This Hick?

Chapter 65

CHAPTER 65

KAREN

“ W hy am I not surprised you guys set this up here?” I asked with a laugh.

“We were going to do it at the library, but there wouldn’t be a surprise,” Jenny said. “I talked with the owner here and she was very happy to close the store for a couple of hours. She said, with as much money as Mary Ellen has spent in here, it was the least she could do.”

I nodded and pulled open the door to Mary Ellen’s favorite bookstore. She was our bookworm. I was sure there were very few books in the world she had not read. If it was in a foreign language, she would just get it on audio and translated.

Tonight wasn’t just another night with my best friends. It was the last hurrah before Mary Ellen’s wedding. Rylee, Lauren, Jenny, Mary Ellen, and I had been close forever. We were all moving on with our lives. The next time we were all together would likely be for our children’s birthday parties or what I expected to be more bridal showers.

Mary Ellen’s wedding was just two days away, and we were about to kick off her bachelorette party in the best way possible.

Jenny was practically bouncing with excitement as she explained how the first part of the party was going to go. We were going to have a full-on scavenger hunt. Jenny had hidden clues inside book covers, and we had to race to find each one. She gave us envelopes with clues that would lead us to the books to find the next clues. No male strippers and G-strings for this party.

“Alright, ladies,” Jenny said with a bright smile. “The first clue has been slipped into a book written by the queen of romance herself.”

Mary Ellen immediately squealed. “Are we talking Jane Austen, or are you playing with my heart, and it’s actually Nora Roberts?”

I laughed, nudging her. “The game’s afoot! Austen’s on the classics shelf, Roberts is in romance. Guys, I think I should get a head start. Pregnancy points.”

“Not a chance!” Lauren said.

“Go!” Jenny called out.

Before I knew it, we were off, darting between shelves like kids in a candy store. I found myself in the classics section, searching through well-loved copies of Pride and Prejudice and Sense and Sensibility . It wasn’t there. Across the room, Rylee let out a whoop, waving a Nora Roberts paperback in the air, a slip of paper poking out from the top.

“One down, ladies!” she crowed.

Jenny read the next clue. “This next book shares a title with the sweetest song Elvis ever sang.”

“Oh, I know this one!” Lauren yelled, practically shoving us aside as she raced to the music section. We followed close behind, laughing the whole way. A moment later, she held up a copy of Can’t Help Falling in Love, with another clue peeking out from the pages.

Each clue took us across the store, making us work for it. At one point, I found myself on the floor in the mystery section, practically lying down to grab a clue she’d taped to the back cover of an Agatha Christie novel. Rylee found another clue in the cookbook aisle.

“Now what?” I asked slightly out of breath after we got all the clues.

“Look,” Jenny said.

We pieced them together like a puzzle. The answer was a thrift store two blocks away.

“What are we doing at a thrift store?” Rylee asked.

“You’ll see,” Jenny said.

We walked down the block to the thrift store we had frequented over the years. We got half of our furniture for the house from the place. It held many fond memories, which I suspected was the point. Jenny was allowing us to relive our glory days as young single women. I would be going back to Kentucky with a baby on the way, and with Cassidy buying the ranch, I didn’t see myself making a lot of trips to Dallas.

It made me a little sad, but it also made me want to cherish every moment I got to spend with my friends.

When we walked into the store, we all waited for Jenny to give us our next bit of instruction.

“Alright, ladies,” she said, a glint of mischief in her eyes. “Your job is to find the worst outfit for the person on your right. No mercy. This is an outfit you have to wear to dinner.”

I looked to my right and there stood Mary Ellen. To my left was Rylee. I groaned. “Be nice,” I said.

She grinned. “I’m always nice.”

We dove into the racks, trying to find the most hideous, outrageous things we could. After a while, we each had an outfit that would make any fashion lover scream. Rylee handed me a lime-green, sequined jumpsuit with shoulder pads that looked like it had been plucked straight out of an eighties dance video. I bit back a laugh as I held it up to myself, immediately feeling about fifty years older.

“Oh, you’re going to rock this,” Rylee said with a wicked grin.

Mary Ellen gave Lauren a floral dress with giant, billowing sleeves and a stiff collar, looking like a prom dress from the wrong decade. I chose an off-white lace wedding dress from what had to be the seventies, complete with a dusty veil. We cheered as she put it on, the tattered lace skimming the floor, making her look like the world’s most glamorous thrift-store bride.

We changed into our outfits, earning some funny looks from the other shoppers. We all looked utterly ridiculous, but we didn’t care one bit. People on the street stared, but we just laughed harder, taking each other’s arms as we made our way to the restaurant.

We ended up at Mary Ellen’s favorite place and strutted in like we owned the place, our mismatched outfits drawing every eye in the room. The hostess, clearly suppressing a smile, led us to our reserved table. The girls ordered wine, while I went with my trusty ginger ale.

