Page 48 of Anything for You
Elise’s hand on my arm paired with her words halted my to-do list.
“Sorry. Long week.” And also, thinking about my neighbor. What was he baking tonight? Did it make me an awful person if I hoped he’d leave me some?
“How are you doing with everything lately?” Catherine asked, concern knitting her brows.
I’d shared a few updates over the last few weeks. We’d finally have book club again next weekend and I was more than ready, but in between, we had Friday nights when I could swing it with my schedule, and the group chat. I’d told them how great Dorian had been, how much I liked where I lived now even though it was a ways out from town. I’d even told them my brother was at the former commune and had reached out.
What I hadn’t shared?
My tiny, itty-bitty, baby of a crush on Dorian Forrester.
And because of that paired with my general inability to be stealthy in any way, my cheeks flamed and I ducked my face into my glass of prosecco.
Jo, Nikki, and Winnie all made exclamations and sounds that were completely ridiculous. Liz smiled, and thank goodness Jess wasn’t here or she would’ve pressured me into telling them everything.
Though, I kind of wanted to.
“It’s good. Everything’s good.” Dang, my entire face had to be beet red. “I may or may not have a small crush.”
Jo clapped and said, “I knew it!” while Elise hooked an arm around my shoulders and squeezed. Nikki, Winnie, and Catherine all beamed, and Liz said, “Kenny is going to be absolutely unbearable.”
“You can’t tell him. Please. I—” How could I explain it to them? This wasn’t a normal situation. Dorian was… raw. Quiet. I didn’t want Kenny, as much as I loved the guy, to barrel in there and blabber about my crush and risk ruining our friendship.
“I won’t. I just mean if… or when you guys get together.” Liz raised her pint glass slightly. “I promise on my Silver Ridge Pale Ale.”
I chuckled. “Oh, well, thatissacred, so okay.”
She took a sip right as I heard Kenny’s voice. “Are we toasting something?” He elbowed up to the table and dropped a kiss to Liz’s jaw.
My eyes widened, begging everyone to stay away from the subject we’d just been discussing.
“A little things toast, right, ladies?” Nikki said, raising her glass. “Want to join us, Barbie?”
He perked up instantly. “Of course. Tell me what to do.”
“You listen to everyone share a little thing they’re celebrating and share one of your own. Then we toast,” Winnie explained.
“Sounds delightful,” he said, and nodded like he was ready to start.
Nikki began. “My little thing is that I got to explain an advanced calculus concept to Kiley and she got it super quickly.” The woman practically glowed with the memory of helping her boyfriend’s little sister with math homework.
“That sounds like a nightmare, but I love that for you guys,” Elise said, and everyone chuckled.
“My little thing is that I’m helping Tristan with expanding the self-defense part of Saint and it’s been so fun to work together.” Her soft smile was so completely sweet and Winnie-like.
Everyone clapped and congratulated her.
“I figured out a way to eliminate really tough limescale without using a storebought cleaner, so I am psyched about that.” Catherine grinned, then made a face. “So glamorous.”
We all chuckled at that, but celebrated her win. The fact that she was truly living her best life being an expert house cleaner and now cleaning influencer? So dang awesome.
Jo shared about completing her most recent book,and Liz mentioned the feeling of peace she’d been enjoying since she left the CIA, and Elise shared that business at Glazed was picking up the further into fall we got.
Everyone turned to me, smiles of anticipation on their dear faces.
Emotion hit as I looked at them, these beloved people I’d gotten to know so well the last few years. I’d had a long time without real friends—certainly while growing up, and later while I was working, in school, and trying to be there for Nan. I’d never figured it out, always felt a little too weird, a little too needy, to fit in.
But here, with them…
