AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Joy sat across the table and tied up her black hair into a ponytail. “I can’t tell you how much I needed knitting club tonight. Well, that and some serious carb therapy. A difficult customer came into the store today, demanding to return two dead plants. Not almost dead. We’re talking crispy-brown-leaves-dangling-over-the-side-of-the-pot-ain’t-no-one-going-to-revive-them dead.”
Quinn took a seat beside Joy while Indie sat next to me and pulled the candles on the table closer.
I poured Joy an extra-full glass of wine. “What did you do?”
She sipped the wine and sighed. “Told him it wasn’t my fault he annihilated his houseplants. Pothos and snake plants might be hardy, but they still need watering. But that wasn’t the worst of it. When I got home, the babysitter told me that the boys had clogged the toilet. Again. It was disgusting.”
We all pulled a face.
“Have you talked to my brother?” I asked. “Maybe he needs to check out your plumbing.” Aiden owned a duplex and rented out one unit to Joy and her two boys while living in the other.
Joy’s dark brown eyes lit up. “Oh, what I wouldn’t give for that Viking of a man to come over and fix my plumbing.”
Beside me, Indie snorted. I wrinkled my nose. Gross. “That’s my brother you’re talking about, and I don’t want to think about him working on anyone’s plumbing.”
Joy laughed. “Don’t worry. Aiden’s a good landlord, and I just like to tease him. That’s all. He’s so serious all the time. Someone needs to show him how to let his hair down and have some fun. Sometimes, it’s hard to believe he’s related to you and Ben.”
She was right. My other brother, Ben, was easygoing and quite popular with the ladies.
“Now, if I lived next door to Ben, that would be a different story. I wouldn’t even know how to begin to explain the revolving door of girls to my boys,” Joy said.
Quinn adjusted her dark-rimmed glasses and arched a perfectly manicured brow. “Sleepovers?”
“That’s one way of putting it.” Indie passed out napkins and helped herself to a cinnamon roll. “You gotta hand it to him, though. At least he’s out there, meeting people. I mean, look at us. Is it wrong that this is the social highlight of my week? When was the last time any of us did something fun? Or better yet, when was the last time any of us went on a date?”
Quinn pulled her knitting needles from her bag, avoiding Indie’s gaze. “I’ve been busy at work,” she said quietly.
“And I’ve got the boys,” Joy added.
Dating?I shuddered.No, thank you.I’d had enough experience with men to last me a lifetime. After my breakup with Lukas ended in a horribly public way, I temporarily moved back in with my parents just to get away from it all. Thankfully, things were better now that he’d moved on.
“See?” Indie took an indignant bite and waved her half-eaten pastry in the air. “This is what I’m talking about. I had an epiphany at work on Friday—there’s absolutely nothing wrong with the four of us.”
The room fell silent.
“Um, thanks?” I giggled.
Joy snickered. “Have you been working a few too many hours at the library again?”
“No. I love my job and I have a great work-life balance,” Indie huffed. “Hear me out. We’re four supremely interesting and attractive women. The world is our oyster. Men should be lining up to get to know us. And yet we live like nuns. It’s shameful.”
Joy gave her a wry smile. “Speak for yourself. I know why I’m not dating. Guys see a single mother of two, and it’s like their interest shrivels up and dies. Literally. I’ve seen it disappear before my eyes. Poof.”
“That’s not right.” Indie licked her fingers, then grabbed her knitting needles and began knitting furiously. “You’re a beautiful Filipino goddess who owns a business, is single-handedly raising two amazing boys, and makes delicious cinnamon rolls.”
Joy sighed. “From your mouth to some hot male specimen’s ears. In my mid-twenties, I was perfectly fine with the knowledge it would just be the boys and me. But now that I’m twenty-nine, it’s like this monster’s awoken inside me. I don’t want to date; I want to find my mate.”
Hmm. Sounded like Indie was supplying a certain someone with paranormal romance books again.
“But I won’t settle for just anyone,” Joy added. “My boys already have a father who’s never around. I’m not letting anyone into my life unless he’s willing to commit to all three of us.”
I reached over and squeezed her hand. “You’ll find someone special. I know it.” Although I’d given up on meeting anyone, I still believed in happy endings for my friends.
“You’re not alone,” Indie said. “We’re all in the same boat, even Quinn, and she looks like a freaking model.”
Quinn looked up from her knitting, her eyes wide. “You’re exaggerating. I’m not that attractive.”
Indie snorted out a laugh. “Have you looked at yourself in the mirror? You’re gorgeous, and you’re like what, five foot nine?”
