Page 5 of Poinsettia Lane

CHAPTER THREE

FRANKIE SWAGGERS THROUGH the front door to interrupt Everly’s mind-blowing reflections, and immediately stops when they see her. Tilting their face and narrowing their eyes, Frankie plants both feet on the floor as though preparing for a throw down.

“Why do you look weird?” they ask.

“Gee, thanks,” Everly gripes. “I’m just nervous! This is a big event.”

“Nope. Not buying it. You do this every year and you get anxious every year and I know you. I know what your anxiety looks like, and this,” Frankie waves their hand up and down to encompass Everly’s entire body, “isn’t it.”

Frankie closes the remaining distance between them in three slow strides, giving her a narrow-eyed ‘tell me or I’ll pry it from your cold dead lips’ look.

“And here I thought I cleaned up nice, all things considered,” Everly mutters under her breath and rolls her eyes at her best friend, but knows she can’t keep anything from them. Here goes this authenticity thing again. “I just… can’t stop thinking about that guy.”

Frankie interrupts with a dramatic gasp, saying “Hot Delivery Guy? Oh, I am so here for this,” then yanks her arm, pulling her away from the bustle of the caterers and into a side hallway where they have some semblance of privacy.

“Alright, spill,” they demand.

Everly puffs out her cheeks before letting the exhale trickle out.

“Yes, Hot Delivery Guy. He… well, I think we kind of hit it off?” It feels more real to say it out loud to someone else than it did just thinking it in her head. A little more absurd too.

Everly tries to remember the last time she went on a date or flirted with someone, and she’s pretty sure it’s been many months, if not a year or more.

Frankie’s lips tighten and then they roll them between their teeth, trying to hold in a smile.

“Yeah, I mean, I don’t know. There was definitely flirting, but you should have seen me. I was such a wreck, Frankie. I hadn’t gotten ready at all yet, and I was this weird combination of nervous and excited at the same time. I think I rambled, like, a lot, but also I might be remembering it wrong and maybe I didn’t say any of it out loud?”

Frankie gives in and lets out their contagious, booming laugh. Everly allows herself a self-deprecating chuckle alongside them.

“It’s about time you got back out there, girl. I can’t remember the last time you went on a date.” Frankie’s comments echo her own thoughts.

“I know, I know. I don’t think it was really anything though, he didn’t ask for my number and I only know his first name and that he delivers plants. There’s nothing to follow up on, really.”

Although they don’t live in a big city, it isn’t so small that she’s likely to run into him by accident, especially considering that she’s lived in Stone Ridge her whole life and has never seen him before. She’d remember someone like that if she did. Everly gives what she hopes is a nonchalant shrug in an effort to cover the spike of sadness at the thought of never seeing him again, and turns to go back to the other room.

“Hey,” Frankie stops her with a hand on her arm. “If it’s meant to be, it’ll work out. You deserve some happiness in your life, so don’t give up on him just yet. You never know.”

Everly nods, but doesn’t put much stock in their words.

“Alright, I’m gonna hang back here, man the kitchen staff and whatnot, but come find me if you need to, okay? I’ll keep an eye out.”

“Thanks, Frankie.” Everly smiles at her friend, so very grateful to have someone like them in her life.

She heads back out to the driveway, ready to do one final walkthrough before anyone arrives. The event coordinator is off to the side talking into her headset, the party planner next to her. Honestly, Everly’s not sure how their roles are different, but she hires these two every year. They work spectacularly together and it always turns out well, so she doesn’t particularly care. If it takes some of the worry and pressure off her plate, she’s happy to do it.

The pair walk up the stairs and step inside, making tiny adjustments here and there as needed. Everly is happy with the decor this year. Instead of over the top glittering and gold decorations as she’s done in the past, this year features a more minimal style. The large pine tree is adorned with simple white lights and glows beautifully. There are fresh pine boughs with pinecones and burgundy holly berries on the window sills, with small white twinkle lights threaded throughout. The poinsettias are arranged in clusters and raised groupings around the tree and furniture, small fairy lights hidden amongst the foliage giving them an ethereal glow from beneath. The chandelier is on a dim setting so the entire room has a softer feel. The gentler, more natural decorations give Everly a sense of peace, which won’t last once everyone arrives, but she’s happy to enjoy it while she can.

Everly thanks the party planner and excuses her to go take a break before any guests arrive, then sits back down on the same chaise that Asim had placed her on earlier. Was that only a few hours ago? It feels like days, weeks ago at this point. As Everly looks around, she feels a sense of relief that it is nearly done, compounded with a lingering apprehension that the only thing left is to get through the party itself.

Sooner than she would hope, yet inevitably of course, the guests start to arrive. Her parents’ friends from all over the country stroll through her front door, as well as the local city council members. Elegant evening gowns, sparkling jewelry, crisp suits and shiny shoes adorn the wealthy couples that arrive arm in arm. This is the partEverly despises the most. Pompous cheek kissing, delicate hugs where each person barely touches the shoulder of the other, fake smiles and, of course, the ever present “wish they were here” comments regarding her parents who have been buried for years.

Everly isn’t prepared for one particular guest though, and heart stops in her chest when someone who looks eerily like her estranged sister, Addison, steps through the front door. Everly blinks, then spins away, scrunches her eyes closed, opens them and turns back.

The woman is still there, greeting an elderly couple she walked in behind, a beaming smile on her face.

“Addison?” Everly’s voice is soft, but somehow her sister hears it and her eyes jump up, searching the crowd in the foyer until they lock onto Everly’s.

Addison’s mouth curves into a softer, more tentative smile, as she extricates herself from the couple and weaves her way over to Everly.

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