Bex had been sitting at the front desk as she so often did when she needed to think. She wasn’t the sort of person who could be still, who could relax and process things. No, she needed a task (running the front desk) in order to keep her mind from running enough into a thousand different directions and focus on one line of thought.
Cass was pregnant. Matty was here. Emily was going to college. Chris was still awkward to be around. A light bulb needed replacing in room four.
She’d been through this before, with Andrea. It had been worse then– they’d been kids. Granted, in her mind, Cass was still a kid but she was more of an adult than Andrea had been at 16.
Bex looked up when she heard someone greet her. She gave her half a smile, her mind still elsewhere. She’d been a bit concerned when Cass had told her Ana was moving to the island out of the blue. Her sister was going to be a mother– did she really need a band mate around?
But then she thought about sixteen year old Rebecca’s grand scheme to run away to live on an island with her best friend, about how she’d finally managed to make that scheme a reality, how she’d watched Emily grow up and made a family alongside Andrea and all their friends.
Cass deserved the same thing.
“Hi Ana,” Bex’s smiled broadened, standing up from the stool behind the desk. Ana reminded Bex so much of herself,unsure of exactly what she’d gotten herself into, moving to the island.
“There’s no protocol,” Bex reassured her kindly, waving her hand to get the attention of the girl who was supposed to be manning the front desk before Bex had sent her on a two hour paid break. When the young woman had returned, she turned back to Ana.
“Drink?” she offered, hoping that might relax her a bit. “I know the bartender,” she whispered as if it were a secret.
“Weekends?” Bex pondered the question a bit. She knew what she did on the weekends: work. “Same as everywhere, I guess. If you’re exciting, go out on the town to drink and party. If you’ll a dull old woman like myself, staying home to do laundry and finish your reading latest book is perhaps the better option.”
“What can I get ya?” she asked as they approached the bar. “On the house.”
Ana felt reassured as Bex spoke and felt a smile round her lips. She knew that Bex had to stressed, stressed as Ana, herself, was. It was a lot that had just been dumped on Cass and everyone who loved her had to feel it. Something that, ordinarily, should be such a source of joy was now mixed with so much sadness, Ana didn’t know exactly how to feel. She did know, however, that they were all there for Cass, and knowing that she didn’t have to go through this alone was something wonderful. It was also, in itself, something of a bond linking these two otherwise very different women. No one knew what was going to happen next, but they all knew they had each other to help them get through it.
“Good,” responded Ana with a glint of mischief in her eyes. “I’ve never been much good with rules.” Her parents’ parenting style had always been very hands off, in that way, and Ana had never really learned much about how to comply. If anything, she’d learned the opposite. After all, her parents, had brought their children to dozens of protests and had always taught them the importance of thinking for themselves, especially if someone was trying to give them different instructions.
“Not that,” she added, quickly, eyes widening with alarm as she remembered her temporary job working for the resort. “That I don’t make an excellent worker, because I do.” Unlike her brother, Ana had always been a hard worker. Granted, she might be an unorthodox one, but she was the furthest thing from lazy, but then, she was going to have a chance to prove exactly that very soon. “I just meant...in my personal life.”
Laughing at Bex’s quip, she grinned. “Oh, God, yes!” she exclaimed. “I haven’t been drinking around Cass because...you know...” she added, glancing around. She wasn’t sure yet if Cass wanted people to know of her condition, but she did know for a fact that, at least, the two of them knew. “She can’t drink, but...Cass isn’t here,” she added softly. “And, if I’m being honest, I could really use one.”
Ana’s lips quirked with bemusement as Bex spoke. “Ok,” she replied with a laugh. “I’m glad that the island provides amusement for all types! I’ll admit I usually think of myself as more the first type, but if I’m being honest, I do my share of both.”
At the question, Ana sighed dreamily. “Hmmm, a gin and tonic, I think,” she mused. “That would do just the trick. What about you? Have a drink with me?”