Thirty-Four
Ameila
A s we sit around the coffee table, my cheeks hurt from smiling so much.
I needed this girls’ night more than I realized.
Pam and I moved here not knowing a single person, and now I can’t imagine our little group as just the two of us anymore.
I take a bite of pizza, and my heart flutters again because this is another thing Luke thought of. Which is nice because, between the four of us, none of us could decide on what we wanted to eat.
“Your birthday is coming up soon, right, Abby?” Pam asks as she grabs a breadstick.
“Kind of. It’s in December. So we still have a couple of months.”
“We should go out for your birthday. I mean, we should go out before then, but we should plan a night out for your birthday,” I suggest.
“I’m down,” Pam says.
“Luna, when’s your birthday?” I ask.
She’s opened up to us, but she’s still holding back, and while I won’t push, I don’t mind giving her a nudge.
She stops mid-bite, and the tops of her ears turn red. She sets her pizza down and puts her hands in her lap.
“You don’t have to tell us if you don’t want to. It’s okay,” I say, backpedaling.
“No, I want to. I just haven’t thought about my birthday in a long time,” she states softly as she looks at her hands.
“I know there’s a lot of your past we don’t know, but we’re here whenever you’re ready to talk about it. We are a no-judgment zone,” Abby says.
“Regardless of what you tell us, you’re stuck with us. Friends forever—the four of us,” Pam states as she puts her hand over Luna’s.
Luna takes a deep breath and looks up. “Honest answer is, I’m not sure when my exact birthday is. I know I’m twenty-six because I know the year I was born, but I don’t know the month and date, only the season. I was born in late spring.”
I just blink at her, processing what she said, and my heart breaks for her.
“I knew you were younger, but I didn’t realize you were almost ten years younger than us. I just thought you had a bomb-ass skincare routine,” Pam says, trying to lighten the mood.
“Spring is a good time of year. We could have a cute outdoor birthday party for you,” I say.
“I’d like that since I’ve never had a birthday party before,” she adds as she tucks a piece of hair behind her ear.
“Well, we’re going to change that. You are going to have the best fucking birthday party around,” I tell her.
She smiles. “I’m glad you guys asked me to hang out more. I haven’t allowed myself to make friends with anyone in a long time.”
I have so many questions, but I also don’t know how to ask without sounding insensitive.
“Why don’t you just pick a date? Late spring is like April or May?” Pam states.
“Wait, what did you put on your driver’s license?” Abby asks. “Maybe we can use that date?”
“Um, I don’t have a driver’s license, birth certificate, or social security card,” she says and takes a big gulp of wine.
My jaw drops. I knew she lived a private life, but I’ve never wanted to wrap someone in my arms and protect them more than I do her right now.
She sets her now empty wine glass down and takes a deep breath. “I ran away from my family when I was sixteen and have worked under the table since then, floating from one town to the next.”
“Are you in trouble?” I ask.
“No, I don’t think so. At least not anymore. I was born into what I now know as a cult. I was in an arranged marriage to the head of the Family’s son. He wasn’t a good person, none of the men in the Family were. I knew I had to leave when my infant baby sister was being chosen by who she’d marry when she came of age, and I knew it wasn’t right. My one and only friend Aspen helped me run away, but we both couldn’t go. I just left both of them there.” Her breath hitches, and the moment Penny hears it, she wakes up and walks over to Luna, getting as close as she can without sitting in her lap, leaning on her like she’s offering support.
My heart breaks because I cannot imagine. Pam, Abby, and I surround her, each of us putting an arm around her.
“You did what you had to, but why couldn’t both of you go?”
“She distracted them so I could get away. We didn’t have anyone else we trusted to help us. It’s my biggest regret of leaving.”
“Have you told anyone else? What about Noah? That man is crazy about you. He could probably pull some strings to figure something out.”
“No!” she yells, her voice high with panic. “He can’t know. If someone starts poking around and they find out, they might try and come find me.”
“Okay, no one has to tell anyone anything until you’re ready. But I do think he could look into things without making anyone aware.”
“I don’t know. I’m not comfortable just opening up to anyone else yet,” she says and grabs her pizza again.
“That’s okay. So does that mean you’ve never driven? What about being on a date?” Pam asks because she’s a nosy bitch.
Okay, I am too. I just don’t want to ask the questions first.
“No, I’ve never driven. I’ve taken buses or trains from town to town till I landed here. And no, we weren’t allowed to date in the Family, mostly because all marriages were arranged. Once I left, I was so afraid to meet people that I just never tried dating.”
“Well . . . Noah would take you on a date if you let him. I can tell you’re interested,” I say, nudging her shoulder.
“He can do so much better than me, but he was my first kiss. Well, kiss on the cheek.”
“You stop that train of thought right now. He would be lucky to be with you. Anyone would,” Abby says.
“Let’s go back to he kissed you !” I say excitedly.
“Well, it wasn’t a real kiss,” she says.
“But you want it to be a real kiss.” Pam smiles at her.
“I mean, I wouldn’t be mad about it,” she admits with a shy smile.
Ideas float around in my head about how to get those two together. Noah would be good for her, and she just needs a little push to make it happen.
