ONE
As Emily Jacobs entered The Brewing Bloom, a bustling coffee-shop-slash-floral-boutique in her neighborhood of Inglewood, Tennessee, she struggled to focus through the fog of distress that had been plaguing her for the last three days. Today, she was supposed to be offering emotional support to her friend, Blair Andrews, but given the news that had blindsided her, she was bound to fail miserably. Once she got talking, her own emotions would surely spill out.
She’d had so many plans for the warmer months, but in the span of a few minutes, they’d all dissolved into thin air—gone just like the rest of her future.
Six years ago, she and her fiancé, Will, had chosen this area for their future home. It offered a quieter, residential feel with a sense of community, while still being close to Nashville, where Will was getting a foothold in songwriting circles after scoring a publishing deal. She’d fallen in love with its charming, historic neighborhoods, tree-lined streets, and blend of lifelong residents and transplants.
The previous year, his first published song had made enough for them to make the down payment on a bungalow that sat between two oak trees on a quiet street. They’d planned forthe renovations to be finished just in time for their wedding in August. Because of that, she hadn’t renewed the lease on her apartment, and all she’d thought about since was sinking into a king-sized bed in her gorgeous new house and falling asleep without the constant buzz of traffic she’d become accustomed to.
Like everywhere in the city these days, however, Inglewood wasn’t as quiet anymore. And today, neither was her mind. With a lump lodged in her throat, she scanned the busy seating area for a table that would accommodate three.
The coffee shop was lively, with a line of at least eight patrons snaking along the wall toward the register. Two women chatted merrily as they waited. They seemed so relaxed and carefree, one of them throwing her head back and laughing at something the other said. At the counter, the barista greeted a customer, wrinkling her nose in conversation. None of them had a clue about the battle raging in Emily’s mind.
A couple got up from a small table by the window, next to a shelf of silver buckets filled with twine-tied bundles of peonies, lilacs, and lavender. Only two seats, but it was the lone option. Emily loped over to it, quickly dropping her bag in the empty chair and sitting in the other. She scanned the place for familiar faces, but Sienna and Blair hadn’t arrived yet.
Out the window, heat rose from the sidewalk, giving the air a wavy appearance. A pair of women ambled through the haze, pushing strollers with one hand and holding ice cream cones from the shop down the street in the other. The Southern summer had come in like a lion.
Summer was Emily’s favorite time of year. She’d packed up her second-grade classroom and put her blonde hair into a ponytail, where it would stay for the next two and a half months during her school’s summer break. This year, she and Will had planned to use her time off to put the final touches on their kitchen renovations while they began to move their things tothe new house. Over the last few weeks, in anticipation, she’d shopped for paint swatches for the cabinets that would bring in muted pops of color—olive green, deep beige, bright white… She’d imagined a mason jar of daises on their wooden table, and an oatmeal-colored runner along the distressed hardwood in front of the sink. Ever since they’d bought the home, she’d been taking tiny steps toward building the perfect place for a growing family. She wanted to have kids as soon as possible—she couldn’t wait to start their life together.
Tears pricked her eyes, and she quickly blinked them away. She’d been so good about putting on a brave face, but her emotions welled up knowing she was about to see the two women she confided in. She’d tell them. She always told them everything. But there hadn’t been a good time yet, and now wasn’t good either.
“Ah, you got a table.”
Sienna Duvall’s voice sounded as if it were at the end of a long tunnel. Emily forced herself out of her thoughts and smiled at her friend.
“Nice job.” A friendly kiss plucked Emily’s cheek and Sienna gave her a squeeze. Her dark hair with golden highlights smelled like jasmine and citrus. When Sienna pulled away, she put her hands on the hips of her fashionable trousers, looking around. “Is Blair here yet?”
But Sienna didn’t wait for an answer.
“Excuse me,” she said to someone at a nearby table. “Are you using this chair?” She waggled a finger at it, her gold bangles jingling.
The patron shook his head and gestured toward the empty seat.
Sienna slid it over to their table, then plopped down. “I have someincrediblenews. Have you ordered yet?”
Emily dragged herself out of her state of heaviness and focused on Sienna’s dark eyes. “No, I haven’t.” She forced another smile.
“Wait.” Her friend leaned in, inspecting Emily’s face. Sienna noticed right away. She always did. “What’s wrong?”
“It’s okay,” Emily said, fluttering her hands in the air. If she tried to explain, she’d blubber right there in the coffee shop and make a scene. “Just a tough day. Man the fort. I’ll get us coffees and then you can tell me your news.” She hoisted herself out of her chair. “What do you want?”
Sienna squinted at her with suspicious curiosity, but she didn’t ask anything more. “Decaf latte, oat milk, no foam.Decaf,” she repeated.
“Got it.” Emily turned away before her friend could inquire any further. She jumped in line at the back of the shop, glad to have a minute to collect herself.
A few seconds was all she got, though, as Blair entered and stepped up next to her.
“Hey.”
“How are you?” Emily asked, putting on a brave face.
“Good.” Blair waved across the room to Sienna.
If they were up for awards for the worst life event, Blair would win. As a social media influencer, she’d made an incredible living video blogging. She was approachable; she could shoot those bright, airy videos that made everyone else feel as if they were living in a cave; and she was as beautiful inside as she was outside. For nine months, she’d documented her pregnancy online—the stunning nursery she was creating, the preparatory shopping trips, little onesies she was buying in anticipation, and first-time-mom hacks she was devouring. Her ad revenue was through the roof—baby-equipment companies, clothing shops, custom diaper bags all wanted a place in her feed.
Then, on one horrific day, everything fell apart. She lost the baby in her ninth month. She hadn’t posted a video in the six weeks since.
When Blair lost the baby, Emily and Sienna formed a support group for her, meeting her for coffee regularly. They spent most of the time talking about nothing—just everyday happenings. Blair told them the normalcy of their conversation reminded her of what it was like to feel human.
