Hope opened the screen door, and her two friends filled the little space.
“We came to kidnap you for dinner,” Libby explained.
“Oh, sure, yes.” Hope realized she was shaking.
“Honey, what’s wrong?” J.J. put a hand on Hope’s shoulder.
“I, uh, well, I knew my husband was low, but he sunk to a level below the basement today.”
“I’m sorry, do you want to talk about it? Can we help? I know a voodoo priestess in Jackson. We could go the curse route?”
Hope laughed at the idea of an Archie doll being poked with needles. “No, actually, I think I’ve got a better idea. What do you say to a seasonal, all local summer dining experience in downtown Irish Hills?”
“Yes! I say yes!!” Libby said and clapped her hands.
“We were about to muscle you into it. Thank goodness we don’t have to resort to violence,” said J.J.
“No, I’m doing it. I want to do it. My dream has always been to open a restaurant, and you walked in like a fairy godmother and handed it to me.”
“To be fair, we’re the same age. I’m more like your fairy god girlfriend.”
“Right, right, well, I’m in. One hundred percent.”
J.J. and Libby circled Hope in a hug.
She was doing it. She wasn’t going back to Archie. She was staying right here and figuring out how to find her own dreams. Without the girls, without her husband, and without her parents to tell her they were impossible.
“Okay, well, is now the time to talk about your underwear out there? It’s way too old lady for you. Heck, I think Aunt Emma’s are hotter than what’s on that line,” J.J. remarked.
Libby shook her head at J.J.’s assessment of Aunt Emma’s underwear.
“Yeah, I used to buy bras that I thought were sexy. Now I buy them based on the criteria that they don’t stab me to death, that’s it,” Hope said.
“Gotcha, honey, I think you’ve got a lot to fill us in on from your day,” J.J. said.
“I do, but first, how about a run to the grocery store? I want to start experimenting with the fish I caught, and I ugh, well, I probably do need a proper bathing suit.”
“Food Village it is, but stick to food, not fashion from there. I’ll lend you a suit,” Libby said.
“And I can provision us for summer water for the night,” J.J. said.
“What?”
“Summer water is like regular water but with a daiquiri in it,” J.J. explained.
“Daquiri, grilled fish, and borrowed swimsuit, if that’s not a good night, I’m not sure what is,” Hope said.
They piled into Libby’s Jeep and headed downtown. Hope was giddy. She was going to do it. She was going to take this opportunity and give it everything she could. This time, finally, she was going for it. Archie had helped her see, even though she was sure that wasn’t his intention. She needed to live for herself for once. If she didn’t make her dream come true now, another decade could go by in a blink of an eye. That’s one thing she knew for sure now that she was in her fifties: Time was fleeting, and opportunities like this were as rare as the connection she shared with Libby and Hope.
She had a lot to think about, but before anything else, she needed to make a fast change.
“Oh, Libby, I need a bank. Is there one that you recommend, for the restaurant and all that?”
“Sure, no problem. First National Bank has a branch in Onsted, but it’s not that far of a drive. And there’s a money machine in the grocery store. Which is nice, no fee to use if you’re a First National customer.”
“Great, thanks.”
They headed into town.