“Speaking of people being together . . .” Pam says and turns to look at Abby. “What about you and my brother? Did he do something to piss you off? Because we will put laxatives in his food randomly for the rest of the year.”
“No, nothing like that.” She waves a hand. “He just flirts with every female around him, and it’s like he doesn’t understand that I don’t want to be one of his conquests,” she says with a shrug.
“I’m sorry we had him take you home that night. We didn’t intend to make you uncomfortable,” I tell her honestly because I had no idea, and the last thing I want is to make one of my best friends uncomfortable.
“Nah, it’s okay. It made the most sense based on where we all live.” She smirks and looks at Luna. “Except no one was going to take Luna home other than Noah, even though he lives on the opposite side of town.”
“ What !” she shrieks. “He said he lived by me!”
A laugh bursts out of me. “Actually, if I remember correctly, he said, and I quote, ‘Don’t worry about it, it’s not a big deal.’ Or something along those lines.”
We all just laugh because her mouth rounds in surprise, and her eyebrows shoot up to her hairline.
We drop the heavy talk and move on to gossip around town.
Farmer Joe is planning on taking Ann on a surprise vacation for their fortieth anniversary, and Luna will be running the bed-and-breakfast alone.
Pam is going on another date from one of her hookup apps, and she showed us some of the pictures of other people she’s matched with.
Abby tells us she’s in serious talks about how she can buy the diner from Ken and how he’s excited to sell it to someone local because he’s sad his son isn’t around anymore to keep it in the family.
“Wait, Ken has a son? How did I not know this?” I ask.
I talk to Ken often since I provide him with some of the fresh produce he uses at the diner.
“It isn’t something he talks about often. Jack is my age and was just a bad egg, always getting into trouble. He took off before graduation, and we never saw him again. I think he got mixed up in drugs, but it really hurt Ken because he wanted to help him, but he had to want to help himself as well.”
“Damn, that sucks,” Pam says.
“On a positive note, Antonella, the waitress who works at the diner with me and is about Luna’s age, said she was thinking about going to cosmetology school and opening a salon and spa here in town.”
“Holy cow! That would be amazing. I’m shocked we don’t have a salon in town. I would get my hair done more often if we had someone local doing it,” I say as I drag my fingers through the end of my ponytail and look at my split ends. “Her hair always looks so healthy. Does she know about the possible sale of the diner?” I ask.
“Yeah, that’s why she brought it up to me. I told her I would be flexible because, you’re right, it would be good for the town.” She pauses to take a drink. “Also, we used to have a salon, but it closed when Mrs. Susan passed away, and no one has opened another one up.”
“What a shame because it would really round out the businesses here if we did have one,” Pam says with a shrug. “Maybe we’ll get lucky and she’ll open a full spa. I’d get regular massages . . .”
We all groan at the thought of regular massages.
“It’s funny how often I have to remind myself that you guys didn’t grow up here, so you don’t know about a lot of the backstories of some people,” Abby admits with a yawn.
“Holy shit! It’s two in the morning. Let’s figure out sleeping arrangements,” I say and groan as I stand up.
“I’m going to let Penny out while I force snuggle Ginny. I call your bed, Am,” Pam says.
“I have a spare room where one or both of you can sleep. It’s a queen bed, and the couch is also a sleeper sofa. Whatever both of you feel comfortable with.”
Abby turns to Luna and asks, “I don’t mind sharing a bed. Do you, Luna?”
“Nope, this is my first sleepover, and from what I’ve seen in movies, that’s standard. So I might as well go all in on the experience.” She shrugs.
“Just because you see it in movies doesn’t mean it has to happen that way. You can sleep on your own if it’s more comfortable for you,” I tell her.
“No, I am good with it. I promise.”
“Cool. Ginny might go in there to cuddle. She tends to wander in the spare room the most,” I let them know.
Ginny might not be the most cuddly cat, but she has her spots and will go to them regardless of who’s around.
“No big deal, she’s such a good kitty cat she can come cuddle all she wants,” Luna says as Abby nods, agreeing as we walk down the hall to the spare room.
“Well, the bathroom across the hall is all yours. You know where my room is just in case you need anything. I already put water bottles out on the counter for both of you to have water next to the bed. But if you don’t need anything else, I’ll see you both in the morning.”
I turn to walk out and say, “Night, ladies. Thanks for a great girls’ night, as usual.”
I double-check that the doors are locked and put the pizza away. Then I arm the alarm and head back to the room to find Pam already passed out on the bed.
After washing my face and walking to my side of the bed, I unlock my phone for the first time in hours and smirk when I see a text.
Luke: You’re welcome for the pizza. Just wanted to make dinner easy for you ladies.
Good night, sweetness. I hope you sleep well
My heart kicks up a notch reading his text.
After Leo, I never thought I’d be excited for a relationship again, but Luke makes me feel seen, supported, and cared for without feeling like I’m a burden.
Me: I appreciate all you do for me . . .More than I can put into words.
Good night, babe
I plug my phone into the charger and climb into bed. I lie awake for a little bit longer than normal because I can’t seem to get comfortable.
The last thought I have before I drift off to sleep is maybe I need to admit how deep my feelings are for Luke because I’m quickly learning how important he is becoming to me.