Mary Ellen looked around the table, her eyes shining with what I supposed were tears of joy. “You guys. I can’t believe it. I’m getting married. Me. Little old me marrying my Harley-riding hot stud.”

Rylee raised her glass. “To Mary Ellen.”

“And Archer,” Lauren added.

We clinked our glasses.

A waiter approached, his eyes scanning our ensembles with curiosity and amusement. “You all certainly bring a unique flair to the evening,” he commented with a polite smile.

“We’re celebrating,” Jenny explained with a laugh. “A very special occasion.”

“I’m guessing someone is getting married,” he said. “Possibly the one in the wedding dress.”

“Ding, ding, ding!” Rylee said.

“Congratulations. What can I get started for you lovely ladies?”

We ordered our meals, splurging a little given the situation. Tears burned my eyes.

“What’s wrong?” Rylee asked.

I shook my head and waved a hand in front of my face. “Nothing.”

“Are you okay?” Mary Ellen asked with concern.

“I’m fine. I’m happy. Apparently, I cry when I’m happy, sad, mad, or just because.”

“Ah, the hormones,” Jenny said.

“How is the morning sickness?” Lauren asked.

“It’s a little better,” I said as our salads were delivered.

I dug into my Caesar salad, still mindful of the little life growing inside me. While we ate, Mary Ellen talked about the something blue she was going to wear. I found my thoughts drifting to my own wedding, assuming I would have one. I didn’t want to waddle down the aisle, which meant I wasn’t going to be getting married anytime soon. Not to mention, there was the little matter of a groom. Cassidy panicked at the thought of being a parent. I doubted he was ready to think about being a husband.

The food was incredible. If there was one thing we all knew how to do, it was eat. Every once in a while, someone would glance over at our table, clearly trying to figure out why we were dressed the way we were. But we ignored them, laughing at each other’s ridiculous outfits and reminiscing. It was very bittersweet. We understood what this night was about.

We were all changing in our own ways, but no matter how drastically our lives twisted and turned, at the end of the day we had each other. Even if we weren’t under the same roof, we were always going to be able to call each other.

“Alright, ladies, are we ready for our next adventure?” Jenny asked.

“Do we get to change?” I asked. “I think I have sequins where sequins shouldn’t be.”

We all laughed.

“I think we look hot,” Rylee said.

I looked down at the neon green that could blind people if the light hit me just right. “Okay. I don’t live here anymore. I don’t have to face these people next week.”

We piled into the limo and headed to a karaoke bar. Thankfully, it wasn’t all that packed. There would be few eyes to witness our humiliation. Rylee went first, belting out a rendition of “Like a Virgin” that had us practically falling over with laughter. Then Lauren and Jenny sang a duet to a country song I didn’t think either of them really knew. They managed to butcher it.

Mary Ellen grabbed my hand, pulling me up. “Come on, Karen, let’s sing something!”

I laughed, shaking my head. “Oh, no. You know I can’t sing.”

“Neither can I, and I’m the bride!” she replied, dragging me to the mic.

We flipped through the selections and ended up with a Taylor Swift song. We were more out of tune than Tay-Tay, but it was fun. When the song ended, the room erupted into cheers. I leaned against Mary Ellen, breathless and happy. I looked around at each of them, knowing I would remember this night forever.

By the time we piled back into the limo, my feet were killing me, my eyes were barely staying open, and my cheeks hurt from smiling. I sank back against the seat, rubbing my belly instinctively. The girls all looked over at me and smiled.

“How’s our mama-to-be feeling?” Rylee asked.

I smiled. “Pretty great, all things considered. Tired but happy.”

“You’re really going to be a mom,” Lauren said, as if the thought had just struck her. “Little Karen, with a baby.”

Mary Ellen sighed. “I always thought it’d be Rylee who’d pop one out first.”

Rylee rolled her eyes. “Why me?”

The rest of us exchanged glances, trying to hold in our laughter. She groaned, shaking her head. “Oh, I see how it is.”

We were all spending the night in a penthouse downtown. I could not wait to get my shoes off and relax. We changed into soft robes and ordered room service desserts. We flopped in the chairs and sprawled out on the sofa surrounded by plates of cake, pudding, and pie. The moment felt surreal. Our little family. Each of us was closing one chapter and opening another. I glanced around, taking it all in, and felt an unexpected lump rise in my throat.

I placed a hand on my belly, barely a bump but enough to make me aware of the little life growing inside. Leaning back, I closed my eyes for a moment. I can’t wait for you to be here, to know this love, these people.

When I opened my eyes, I caught the girls watching me, each of them smiling. “You’re glowing,” Jenny said.

“Thank you. I feel so much better. Better than I have in years.”