Casting Debbie

Chapter 26

Debbie stood in the doorway of the guesthouse. She could see Lou in the main house, wiping down the kitchen counter, even though it wasn't dirty. "Yeah. I love her, Dan. She's amazing. Everything. My dream woman." She chuckled to herself. "I'm... you know... so gone I can barely breathe." She bent over and put a hand on her knee, trying to get some air.

"Breathe, Deb. I know the feeling, but you have to keep breathing. Keep moving. And when it feels right, you know what to do."

"Yeah, I do," Debbie gasped for air, her emotions surfacing.

"I'm so happy for you." Danny's voice cracked. "I could see it when I was there, how good you two are together. It's different, you know?"

"How so?" Debbie stood back up, holding her stomach as she watched Lou.

"I liked Tammy, but to see you with someone like Lou... so much your equal... a good partner..."

Was her brother crying? She pressed the phone to her ear. "Danny?"

"I'm fine, Deb. It just makes me think of mom and how happy she'd be for you."

Debbie couldn't take it anymore. He'd be devastated when she and Lou broke up in a few months. God, how would she ever tell him the truth? It broke her heart, just thinking about it. "I have to go now, Danny. If anyone bothers you, just give them Linus's phone number, okay?"

"I will. Take care, Deb."

***

Debbie sat on the end of a lounger with her phone clasped between her hands, covering her mouth, almost like she was praying. She was so deep in thought, she jumped when Lou shouted, "Drinks outside?"

"Yeah!" she shouted back. It was an unseasonably warm evening. Not a cloud in the sky and very little breeze blowing.

Debbie moved closer to the main house where two loungers were sitting next to each other with a table in between. Lou set the wine glasses on the table and handed the bottle to Debbie. "Will you do the honors?"

Debbie read the label before she opened it. "This looks familiar."

"Yeah. Remember the wine Daphne sent to the table at Nobu?"

"Ohhhh... I loved that wine."

"I know. And we have a lot to celebrate." Lou lay back in the lounger, looking relaxed and happy. Pretty much the exact opposite of how Debbie was feeling. "You know," Lou said, looking around. "I've lived in this house for a few years now, and I've never spent this much time out here. It's really quite beautiful."

Debbie twisted the corkscrew into the bottle. "I love it out here. The swimming pool is about the size of my apartment in New York, so I kind of feel like I'm on a permanent vacation."

"I'm glad you're happy here." Debbie didn't reply, so Lou turned to her. "You are... happy here, right?"

Debbie ignored the question as she poured the wine. She held out her glass for a toast. "What are we celebrating?"

Lou didn't pick up her glass. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing. To the good life. Now, hit my glass."

Lou raised her glass. "To the good life. Now, tell me what's wrong."

Debbie swirled and inhaled the wine before she took a sip. "It's just Tammy and my brother. He's so excited about us, he can hardly contain himself. Meanwhile, Tammy is... not giving up." Lou didn't reply, and Debbie didn't really blame her. It was a mess on her side, and Lou couldn't fix it. No one could. "I should start house hunting," Debbie said.