Were people really so skeptical about organic friendships? Sure, she hadn’t met him because he slid into her DMs but there was life before whatever was the newest social media app.
She followed the women, salad in one hand and wine in the other. The house was nothing short of sprawling. Two steps led from the kitchen to a living room—one of two. This one had a wall of windows and glass doors that led to the backyard. The pool sparkled in the evening sun. Outdoor furniture was arranged around the gas firepit, inviting guests to curl up and chat.
Piper’s husband had taken their kids to his mother’s. As she walked past family photos on the way out to the deck, she felt that pang of longing again. Just because you don’t have what she does now doesn’t mean you never will. The truth was, she wasn’t ready yet. Though, she knew life wasn’t perfect—below every glittery surface, there was a scratched underbelly. Piper’s husband worked long hours as an investment banker. Piper ran herself ragged many days, caring for their three kids, studying at night. Everything had a downside.
With no books in sight, the women who made up Piper’s “book club” gossiped about everything from who’d just moved into Piper’s neighborhood to the latest entertainment news. When she’d shown up the first time, she’d been stupidly excited to talk about Jasmine Guillory’s latest and greatest but the women hadn’t even brought their books. Hailey had a great night but she’d had a moment of disappointment that it wasn’t an actual book club as well as all the rest. But maybe she needed this more.
Rachel polished off a mango chicken salad in record time, then set down the cup. “That was delicious. I love when salads have fruit in them. Do you make all your own dressing?”
She finished off her salad. “I do. I have a similar base for several of them and then I add different combinations to make them unique.”
“You’re very good at it. One of the magazines I write for does an in-house working lunch every month. Most of us are remote but it’s a good chance for us to bounce ideas off of each other.” Fiona set her empty cup down. “If you have a card, I’ll suggest you for next month.”
Happiness and disappointment ricocheted in her chest. Dammit. Where was her follow-through? Her intentions were good; she’d even looked through several samples, but had been unable to decide on the overall design. “I would love that. Thank you but I don’t have cards yet.” You will get this done. No more putting it off. She’d been busier than expected the last week or two, which was a good thing, but it wreaked havoc on her to-do list.
“Actually,” Megan said, lifting a small box Hailey hadn’t even noticed. She set it in front of her. “It’s our welcome gift. Both to the city and our very serious book group.”
Tears pricked her eyes when she lifted the lid and saw the cutest business cards. She could use that word because it described them perfectly without making them less professional. BY THE CUP was written in a cursive font with her name underneath. The top right corner had a little salad cup filled with colorful veggies, surprisingly similar to the little sketch Wes had done. There was a delicate line with a swirl in the middle on the bottom of the card. The lettering was bright blue, like at her store.
“These are incredible.” She sniffled. Piper put her arm around her shoulder.
“We also brought you this,” Rachel said, handing her a flash drive. “It’s so you can print more anytime you like, but there are also coupons and gift cards on there. The file is editable but if you have any trouble, give me a call.”
“Isn’t your new buddy, Wes, a tech guru?” Piper asked.
“Oh!” Fiona sat up straight, grabbed her phone. “We didn’t google him.”
Hailey’s throat felt thick but she waved her hand in front of her. “Please don’t. I don’t think I’m imagining things. I’d like to believe, despite recent events in my life, that I still have some sort of gauge on people. I don’t want to stalk his social media or find him on his dating apps. Other than this, you guys and Piper, I haven’t met anyone I clicked with friendship wise. It seems weird that Wes and I would click in that way at all but he’s got this dry humor and interesting take on life. I just want to enjoy building my new life. I wouldn’t want him to look into any of you. Please.” She needed to restore faith in her own judgment.
Fiona set her phone down. “That’s fair. They said you could bring a friend. I’ll go with you.”