“Lindy, is that you?” The question came at her from the table close to the exit.
“Peggy?” It couldn’t be. “Peggy Scranton?”
“Lindy? Lindy Carmichael?”
Lindy started to laugh. Really, what were the chances? “Peggy. Oh my goodness, how long has it been?”
Peggy smiled and gestured for Lindy to join her and her friend. “Since right before middle school.”
Peggy had been one of Lindy’s closest friends from second grade on. The trouble they’d gotten into was epic. The summer between grade school and middle school, Peggy’s family had moved into a new development on the other side of town. Peggy had enrolled in a different school. For the first few months, they were able to keep in contact and maintain their friendship. As time went on, they grew apart. Over the years, Lindy had wondered what had ever happened to her grade school friend.
“This is Jayne,” Peggy said, introducing her friend, a blond, blue-eyed woman who looked to be about their age.
“Hi. I’m Lindy.”
“Lindy and I were the best of friends eons ago,” Peggy explained.
The two started to exchange stories from their youth, entertaining Jayne, who had a bright, easy laugh. “Remember the time we decided to form our own band?” Peggy asked. “We were doomed to failure, since neither of us could play a musical instrument or sing—not that we let that stop us.”
“Hey, I can sing,” Lindy insisted, “although only rarely on key.”
Peggy smiled. “Since we clearly weren’t going to make it as rock stars, we launched a neighborhood newspaper.”
“A gossip tabloid is more like it,” Lindy clarified.
“We certainly didn’t lack for originality. Remember that Fourth of July when we decided to put on our own parade?” Peggy asked.
“Indeed, I do.” That idea had been one of their few successes. Peggy’s two older siblings had come along, and then Chad and his friends had joined the line with their bicycles. Peggy carried the American flag, waving it from side to side as Lindy beat a toy drum. Soon, several of the other neighborhood kids raced to become part of the fun. They didn’t have much of an audience, but none of that mattered.
“And remember when you decided to straighten my hair?” Peggy asked. Looking to Jayne, she explained, “Lindy used a flat iron and started my hair on fire.”
Lindy nearly snorted her latte, laughing. She’d felt dreadful afterward, and, thinking it would help, she chopped off nearly all of Peggy’s hair. Then she had Peggy cut her hair so they would look alike. Even at that early age, she knew she would never make it through beauty school.
After wiping the tears from her eyes, she asked, “You’re living here in Wenatchee?”
“Peggy is the editor and journalist for the local magazine Wenatchee Alive,” Jayne answered. “She does an excellent job, too.”
“Oh my goodness, and to think you started your literary career with me as your assistant editor,” Lindy joked.
“Jayne makes me sound like I’m writing for The New York Times. It’s a local publication with a small but dedicated staff.
“What about you?” Peggy asked. “Don’t tell me you’re here in Wenatchee and it’s taken us this long to reconnect.”
Lindy shook her head. “Seattle. I’m home for Christmas.”
“How long will you be in town?”
“Nearly two weeks, unless I hear back on a proposal I submitted…That’s unlikely, though.”
“Two weeks. Perfect. Just think of the ruckus we can raise in that amount of time.”
“You should join us tonight,” Jayne said, looking to Peggy, who eagerly nodded agreement.
“What’s tonight?”
“Girls’ night out,” Jayne said.
“We’re heading for drinks at the Wine Press.”
“Is that a new place in town?” Lindy couldn’t remember hearing anything about a new restaurant while she was home last summer.
“It’s been around for a couple months now. It’s the ‘in’ place to go for fun.”
“And the wine choices are excellent,” Jayne added.
“The owner features Washington State wines. It’s surprising how many good wines come from our state.”
General knowledge told her Washington was the largest wine-producing state outside of California. She wasn’t surprised to learn the Wine Press chose to highlight state wineries. It was smart to support the local economy.