homes here?"
Cady and Teagan give identical eye rolls and proceed to ransack my kitchen. While Teagan is rooting through the fridge for something to eat, Cady is pouring herself a glass of Coke.
"We're family," Cady says. "There's no knocking on family homes. That's just the way of it. Besides, you shouldn't have given me a key if it bothers you."
I give her a grin and take an apple from a basket on my counter, taking a big bite. I watch as Teagan pulls out a bowl of something from the fridge, lifts the cover for a sniff, and then grimaces. She puts it back and closes the door.
Reminder to myself to check out what that was and throw it away.
"So, what kind of trouble should we get into today?" Teagan asks. "It's been awhile since we've all three had a day free together."
That's true. Cady's currently working on her Master's in Education at Trinity College and Teagan is an architect at a huge firm here in Dublin. It is rare indeed for the three of us to be able to spend some quality time with each other because they’re always working so hard.
Sometimes I feel so lame when I compare myself to Cady and Teagan. Both of them knew exactly what they wanted and went after it. Both are smart and successful. When I look at the train wreck that is my career, all I can do is hang my head in shame.
I graduated from a small college in upstate New York with a degree in Art History. Which basically meant I wouldn't have a single job prospect upon graduation. But that was okay by me—I really didn't want to do anything along those lines anyway. It just seemed like an interesting degree to get because I enjoyed art, I enjoyed history, and well... there you have it.
Had it not been for my parents' expectations that I go to college, I would have passed on it all together. By the time I graduated high school, I was just so tired of learning that I wanted a break. But I went, got my degree, and now it’s gathering dust somewhere.
The job with Delta was a fluke. I had a classmate in college that got hired and she loved it, so I applied and made it in. It was a job I seriously enjoyed, but one I didn't think I would be doing my entire life. It was fun, paid decent money, but it wasn’t very challenging to me.
And as that bitch fate would have it, it was indeed a short-lived job. I had been at Delta for less than a year before the shit hit the fan, and that career path was over.
"I say we go shopping, then lunch, and have a few bottles of wine," Cady says. She's sporting a new, shorter haircut, layered around her pixie face. It makes her blue eyes pop.
"Then let's come back here to your place after and disclose all of our dirty, sexy secrets," Teagan chimes in. "I had a hot date last weekend with one of my co-workers and he was hung like a race horse. I can't wait to tell you all about it."
Oh geez. The last thing I wanted to do was listen to Teagan recount her sexual escapades with Man O'War. Besides, that kind of talk would naturally lead to them probing into my love life, which is, for all intents and purposes, well... dead.
Cady dumps the rest of her Coke down my sink and picks up her purse. "That sounds like a good plan. Let's go. And I forgot to tell you, Renner, Mam would like you to come to dinner tonight if you can."
"Sure," I tell her. "I'm always up for some of your mom's cooking."
***
Cady and I are walking to her parents' house, which is fairly close to my apartment. Well, if you accept that fifteen blocks is fairly close. Still...it's a nice evening for a walk, and I can always take a cab home later. Plus, we did in fact have a few bottles of wine at lunch, then another at my apartment. Teagan finally called a cab and headed home, declining Cady's invitation to come eat at her parents'.
Cady and I are pretty buzzed and I'm sure Uncle Keefe and Aunt Shannon will have their hands full with us tonight. It's a good thing they own a pub...makes them a bit more understanding when we get drunk. I'm hoping the walk will clear most of the alcohol out of my system though, as I'm not looking forward to working tomorrow with a hangover.