“I’m better than usual, actually,” Blair continued. “My hormones are evening out. The night sweats seem to have finally subsided.”
Blair and Emily moved a few paces in line.
“And I have fewer mood swings, but I still can’t shake the bad days…” She rubbed her temples. “Sorry. By now you were probably hoping to hear ‘fine.’”
“No, I want to hear how you really are,” Emily said.
“I don’t know if the coffee line is where you want me to unload anyway.” Blair rolled her head on her shoulders. “I wish I could feel like myself again. Look at everyone. They’re laughing and chatting. I wonder if I’ll ever be like that?”
Emily opened her mouth to answer, when Blair threw her hand to her head and groaned.
“Listen to me. I’m such a downer.”
“You’ve been through a traumatic event. Youareallowedto be a downer with your best friends. We’re here for you.”
“You two make me feel like sunshine for a little bit. You’re the only ones who can get me laughing these days. It’s good for my soul.”
They shuffled forward as the group in front of them finished up.
Blair took a breath, her petite chest rising under her gauzy ivory sundress. The color, against her long honey-brown hair,brought out her tan skin and pink lips. “What’s new with you?” she asked.
“Also not a question to answer in the coffee line,” Emily said, pushing the dread back down where she’d tried to keep it since arriving. Today was about bringing Blair that all-important sunshine. “I’ll tell you later.”
Blair offered an interested once-over and then frowned.
Emily changed the subject. “Sienna’s got news.Incrediblenews, apparently.”
“Oh? I could use some good news! What is it?”
“I’m not sure. I told her to hang on until I got back with her coffee.”
They stepped up to the barista, put in their orders, and stood among the other waiting customers. Blair pointed at their table. Sienna was wiping the surface with a napkin and straightening the chairs.
“That’s just like her,” Emily said with a punch of humor and fondness for her old friend.
The three women had known each other since college. Emily had been the first to move to Nashville, chasing Will’s dream. Blair, whose husband, Rocko, was friends with Will, followed soon after, once she’d seen Emily’s new bungalow. The two couples became inseparable. Then Emily and Blair lured Sienna to Music City with their endless talk of the booming housing market. A year later, Sienna was living in a condo in The Gulch with glass walls overlooking the city skyline, drinking cosmos with the young and privileged, and caught up in a whirlwind relationship with her now-husband, Tyson.
When their order was ready, Emily handed Blair her coffee, grabbed hers and Sienna’s, and they made their way back to the table.
“If I wasn’t saving this spot for us, I’d have joined you in line,” Sienna said when they reached her. “We could’ve had a fulltherapy session while we waited, as long as it took.” She eyed Emily with a concerned look, obviously still trying to figure out what had upset her.
“I know, right? It’s swarming with people today.” Emily handed Sienna her coffee, moved her handbag, and sat down.
“Decaf, right?” Sienna asked, holding up her cup.
“Yep.” Blair took the chair across from Emily and grasped her cup with two delicate hands.
“So tell us your news.” Emily immediately diverted the attention from herself to Sienna. “I told Blair you’d used the word ‘incredible.’”
“Wait. First, how are you doing, Blair?” Sienna brushed Blair’s hair behind her ear and put a manicured hand on her friend’s shoulder.
“Decent enough, but I’d love some good news.”
Sienna blinked rapidly in a show of drama. “Okay. You won’t believe it.”
“Do tell,” Emily urged her.
“Remember the three-million-dollar listing I got?”
