“Do you have other plans?” Jayne asked, and seemed genuine in her wanting Lindy to join them.
“Nothing important. I’d love to meet your friends.”
“You’ll meet Chloe,” Peggy told her. “She’s a supervisor for Costco.”
They stayed and talked for another hour before agreeing to meet later for drinks and appetizers. While they were together, Peggy called and made reservations at the Wine Press for that evening at six o’clock.
Her mother was back by the time Lindy returned from her errands. She must have been smiling when she walked in the door, because her mother commented right away. “It looks like you had an entertaining afternoon.”
“You won’t believe who I ran into while I was out. Peggy Scranton! We were just talking about her, remember?”
“Peggy Scranton,” her mother repeated slowly. “That’s wonderful. The two of you were such good friends back in the day.”
“Peggy invited me to join her this evening with a couple of her other friends for a girls’ night out. Peggy’s single and so is Jayne, but Chloe’s married.” Lindy looked forward to spending time with Peggy’s friends. Working the long hours she had on the project for the Ferguson Group, she hadn’t been out with friends in ages. Although Lindy hadn’t spoken to Peggy in years, it was as if they’d never spent time apart. They both fell right back into the easy friendship they’d once shared.
“I remember when you and Peggy were inseparable,” her mother said, interrupting Lindy’s musings.
“She was one of my best friends ever.”
That evening, as Lindy readied for meeting Peggy and her friends at the Wine Press, she paused long enough to open her nightstand. She removed the tablet with the letter she’d written Santa the night before. One of the things she’d asked Santa was to bring her a new best friend.
“Gotta say, Santa. You’re good. You’re really good.”
CHAPTER FIVE
When Lindy arrived, Peggy, Jayne, and Chloe were already seated. Peggy waved her over, and, following introductions, the server delivered a bottle of wine to their table. With the ease of someone accustomed to opening wine, he removed the cork and filled their glasses.
“The wine is on me,” Peggy said, before anyone could argue. “I have my two best friends with me, and I’ve reconnected with Lindy. This calls for a celebration.”
They toasted one another by gently clinking their glasses together. Peggy had chosen a rich red wine with a low tannin that went down way too easy. Lindy looked at the label and decided a bottle or two would make an excellent Christmas gift for her dad, who enjoyed red wine as much as Lindy did.
All the tables around them were full. Peggy had been right. The restaurant was hopping with a brisk business. With the four of them, there was no shortage of conversation. The server returned and asked if they were interested in any of the appetizers.
“Can you give us a few minutes?” Peggy asked.
“Of course, ladies. Take your time.”
Once Lindy read the menu, it didn’t take her long to decide on hummus with pitas. She’d need food in her stomach before she drank much more wine. Peggy ordered the crab dip and Jayne and Chloe decided to share the spicy grilled shrimp.
A few minutes later, their server returned and took their orders. Lindy added a second bottle of wine to go with their food. She requested another red, this time from a different vineyard.
“Excellent choice,” the server said, approving of her selection.
It was as she handed the young man the menu that Lindy happened to notice the name of the proprietor and manager. Will Kincade.
“You know who that is, don’t you?” Peggy asked.
Lindy hadn’t realized she’d said the name aloud. She shook her head and frowned. “You couldn’t possibly mean Billy Kincade, could you?”
“One and the same.”
Lindy was shocked. The Billy she knew had been a terror. A bully she’d intensely disliked. Having him move away had been the best thing to happen to her in second grade.
“Billy had a huge crush on Lindy,” Peggy explained to Jayne and Chloe.
“If pulling my hair and terrorizing me indicates liking me—I can’t imagine what he would have done if he saw me as a threat.”
“You might remember I slugged him once, defending you,” Peggy reminded her.
Lindy had forgotten that. “You were my hero that day.”
“Billy only recently moved back to town,” Peggy said, apparently in the know. “From what I heard, he came here from the Yakima area.”