WHO: Xo Valdez Munroe and Lauren Foxhill WHEN: 5/4 evening WHERE: The Last Shot SUMMARY: Lauren accidently won a date with a nosey reporter. Or is she? WARNINGS: Some mild regrets but it's pretty tame.
Why? Why would she agree to this? Lauren needed to get better friends. Friends that would save her when she maybe-accidentally got caught up bidding during a live auction. The money helps the town, okay? Fundraisers in LA just padded the pockets of the already-rich. But here she was, already two shots deep with a half-full draft mug in front of her, waiting for what she was sure would be a snoopy reporter that would try to ruin her life for a paycheck.
Maybe that was a little harsh of an assumption. She hadn't even met the girl yet.
She was tucked into the same booth she had taken her first time back in Last Shot, when she received a barrage of news from her friends she wasn't prepared for. Hey, why not do it again? Shifting in her seat to better face the door as the remainder of her glass tipped down her throat, eye contact was made with the bartender as she raised her glass with a peace sign, the exchange of money coming with a tip as two more were sat on the table. Maybe Xo wouldn't show up, Lauren could sit here and get drunk in peace.
While Richard might have tried to thwart her plans by passing his interview off to Mabel it seemed that Lauren had not done the same. It was an interesting situation and Xo had to wonder just how much of it was purposeful or accidental. Maybe she had just been having fun and then no one outbid her. Or maybe this was an attempt for slipping in good publicity. They were all questions and for now they would wait, present in Xos mind but not at the forefront for conversation. Olly was with a sitter and Xo smiled across the bar as she got her own drink.
Her smile stayed in place as she caught sight of Lauren in the booth. “Wonderful to see you, Lauren.”
A quick wave was her reply before an open hand gestured to their table. “Best seats in the house for our date, m’lady.” Lauren quipped with her own smile, one final glance to her phone to insure she wasn’t being called away for work before it flipped face down on the table. Her own version of Do Not Disturb while staying accessible should she need a swift exit. “How was your day? It’s nice to finally meet you, as well.”
“Why thank you.” Xo answered with a playful half curtsey before taking her seat across from the other woman. She took note of her phone, mirroring the motion with her own. There shouldn't be any issues with Olly but it wasn’t like kids weren't full of surprises.
“So far so good.” Xo took a sip of her drink as she set that down. “Spent a lot of it at the park. The weather's been pretty nice lately. What about you?”
“Glad to hear you got it in - we have rain rolling in tomorrow through Thursday. I was happy the skies stayed relatively clear through the faire. Would have hated to see the booths waterlogged.”
Pausing for a moment for her own sip with a shrug, she continued on. “No complaints. Free coffee at Common Grounds set me up for a great day no matter what.” Honestly, who didn’t love coffee? “So, I’m sure you know enough to know I’m here with the production in town. But what brought you to work in Fall City?” It was a good ice breaker, as well as good for getting the conversation shifted away from herself.
“Oh, you know. Good place to raise a family.” Xo’s smile stayed in place. She wondered if Lauren hadn’t placed her. Then again she went by Valdez back then. There was no reason to link her, it wasn’t as if they had been close. The other woman was almost a decade older than her. “Plus my entire family lives here, you know how it is.”
An eyebrow hike and a minute’s pause to look her over and process Xo’s words later, her smile had grown into a glimpse of a grin as she settled in a little more comfortably. “You grew up in Cedarwood, didn’t you? Like, two streets over?” Another beat of a pause passed followed by a finger snap. “Raf’s sister.” Surely, she must have been. Small world. Or, rather, no one ever made it all the way away from Fall City. “Kids? Married? Or just hoarding a pack of dogs and various livestock?”
“That’d be me.” Xo tilted her head playfully. It had been a while since she had been identified via one of her brothers, but it was the trial of being born last. “One kid. His name’s Olly. Five. What about you?”
“Fives a good age. Starts school this year?” Dammit, she had walked into a question. A healthy drink from her glass later she returned to the conversation with an ever so slight eye roll. “Me, myself, and I. LA isn’t very family friendly truth be told, plus I’m only home a month or two at a time. I’m better suited for entertaining other people’s children and animals for short periods of time.” If things had gone differently… Well, they didn’t. Here she was. At least that was one sore subject out of the way quickly.
“Yeah, got a first grader. Seems crazy to think.” Xo watched the drink, which seemed a bit more than was necessary. It was interesting in its own. She leaned in slightly. “Honestly that was the kind of life I thought I’d be living. Not LA, but you know. Not here.”
