Chapter 39
Scarlett
The girls and I wake up the next day, only slightly less hungover than our last sleepover.
“It takes us doing this every once in a while to remember we aren’t that young anymore doesn’t it?” Lydia asks as she rubs each of her temples with her fingers.
“Shhh,” Kenzie snaps.
Andee comes bouncing into the room, fresh out of the shower like it’s just an average day. “Hey beauties…” she says with a smile on her face.
“How the hell are you so bouncy this morning? You drank more than the rest of us, maybe combined.” Mia asks, a grogginess to her voice.
“Oh, that’s because my bottle of vodka was just water. I didn’t drink anything.”
The room went silent. One by one I imagine we all look down at Andee’s abdomen, thinking the same thing.
“I’m not pregnant you bitches. But I offered to drive us back and I was not about to do it hungover.
So I switched my vodka bottle with water.
Why do you think I kept offering everyone shots from it?
I was attempting to save your lives. You’re welcome. ”
I groan as I roll my eyes. “You could have just told me to drink some water,” I say, feeling my pulse in my eyeballs.
Everyone else in the room lets out a quick, “ha.”
“What the hell? She could have,” I insist.
“I believe I did suggest water last night. And you said,” Andee takes the time to make her body fluid and in an impression that would remind anyone of Captain Jack Sparrow and says, “I am a well oiled machine that runs on rum, drink up me hearties, yo ho! Which honestly made no sense because we didn’t have any rum available in the house last night but the second time I offered you water you tried to smack the glass out of my hand.
So after that I switched to giving you vodka shots.
” She makes air quotes around the words vodka shots.
Something sparks in my memory and I can just barely see the scene play out the way she describes it. I groan again.
“Nothing that some pancakes can’t soak up. There is this adorable diner in town, want to go?” I ask. Everyone agrees and we pile into my truck and head into town.
Al’s Place is almost packed when we arrive even though it’s a Monday morning.
The girls and I walk in as the only group younger than fifty-five and get all the looks you’d expect.
Not only are the five of us not known in this tight knit little town, but we aren’t retired.
I still feel touched that the girls played hooky today in order to surprise me with a visit.
I’ve been so wrapped up in starting this new life that I think I needed to combine the happiest parts of both lives.
Now that these girls have brought themselves into this new life with me I feel even more sure that I’m doing the right thing.
A sweet looking college aged girl with a name tag that says Katie comes over the table with her bleach blonde hair in french braided pig tails. She pulls a ticket book from the pocket of her apron and clicks her pen three times before saying, “Good morning ladies, what can I get you?”
Mia starts us off by saying, “I need grease. Can I have the breakfast platter, eggs over easy and is it at all possible to get more bacon instead of the hashbrowns?”
“Of course,” Katie nods, “I can’t tell you how many mornings I’ve had where I’ve needed that.” And she winks, knowing we’re all here with a hangover.
Kenzie, Lydia, and I all order pancakes with a side of bacon while Andee orders the breakfast platter with a side of fruit instead of the hashbrowns.
“Well, I will be right back and get you guys right as rain before you leave.” Katie says with another wink.
“Aww I don’t want you guys to leave,” I say. “Move in with me. I’ll get rid of the couch and get two sets of bunk beds.” I’m only half joking.
“What about Dennis and Jonathon?” Mia asks.
“They can come visit,” I offer out of the kindness of my heart. “Nothing should get in the way of true love. Even husbands.”
“We’d love to but we just needed to see if you were alive and well.” Andee says.
“Alive and well? We facetime almost every day,” I joke.
“You know, it’s been rumored that people can deep fake over Facetime,” Kenzie says, taking a slow sip of her coffee Katie delivered only a few seconds ago. She winces at how hot it is and sets it back down.
“Did you think I was deep faking our Facetime calls?” I chuckle.
“I’m just saying it was possible. I wanted real proof of life.”
“We just wanted to see your face in real life. We knew you were okay out here because you’re a badass but we wanted to make sure that you’re thriving,” Lydia clarifies.
“Which,” Andee says, holding her index finger up in the air as if she’s about to make a very important point. “I think will happen after you get over yourself and tell Farmer McHotty that you want to throw caution to the wind and take a chance on love.”
“That literally sounds like the blurb on the back of a romance novel.”
“All the more reason to go for it,” Andee says jokingly.
“But what if…” I start.
“Listen,” she interrupts. “I know this won’t be easy. And if, and I mean if not when, things go bad it will be awkward for a while. There’s no denying it. Things were tense in town when Dennis and I had that communication issue over the summer.”
“Yeah but one, you guys weren’t neighbors. And two, you ended up together in the end.”
She smiles as if I just made her point for her. “Which is to say that even if things get a little off track, they can be righted again.”
“Andee’s right,” Mia says nodding.
“What if you let go of the aspect of a relationship and just simply work towards a friendship with Jake?” Lydia asks.
Andee clears her throat, “his name is Farmer McHotty.”
“Okay, well can she have a friendship with Farmer McHotty?” Lydia asks.
“I think it would be lovely to have a friend in a new town,” Kenzie chimes in.
“Alright, alright, alright. All I can promise is that I’ll quit hiding from him for now. I make no promises that it will lead to a relationship,” Lydia looks at me and I correct myself, “or a friendship.”