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Holly sat cross-legged on the rug by the coffee table, her engagement and wedding bands glinting around the wineglass she held.
Hannah was the last one in their friend group who was currently unattached, she thought, not for the first time.
“Can we talk about something else?” she asked, forcing a lightness she didn’t feel. “I really don’t want to keep rehashing Wes, and I don’t need everyone checking to see if I’m okay. I really am fine. Yes, he broke my heart a long time ago, but I’ve moved on. He’s moved on. We’re two adults capable of having a casual friendship now. We were both heading to Utah last weekend, so it made sense to go together. End of story, okay?”
Her friends exchanged looks that clearly said they didn’t fully believe her, but to her vast relief, they let it drop.
“Fine,” Natalie said. “We’ll table the Wes topic. Temporarily.”
“Very temporarily,” Holly muttered, popping a cracker into her mouth.
“How are you handling all your free time now that you’re not running the Christmas market?” Hannah asked Amanda quickly, seizing the opportunity to redirect.
“It’s weird, honestly,” Amanda said. “I keep thinking there are a million things I need to do, then I remember none of them are my responsibility this year. All I have to do is tear down my booth on Saturday and walk away. I can’t wait.”
“You deserve a break,” Natalie said. “Griffin keeps saying he barely recognizes you without a clipboard in December.”
Amanda laughed. “That’s because I actually can enjoy the holidays now instead of running around trying to make sure everyone else does.”
“You’re all going to my benefit concert next week, right?” Hannah asked.
“I would not miss it for the world,” Natalie said.
“Neither will I,” Nat’s sister, McKenna, said. “My girls would never forgive me if I missed seeing them in the children’s choir.”
“They’re both so enthusiastic,” Hannah said. “I don’t know what I would do without them.”
“It’s so nice that you’re doing this,” Holly said. “And wonderful that you’ve decided to donate some of the proceeds to help Morgan.”
“You’re an amazing friend,” Amanda added with a smile.
She didn’t feel amazing. She felt like someone juggling too many balls, praying she wouldn’t drop the important ones.
“How do you even have a minute to be here when you’re trying to throw all that together next week?” Natalie asked.
“I will always make time for you. I’m busy but it’s a good busy.”
“It’s too bad Morgan won’t be able to make it for the concert,” Amanda said.
“I know.” Hannah’s voice softened. “She wants to come so badly, but she’s not sure the doctors will let her. It depends on her lab numbers, whether they feel like she’s strong enough to get on a commercial flight.”
“I have an easy solution to that,” Holly said suddenly, sitting up straighter. “I can’t believe I didn’t think of it until now. Ryan could fly down to pick her up in one of the Caldwell Aviation planes.”
Hannah stared at her, startled. Of course. Ryan’s father owned a local aviation company with several small planes and helicopters.
“And if Ryan can’t do it, his dad will,” Holly went on. “You know how Doug is. He loves any chance to help people out. His wife makes sure of that.”
“I don’t know,” Hannah said slowly. “I imagine airplane fuel isn’t exactly cheap.”
“Don’t worry about that,” Holly said firmly. “My father-in-law would be more than happy to donate a flight for something like this. I know he would.”
Emotion stung behind Hannah’s eyes. She blinked it away, looking around at her friends, women who showed up for each other and for the people they loved again and again.
This was what she cherished about living in the Lake Haven area. When someone needed help, people stepped up. They cooked meals, watched kids, shoveled driveways, flew planes.
“That might actually work,” she said slowly, thinking of the possibilities. “If her doctors clear her to travel, that could solve everything. I’m sure it would ease her mind too, that she wouldn’t be exposed to a few hundred other airline passengers.”
“We’ll all keep our fingers crossed that it happens,” McKenna said.