Nodding with a short sigh, Lauren moved to pull her hair into a low ponytail and over her shoulder before matching Xo’s stance. “And yours, mine. Wanna trade?” It was half a joke. Maybe more, maybe less. “You must have left for school, there’s plenty of places to raise a family and plenty of people to do it with. Why not take your skills somewhere else?”
Xo laughed easily. “I wouldn’t trade him for any of the dreams in the world.” she answered honestly, even in the hardest moments. But it wasn’t where her life was supposed to go. It was supposed to be excitement, adventure. Olly just had that in a different kind. “I went to school in New York. Free childcare is a little hard to give up when you’re on your own though.”
“Got a picture?” It was the next best thing to having her own - taking in details, pictures and memories of other’s young ones. That window was all but closed for her these days. “New York is a hefty change from Fall City. At least you got out to see something other than these streets at some point. More than most around here accomplish. How long have you been back?”
“Mhm, got a million.” Xo picked up her phone and unlocked it, opening up a folder to pull up a picture of his son. She held it out to offer up to Lauren. “I got back a little before he was born. But I’d been back before. I’ve been in and out of Fall City since High School.”
Taking the phone, her face lit up as she swiped through the pictures. “He’s adorable.” The comment came quietly once the phone was returned. Coulda, shoulda, woulda. “I can’t blame you. I’d be raising mine here, too. It’s nice for kids in a small town. Quiet. Hell, we turned out fine.” Killing one drink, she slid it out of the way as the fresh one found it’s way closer.
As Xo took her phone back she couldn’t help but look at the picture of Olly that was left on the screen. He really was, perfect in pretty much every way that counted. But she laid the phone back down with the screen facing the table. “Maybe we’ll leave when he gets a bit older. I’m not sure. Never know what’ll happen next year, after all.”
“You’ll still have the support system of your family if all else fails. Mine as well do your exploring of the world while both of you are still young. New York seems like it would be a great place for you. And, having experience, it shouldn’t be too hard to get a better paying job to be able to afford the child care. Or private schooling even, if you go that route.” Lauren may have had a plan such as this for herself at one point. At least these days she could typically dish out solid advice.
Xo laughed, shaking her head. “Oh boy. I don’t even want to get started on New York City’s school system. I’d have to of put Olly on a waiting list while I was pregnant.” She smiled easily. “I can imagine it’s a bit of a shock for you coming back. It was when I did.” Her laugh resonated with Lauren, mirroring it with a bright grin. So far, so good. “Touchè. Maybe you can sign up the next one now, just in case.” Home would always hold a place in her heart, but it was true. “Circumstances seems to be the biggest pill to swallow. Not much has really changes around here. Definitely never thought I’d be back here - especially not with work. Especially not with this screenplay.”
“Don't curse me with that yet.” Xo gave a bit of a wink. She folded her hands in front of her, toning the smile down a bit. “You know, this is your time. You bought it. We can talk about that, because honestly it is interesting that you'd be drawn to it. Or we can talk about something else.”
“I wasn’t drawn to anything - I work where Cecelia works.” She didn’t mean it to come out as bitey as it did, but she also didn’t want to end up dragged into any conversations that would end up somewhere down memory lane. “Sorry. I appreciate your time, and I’m glad we get to see each other again. Familiar faces are uncommon in California.” Another drink was the answer. Lauren wasn’t sure there was a question.
“Hmmmm, I could help you come up with a more interesting like than that. For posterity.” She smiled before motioning towards Lauren's glass. “What are you drinking? I've an in with the bartender.”
A smirk and a cocked eyebrow was her reply as she turned to rifle through her purse, retrieving a $20 bill and sliding it towards Xo. “I’ll take a shot of silver tequila, neat with a lime, please. Get yourself a refill, too. Tip the change.” Attention flicked to her phone as she raised the corner to peak at the screen.
“Ooooo we’re starting off with tequila? Are you trying to get me drunk?” Xo gave a wink before heading to the bar. Shots were gotten and in a few minutes she was back, setting in front of Lauren before holding up her own. “To possibly new friends?” She asked with a smile.
“To… Tequila!” Her own glass tapped the woman across the table’s before they drank, immediately hiding a grimace against her shoulder. “Bad idea,” squeaked out after a cough and a shutter before rising from her seat and sliding next to Xo. “Let’s bring it back to the Olly show, I wanna hear all about him.”