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Leah put her hands on her hips. With everything packed she placed the boxes in her garage. She no longer wanted the mementos Brian had bought in her house. The teddy bears had to go. Leah didn’t even realize how many she had until she combed through her home for spring-cleaning. She would give the stuffed animals to charity, knowing less fortunate children would appreciate them. They would probably like the cream-colored teddy bear with a bright red heart in the center of its chest.
Returning to her living room, she wrapped her arms around herself. Overall, it had been a pleasant day, and she looked forward to her weekend meeting with Cole. Leah’s head jerked toward her front door when she heard knocking. Looking through the peephole, she saw her best friend Gemma. Yanking the door open, she rushed to embrace her; oddly, feeling like it had been forever since she’d seen her last.
“How are you holding up?” Gemma asked, coming in and taking a seat on Leah’s couch.
“I’m taking one day at a time,” Leah said.
Gemma surveyed the living room. “Something’s different in here.”
Leah gestured to the empty corner by her television. “The teddy bear is gone.”
Gemma shivered. “The beady eyes on that thing always creeped me out.”
“You’re exaggerating.” Leah laughed.
“I’m serious. They followed me wherever I went.”
Leah sat next to her friend. “You’re too much.”
“So… why are you in yoga pants?” Gemma changed the subject.
Leah relaxed in her seat. “I’m home. Why do I need to dress up?”
Gemma crossed her arms over her chest. “Girls’ night out? How could you forget?”
“I just got dumped, so going out is the last thing on my mind.”
“Which is why you need a change of scenery. You’ve already done some cleaning, so now it’s time to have some fun.”
Leah undid her ponytail and ran her fingers through her chocolate brown curls. “Force me to leave my home, and I’m calling the police.”
Gemma wagged her finger. “Too bad my brother’s the sheriff.” She grinned.
Leah felt a quick stab of annoyance but pushed it away. “Fine.” She rose from her seat. “I’ll get dressed.”
Gemma clapped her hands. “Yay!”
Leah walked to her bedroom and changed into her emerald green jumper. She then sat in front of her mirror and applied eye shadow and mascara to her almond-shaped eyes. As she highlighted her arched eyebrows, she heard a tap on her bedroom door.
“It’s open,” she said.
Gemma opened the door and stood in the doorway leaning against the frame. “Are you okay? If you really don’t want to go, it’s fine. No pressure here.”
Leah hung her head for a moment. “I’ll be fine. You’re right.” She faced her friend with a genuine smile. “I need to get out of this house and have some fun.”
Gemma smoothed down the front of her off-the-shoulder shirt. “You never know who you might meet.”
Leah detected the tease in Gemma’s voice. “What’s that supposed to mean? I just got out of a relationship.”
Her friend’s eyes twinkled. “I’m not saying anything… but you never know.” Then her look turned serious. “Whenever you’re ready.”
Leah applied sheer lip-gloss to her bow-shaped lips. “I’ll know when I’m ready. Until then, I’m fine.” After tucking a lock of hair behind her ear, she rose from her seat. She slipped her feet into her black wedged heels and retrieved her purse and phone.
“It’ll be fun. I promise,” Gemma assured her.
Leah smiled as they exited her house. The ride was short. As soon as Gemma parked in front of PV’s Bar and Grill, she jumped out of the car eager for their girls’ night out. Leah rubbed her hands on her thighs and then joined her best friend on the sidewalk.
“It will be fun.” Gemma winked. She looped her arm through Leah’s.
