Chapter 24
Chapter
Vivian
I glanced around at the other women, my heart thumping against my ribs.
“Don’t put her on the spot, Naomi,” Lola chided. “I’m here, and that has to make it hard for her to talk candidly. Plus, she doesn’t know you all well.”
Naomi pouted. “But I want to see that boy of yours happy, Lola. He deserves it.” She looked at me. “He’s helped out each of us, more than once, when our men were… How do I say this diplomatically?”
“You don’t,” Ida Jane said. “When they had their heads up their butts.”
“Fair assessment,” Hana said with a nod. She smiled.
“Lennon has always been a sensitive soul,” Lola said. She took a small bite of food, humming happily as she closed her eyes.
“But I don’t get why you all want to get us together,” I told them.
Hana’s smile widened. “Oh, that’s easy. One, you were falling hard for him last September. Ergo, you’re perfect for each other. And two, our guys all seem to think so, too.”
“Really, we’re doing everyone a favor by getting y’all together,” Ida Jane added.
“We’re even going to let them take the credit for this one,” Naomi said with a wink.
“Because it was their idea,” Lola agreed. She’d taken another couple of bites, and I was thrilled to see a gleam in her eye. Though I wished it wasn’t directed toward me.
"Pax noted that you were Cruz’s perfect woman,” Hana said with a dreamy expression. “That man is so thoughtful and observant.”
“Well, more observant than mine,” Naomi said. She tapped her lip, and I noted her lilac-and-glitter manicure. So pretty. Naomi was one of those women who was always put together. She wore chic like it was her skin.
I shifted, feeling frumpy and slightly out of sorts as they fluttered around Lola and me, darting in and out of the living room to the kitchen.
Hana seemed to sense my discomfort because she settled next to me on the couch and took my hand. “I wasn’t completely sure about the CATS when I first got here either, but I have to tell you, they’re a welcoming bunch. That doesn’t mean we don’t get it wrong sometimes, though, so if you want us to back off and let you figure out what you want—not just with Cruz but in life—we will.”
I stared at her hand over mine, then raised my eyes to meet hers. “I’ve already told you this story, Hana, but I think I should share it with the others to get their take on how best to move forward with Lennon.”
Naomi beamed as she settled across from me. “That’s my girl.”