Silver Springs was Huckleberry Hill’s sister town. It was off beat, a little bit frayed; a little more grunge. It had an East Village vibe . . . but toned way down.
A pang of grief suddenly blasted through me.
My New York chapter was closing. I wasn’t sure I wasready for that, but it was happening just the same. And it all started because I’d quit my job.
But when two of my best friends entered the laundromat, all my feelings of regret and anxiety vanished.
I smiled wide and rushed to embrace each of them with one arm.
“Oh my God, you are both gorgeous,” I commented. Hadley was a few months further in her pregnancy than Salem, but both sisters had the prenatal glow.
Hadley’s chestnut-colored locks were thick and shiny. Salem’s red hair looked even brighter than the last time I’d seen her in person.
“Us? Look at you,” Hadley said with a wide grin. “I can’t believe you’re really here.”
“I know we’re supposed to wait to talk until tonight so Wyn can join in, but I’m dying here,” Salem said.
The door to the laundromat opened and I peered around my friends to watch a harried, tired mother with two young children enter, carrying several laundry bags.
“I’m over here,” I said, pointing to the dryer that was finishing up its last cycle.
Salem and Hadley waddled to a set of chairs and immediately sat down.
“I’m dragging,” Salem said. “We’ve been up since five.”
I snorted. “You should’ve called me. I was awake.”
“You were?” Hadley asked in surprise. “Good God, why?”
“We’ll get to that in a bit.” I gestured with my chin to the stressed woman unloading all her clothes into washers. “How was the flight?”
“I slept, Hadley didn’t,” Salem said.
“I had to pee every fifteen minutes,” she grumbled. “Declan finally switched seats with me so I could be on the aisle.”
I smiled. “And Cas? How did he do?”
“Placed first, of course.” Salem beamed.
“You’re really going to let him retire?” Hadley asked her.
“Let him? It’s his idea.” She shook her head. “He can’t be talked out of it.”
I noticed the frown furrowing her brow as I leaned against the warm dryer. “You think he’ll regret it, don’t you?”
“Who wouldn’t?” she asked.
“Do you regret leaving New York?” I asked pointedly.
“No,” she said.
“Then maybe it’s the same for Cas,” I suggested.
She shook her head. “Time will tell, I guess. Now let’s talk about you.”
The door to the laundromat opened again, pulling my attention from my friends. Brooks strode inside, filling the space with his wide shoulders and cowboy hat.
I smiled at him in surprise and smiled even wider when Salem and Hadley’s mouths gaped as Brooks came to me and put his arm around my shoulder, tugging me into his side.
