Page 14 of Back in the Saddle

Alexis, one of the Oasis tenants, and a particular friend to my crew, looked around Eric, saw me and exclaimed, “Oh myGod, Jessie! I’m so glad you’re home. No one’s home!”

She rushed in.

I was still unable to move.

“Please tell me you have flour. I ran out of flour,” she babbled. “And Jacob’s family and my family are all here…together…our first holiday…together…and it’s super important it goeswithout a hitch…and Iran out of flour.”

I did not have flour.

In fact, since flour was not required in the mixing of any alcoholic beverage known to man, I’d never actually used flour.

“How much do you need?” Eric asked.

“At least a cup, two if you can spare it,” Alexis told him.

He went to the kitchen, commandeered a paper-covered brick and started folding open the top.

“We’re having apple crumble for dessert, so yeah, I can give you two cups,” he told Alexis.

“You’re a star,” Alexis gushed.

But hang on.

Apple crumble?

Like that stuff with cinnamony apples covered in gooey, sugary, buttery topping?

We were having that?

“Soooooooooo…” Alexis drew that out, her eyes pinging between me and Eric after she gave him a Stasher for the flour and while he was opening and closing drawers in my kitchen looking for something.

I pulled my shit tight and said, “Right on. First holiday with the joined fams.”

Alexis and Jacob were a newish couple.

However new, they werewayinto each other. Practically joined at the hip when in public. And if Oasis gossip was true, literally joined in other ways when they weren’t.

Alexis’s eyes settled on me. “Jacob’s mom is really sweet. His dad is just like him, so obviously, he’s awesome. My mom is being a pill, but she’s always a pill, so I warned Jacob about that beforehand. And my dad is acting like he always acts with my boyfriends. Like Jacob isn’t royalty, prince of someplace or other, so he’s not good enough for me. I warned Jacob about that too, but it’s still making the day not so fun.”

Yikes.

“Will your dad come around?” I asked.

“I don’t care,” she said in a surly tone that was very un-Alexis. “Jacob iseverything. I’m the one who’s sleeping with him. I’m the one who wakes up beside him. It’s my choice who I do that with, Dad doesn’t get a vote.”

“Speak your truth, sister,” I encouraged.

She shot me a nervous smile, which told me she’d spoken her truth, but she was still freaked out about what was happening with her family.

Poor Alexis.

“It’s gonna be okay,” I assured her, hoping it was.

“Thanks, Jessie,” she replied.

“You and Jacob are solid. In the end, that’s all that matters, right?” I asked.

Her smile grew sunny, and she did a little hop when she said, “Right.”

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