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As everyone is talking about the band Highway 55 coming in to play for us in a few weeks, I’m still at the door with a smile on my face.
"Hey, I was beginning to think you weren't coming!" Paisley exclaims, rushing toward the door to greet me enthusiastically.
When we enter the kitchen, Jake is immediately at her side but stops short when he sees me. Our eyes lock, and the room becomes quiet. After looking around, he gives me a tight smile before walking up to my side.
"What are you doing here?" I ask lamely.
"I suspect the same thing you are," he says, grabbing one of the little sausages wrapped in bacon that Lexi made.
"Well, let's get this party started!” Lexi claps her hands to get our attention. “We will be in the sunroom, and it's a no-boys area. Guys are out back, and no girls are allowed there either. If you need to talk to your man, you do it here in the kitchen or living room. Let's go!"
Then Lexi hurries to me and walks with me as she helps me navigate her house on crutches.
The sunroom almost feels like we are in an entirely different house. What I’ve seen of the house so far, is it’s done with a rustic farmhouse feel using lots of grays and blues. Out here in the sunroom, it has more of a bohemian vibe with bright colors, plants, fairy lights, and even a few swings in the corners of the room.
"Okay, listen up. Girls' night rules," Lexi says and holds up a finger. "One, no drinking and driving. There are guest bedrooms upstairs and downstairs and couches around the house. Crash anywhere. You are always welcome."
She holds up a second finger. "Two, we are friends first. We are not bosses and employees. We are not nurses and patients, we are friends, and we are here as friends. Venting about work is okay. Venting about patients is okay. Venting about guys is encouraged. We are here to support each other,” she says.
Then she holds up a third finger, "Three. What is talked about at girls' night stays at girls' night. This is a safe place. What is talked about in this room doesn't leave this room. Got it?"
We all agree before digging into the food she’s put on the coffee table in the middle of the room. Lexi fills my plate for me and brings it over so I don't have to get up. There is another table with water, soda, tea, and alcoholic drinks. Judging by the setup, it looks like this is something they do often.
"I really need to get those rules made into a sign and put them on the wall somewhere in here," Lexi says.
"She says them every time, and I think we can all repeat it word for word now," Kaitlyn says, sitting down next to me.
As we eat taco salad and chicken sliders with sides like potato salad and coleslaw, I eye the brownies for dessert. The food is so good, and a nice break from what we get at Oakside.
Lauren kicks the night off by talking about her son and how he got into a fight at school this week. Apparently, some kids were teasing him, saying his dad wasn't his real dad because he wasn't there when he was born. I guess Lauren and her husband were high school sweethearts, and he broke up with her when he enlisted, and she found out afterward that she was pregnant. They met again here at Oakside and fell in love all over again before Gavin even found out he had a son.
At least, that's what Kaitlyn fills me in on as Lauren is talking.
"Well, I will go next," Kaitlyn always beside me.
"My dad introduced me to a woman he has been seeing. He brought her to family dinner the other night," she says, turning to me. "A few years ago, Dad divorced my stepmom and moved here to be with me and Grayson. He's been single, and I had no idea he was even seeing anyone."
"What did you think of her?" Lexi asks, and everyone is quiet.
"I don't know. What I don't want to do is let my fear of what his last wife did cloud my judgment. This woman was nice but shy, like she was scared of me or Grayson. So, I simply don't know." She looks down at her plate.
“My guess is he told her what happened before, so she's just as nervous as you. I'm sure your dad is too. Just get to know her and call a girls' night if you need to work it out," Mandy says from the other side of her as she pulls her in for a hug.
Lexi catches my eye and smiles, but no one forces me to talk. As the night goes on, I get more comfortable and decide I really need to get this off my chest.
"I guess it's my turn," I say at the next conversation break.
"You all know Jake," I say, since he's here tonight. They all nod, so I take a deep breath.
"Well, I've known him since we were in school. I dated his younger brother, Caden, in high school. Not long after Jake left for boot camp, we broke up. I hadn't seen him or talked to anyone in his family until I ran into him here at Oakside." I stop to take a sip of water, suddenly wishing it was something stronger. Because of the pain meds I’m on, I can't have any alcohol right now when I need some liquid courage. Fortunately, I don't have much pain, but I might need one tonight after such a long outing.
"Yesterday, he came to my room, and we talked and played board games like old times. But when he was getting ready to leave, he helped me back to the sofa, and something shifted, and we..." Good lord, I can't even bring myself to say it. "We kissed," I say really fast and then look down at my now empty plate.
"How did you feel about the kiss?" Lexi asks softly.
"It was the best damn kiss of my life," I cringe.
The entire room erupts in hoots and hollers, and I can't help but laugh and smile at them.
