Page 1 of Falling for my First Crush

Prologue

My friend, Violet, has the nicest house of anyone in Book Club and pretty much all of Cranberry Creek. It’s just a fact. She lives in a mansion. It isn’t unusual for her to host events for us, like the Paint ‘n Sip party that we’re having right now in her library. I still live with my parents and some of my sisters, so I never really have people over for things like this.

Violet is an artist, so she is the natural choice to lead us through something like this. Tonight we’re supposed to be painting a magical garden at twilight. I have to say that, with Violet’s guidance, my painting is actually turning out pretty well!

Looking at the painting in front of me, I can’t help but think how special it would be to do this more often. Paint, I mean. The thing is, I need something, a hobby, to help reduce the stress in my life. Being a nurse is stressful enough, but because our hospital has a serious staffing shortage, I end up getting floated to departments that I don’t feel qualified to be in. And my hours… well, don’t even get me started on that.

Painting just might be a good stress reliever, though. Especially if I had someone to teach me, like my very dear artist friend. While our other friends are cleaning up their supplies, I saunter over to Violet.

“Hey, this is really fun,” I say. “Thanks for hosting.”

“I love this stuff. You know that,” Violet says with a sincere grin, as she methodically dips paint brushes into a large jar of water. It’s mesmerizing to watch the colors swirl into the water.

“I was wondering, um…” I pause.

“What is it, Jackie?” Violet asks, suddenly looking concerned.

I smile and shake my head. “It’s silly, but I was kind of wondering if you… if you might be able to give me some painting lessons?”

“Oh gosh, of course!” Violet says, laughing with delight. “I’d love to do that! You don’t need to ask twice!”

“I need a new hobby,” I say.

“Do you want to do it here, or at my studio?” Violet asks.

“Which would be easier?” I ask.

“Well, I have more supplies at the studio, so let’s do it there,” Violet says.

“That sounds great,” I say.

Before we have a chance to hammer out any more details, Ella calls us to come over for our Book Club meeting. Comfy chairs are arranged in a semi-circle around the fireplace, which has been lit and glows with a friendly orange light. The purpose of this meeting is to decide which book we will be reading this month.

“I say we do another book by L.M. Montgomery,” Addie says.

“I’d be inclined to agree,” Ella says. “Anne of Green Gables is now one of my favorites of all time.”

“Yeah,” Marissa says. “But we try not to repeat authors. At least not so close together.”

“What about something more modern?” Violet suggests.

“I have an idea,” Kaylee says. “What about Little Women?”

Everyone pauses to consider this suggestion. I’ve never read Little Women or anything else by Louisa May Alcott. I’m interested in seeing what it’s about. I know that the main character wants to be a writer, and that she has a bunch of sisters. I have a bunch of sisters, but I’ve never been interested in writing. I’m surprised that I’m even suddenly interested in painting.

“Sure! I second Little Women,” I say.

Everyone looks at me in mild surprise. I rarely offer suggestions for books we choose for Book Club. Usually, I’m just happy to go with the flow, especially when things get hectic at the hospital. But for some reason, this one is speaking to me. I’m looking forward to seeing if I can relate to the characters.

“Little Women it is then,” Ella says.

Everyone starts chattering about the book. Only two of the girls have read Little Women before, but it seems we all know something about the storyline. There have been plenty of movies and adaptations and reinterpretations made of the book, so it’s pretty prevalent in pop culture.

“But remember! Everyone has to promise not to watch the movies until first finishing the book,” Addie says.

It should go without saying. We are a book club, and part of the mutual sentiment amongst us is that we usually think the book is better than the movie. But I have to admit, there have been a few times that I was too busy to finish reading before our meeting, and I watched the movie instead. Viewing the movie made it easy, and I could at least follow the discussion, but I also noticed that I had less to add. Generally, movies change things about the book, so you have to be careful.

I would never say any of this out loud in Book Club, though. That would be sacrilege! Instead I say, “I can’t wait to read this!”

---