Page 42 of Class Act

“It’s okay.” I offered them a smile and dug into the pancakes. “Isn’t Jackson coming to town this weekend to take announcement photos?” I asked Lizzie, referring to her long-distance fiancé.

“Oh, no.” Her face fell a little. “Sally got an ear infection, so he had to stay with her while his ex works. I’ll video call them later.”

Sally was Jackson’s six-year-old daughter, and Lizzie had grown close to her over the past several months, which was a good thing, considering Jackson had proposed and they were planning a Christmas wedding.

“So all that waxing and plucking goes wasted?” Ruby teased.

Lizzie chuckled. “I’m making Jackson pick up the bill for the next round.”

I’d never seen Lizzie happier. She’d gotten a second chance with the one that got away, and she’d proved that sometimes it just took a little while to find the right guy. I’d loved watching them reconnect on our river adventure trip over the summer, and while I hadn’t said much out loud to anyone, it had made me want what they had. So far, though, I hadn’t had much luck, and the misadventure with Shane wasn’t helping my confidence.

“I’m sorry, you must really miss him,” I said. “It must be hard to plan a wedding and live five hours apart.”

Lizzie pursed her lips and then shook her head. “It’s not too bad. This is his second wedding, so we’re keeping it pretty low-key. Telephones are the ticket to making it happen. Don’t think for a minute he doesn’t come with me on all my errands,” she laughed. “He just does it on a tiny screen while sitting on his couch.”

“Too bad they don’t have scent-o-vision yet. I’m thinking I’d miss the smell of my guy being next to me,” Ruby sighed.

“Smell is important,” Lizzie agreed kindly while winking at me. “So, subject change. Because our dear Hailey is on restricted movement, I brought something for us to watch.”

Oh no. Lizzie was known for her love of Halloween and all things horror. In fact, our friend group jokingly called Halloween ‘Lizzie Christmas’ in honor of her deep and abiding love affair. Every October she tried to get us to let her come decorate our homes, but so far Meredith was the only one who had caved, and I strongly suspected it was because she knew her HOA president would be appalled.

“Uh, what is it?” I hid my wary expression by looking down at the pancake I was cutting.

Ruby noticed my response and smothered a laugh.

“What Lies Beneathwith Harrison Ford and Michelle Pfeiffer. It’s a classic, but it’s fallen out of popularity recently. I’m starting a movement to resurrect it.”

Lizzie cheerfully dug a copy of the movie out of her purse and showed me the cover. It did indeed have the two big stars on the cover, although it did nothing to make me more excited about watching it. She set it down on the coffee table and came back to the kitchen to start loading dishes in my dishwasher.

“Liz, don’t be offended, but horror isn’t really my genre,” I said as I took my last bite of breakfast

“I know. That’s fine, because I usually talk through movies, so it’s not like you have to watch it that closely.”

I knew this. Ruby had the same problem, and friend movie nights didn’t always involve watching the movie. While I didn’t really like people talking through movies, I knew this about my friends and never set my heart on actually seeing a movie with them. I’d watch it on my own later if it was one I wanted to see. In this case, however, their chatter would be welcome as it would keep me distracted from whatever happened on the screen. I didn’t understand the draw to horror, at all. Halloween was not my holiday.

“Is Jackson okay with your movie talking?” Ruby asked. “Most of the guys I’ve dated haven’t liked it.”

Lizzie’s eyes sparkled. “He’s got no choice.” Then she cackled evilly, and we all busted up.

“Go sit on the couch; we’ll be over in a minute,” Ruby said and I obeyed, gratefully letting them clean my kitchen.

Lizzie spread a throw blanket over my lap in the same moment that my cell rang. She was quick to grab it for me, and I gave her a silent thanks as I answered the call.

“Hi, Hailey?” asked a man’s voice.

“Yes.”

“This is Shane. From last night.”

Surprise had my mouth dropping open. “Uh, hi.”

“Look, I know we’re not going to go out again, or anything, but I wanted to make sure you’re okay. That fall was pretty hard, and I had a headache myself. So . . . yeah . . .”

Another surprise had me blinking. That was, actually, really kind of him. “It’s nice of you to call. My wrist is sprained, and I have a mild concussion, but my nurse friend is here caring for me, and I should be back in top shape very soon.”

He cleared his throat. “Good. Glad to hear it.”

We exchanged the normal farewells, and when my two eavesdropping friends joined me in the living room, they made me give them a play-by-play of the entire evening prior, something I’d been in too much pain to do before.

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