Page 45 of On The Edge

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Cat had suggested to Jess to use her house over the next couple of days, while Cat worked at the gallery. Jess relaxed away from the gallery and used Cat’s small studio space to sketch out some new ideas. Cat didn’t really know if she was allowing Jess to stay for selfless, or selfish reasons. After Johnny had gone she began to feel so lonely that having someone in the house made her happier, and more confident. Meanwhile the gallery had been hectic, she spoke with newspapers and clients almost every day, promoting their work. Thinking of her ever-busy days, she scolded herself for not asking Johnny to help while he had been staying. On top of everything, she had chosen for some reason to wear the most impractical shoes she owned, the pair that had tripped her up on the road that day Patrick had almost driven over her. At each moment she could, she would slip them off and walk barefoot around the gallery, which never proved long enough, as there were always people coming in. Cat decided she’d be putting the heels in the bin once she got back to her cottage. She made a plan to have a bath, smother herself in jasmine body butter, and wrap herself tightly in her dressing robe by the fire. To her relief, she was not working at the gallery or the pub over the next few days, making tomorrow her first day off in weeks. Cat looked out her windowpane at the darkness that had fallen on the village; seeing her reflection looking back at her, she self-consciously wiped away the flecks of mascara from underneath her eyes, and let down her hair with relief. The street was quiet; as the days grew shorter, it seemed everyone was deciding to stay at home of an evening. She glanced at her watch, and decided to lock up a few minutes early - no-one would be passing now tonight. She went around the gallery, switching off the lights, locking the till and making sure everything was as it should be. Just as she approached the door, she noticed in the gloomy light that the label accompanying her tree painting had been blacked out. She flicked on the closest light and saw what looked like traces of a biro-pen, scribbling out her artistic process and the description of the painting. Cat took down the label and sighed. Possibly some teenagers had come in while she had been momentarily distracted, and thought it funny to leave a pathetic little mark. Luckily, the painting looked untouched. Cat cast the cardboard piece onto the front desk, deciding it could be easily retyped by Jess tomorrow. She collected her bags and locked up, finding the street was still deathly quiet; no passing car or dog walker roaming the road, as was usual at this time. A strange eerie feeling came over Cat as she walked to her car, as if she were being watched. She shook off the notion dismissively, before her imagination could take over, and left quickly, eager for home, and her fire.

Upon her return to the cottage, she immediately went to run the long-anticipated bath, wanting to forget her fatigue, and the strange end to her day. It was only while she poured bath salts into the water and began to undress that she heard Jess downstairs.

“Only me!” Came the cheery voice from the bottom of the stairs. “I didn’t hear you drive up!” Jess went through to the kitchen rattling about pots and pans. “Oh my god I’m feeling good, did so much work in that shed of yours today!” Jess merrily sang and shouted. Cat put on her dressing robe and wandered down.

“Hi Jess!” Cat looked at her friend in the promising act of pulling out pasta from the cupboard and vegetables from the fridge.

“Hey you, I’m just going to make us dinner, then I thought we might go out,” Jess said breezily while she opened a plastic bag and brought out a bottle of wine.

“Oh hun...” whined Cat, “I have no energy, I’m only able for bed!”

“Nonsense” Jess shook her head grinning, “You want to go out, you just don’t know it yet”.

Cat sighed and looked unimpressed, while Jess poured out a glass of wine and gave it to Cat. “I will cook, you just toddle upstairs and enjoy your bath!”

“I can’t promise I won’t fall asleep in there!” Cat grumbled, crossly.

“Well, maybe a fifteen minute snooze will make you fresh as a daisy!” Jess shooed her friend up the stairs.

Jess promised she’d drive them both in, and they would get a lift back from one of her sober friends nice and early, telling her it was all planned, so Cat sighed, and looked out clothes to wear. Jess put on a sparkly black dress and heels, looking very sophisticated, while Cat couldn’t bring herself to wear anything other than her jeans.

“You’re not going out like that!” Jess had insisted Cat should at the very least wear a “dressy top”, and sent her friend back upstairs. Finally, after much trying on and throwing multiple options onto her bed, she settled for her comfy jeans, and a silk black halter-neck. Once she had achieved Jess’s grudging approval they drove off into the cold night to the nearest pub.

“Oh I forgot!” Jess squealed.

“What? Did you leave the cooker on?”

“No, no not that!” Jess calmed down slightly. “I remembered that tonight is the ceilidh, so - we have a change of plan!”

“Oh great, I thought the pub was going to be hard work. Now I have the prospect of being flung across the room by a string of big burly guys!” Cat sniffed, and suppressed a yawn that had caught in her throat. The last time she had found herself at a ceilidh, was back when she went to one a few years ago at Dave’s sister’s wedding. Dave had spent most of the evening drinking at the bar while she had danced various highland flings and every other dance going. Most of the steps she had no idea of, but she had found you could get away with improvising if your partner knew them well enough. She lay still in the car, dreaming of disco lights and whirling tartan pleats, while Jess drove steadily in the darkness, the car gently rocking…

“Wake up, sleepy head!” Jess shook Cat by the shoulders.

“Oh sorry...” Cat murmured, and readjusted her eyes to find Jess staring at her. “Um, did I just-“

“Yes, you fell asleep!” Jess flipped the car mirror and applied red lipstick. “OK, ready?”

Cat stumbled from the car in the direction of the illuminated village hall. Music, and the sound of laughter, grew louder the closer they drew. Jess linked her arm through Cat's, and guided her in.

People stood outside smoking, and saluted the girls as they passed. They walked into the hall to see a band at the far end playing a jig, with various couples stepping in time and spinning to the beat. Kilts swung, people laughed and drinks were gulped. The hall was dimly lit making it hard to make out people. Cat snapped out of her trance at Jess's stiff poke in her ribs. “Drinks!” she ordered, and led Cat to the bar in a smaller adjoining room, which held just as much people, crammed into the smaller space and even louder in voice. Cat smiled at a couple of familiar faces while Jess ordered the drinks.

Cat received two plastic cups, one in each hand, and looked at Jess, confused.

“You need a boost, so drink one now and we’ll head back into the hall.”

Cat did as she was told, and the feeling of fatigue left her body to be replaced with a warm adrenaline. As soon as the girls joined the groups of people in the hall the band finished and took a few moments to take a drink, and mutter companionably between themselves. The fiddler stepped forward and announced with a boom into the microphone, “Take your partners please for: Strip the Willow!”

“Oh I love this one!” Jess cried, and was approached almost instantly by a very handsome broad-shouldered man “Well, how about a dance then?” he asked.

“Hell yeah!” Jess gave her drink to Cat. “Oh sorry, is that OK?

“Of course!” The music began and the dancers lined up before launching into a wildly coordinated spin. Cat watched Jess laugh and glide with elegance, her gaze moving outward to follow the movement of the people around the room, enjoying the energy and the music, until her eyes fell on the dark curls of Patrick. He was laughing and watching the dancers, and the pretty girl who had opened the door to his house that evening, and whose red coat hung on the back of that very door, was beside him, talking in his ear. Cat gulped down both drinks, and headed for the toilets to compose herself.

She gazed at herself in the mirror. Now, stop it Cat. He’s out of your league. What happened was a bit of fun, but now it’s time to move on. He has. She wiped her eyes, fearing the tears might make her face blotchy, and quickly reapplied makeup before anybody else came in. After a few minutes the alcohol began to take effect, and she felt surprisingly better. She went back to the bar, ordered more drinks, and went back into the dance hall where she soon found Jess.

“Oh Cat, there you are!” Jess took one of the drinks. “This is Andrew!”