She clenched her drink. She hadn’t been to a karaoke night since.
“So you just talked?” Laura asked. “Nothing else?”
“Yes, that’s all we did. You know I’m not that kind of girl. You’re not that kind of girl either.”
“I didn’t mean you slept with him.” Laura plopped her umbrella back in her drink. “If you had, you would have gotten a huge lecture from me. But there’s nothing wrong with a little kiss or two.”
Amy held up her hand. “No kisses. Or hugs. We shook hands, though.”
“How scintillating.”
Amy chuckled. “That’s about as scintillating as I get. I did have a great time with Max. I wouldn’t mind seeing him again.” She held up her hand as Laura started to speak. “As friends. That’s all I’m interested in.”And ready for.
Laura grinned. “That’s progress.” She paused. “I do envy you. I wish...”
“What?” She leaned closer to her friend.
“That I wasn’t so lonely.” She sighed. “I miss being married. I miss having a man in my life to share the burden. Farah’s a huge help, but she’s so young and still getting over her grief. She misses Gary so much. We both do.”
Amy took Laura’s hand. Farah was only sixteen and had taken her father’s death extremely hard. Britt was eight when Amy and Daniel had divorced. It was hard on her.And on me too.But they made it through together. Her daughter had been her constant companion. Maybe that was the reason Amy wasn’t looking for anyone else. She wasn’t lonely... at least not too much.
Laura squeezed her fingers and let go. “I’m not happy being single. I want to fall in love and get married again. I’m too young to live the rest of my life alone.”
Her words hit Amy square in the chest. She hadn’t realized her friend was suffering so much. “I’m sure God has the right man in mind for you.”
“Then I wish he would hurry up.” Laura leaned back in her chair. “Or maybe he’s trying to teach me patience.”
“Is there anyone in the group you’ve hit it off with?”
“Not romantically. They’re all nice, but there’s no spark.”
“If Max were interested in dating, I’d set you two up,” Amy said.
She smiled. “Now that’s a true friend. Just give me advanced notice. I need to lose twenty pounds first.”
“Hardly.” Amy wagged her finger at her. “Besides, Max doesn’t seem to be a shallow guy.”
“How would you know? You look the same as you did in high school.”
“Another lie.” But Amy was lucky she’d kept her figure somewhat trim over the years. She chalked it up to hustling after high schoolers for decades. But gray hairs were coming in fast, there was more sag in her upper arms than she liked, and her crow’s feet were spreading.Welcome to middle age.
For the rest of the evening, she and Laura abandoned relationship talk, and over a fresh, crisp salad and garlic bread, they played cards outside until the string of soft white lights draped across the patio eave came to life.
Around seven, Laura’s Taylor Swift ringtone sang from her phone. She picked it up. “All done? Good. I’ll be there in twenty. Love you too.” She ended the call and stood. “Pool party’s over. I’ve got to pick Farah up in McKinney.”
McKinney. Where Max worked. He lived in Fairview, though. A very expensive town that wasn’t far from Allen. Although, with Dallas metro traffic, it seemed a long way. Wait. It didn’tmatter where he lived, or how far away he was. She wasn’t going to obsess over whether she saw Max again.
When Laura started to gather up the dishes, Amy stopped her. “I’ve got it. You go get Farah.”
“You sure?”
“Of course. It’s not much.”
Laura gave her a hug. “Thanks for a great night.” As she walked away, she added, “I’ll let you know when we have another Mingles activity.”
“I said I was one and done—”
“Ta-ta!” She opened the privacy fence gate and left before Amy could lodge another protest.
