AllFreeNovel
Share Us
JENN
Despite jokingabout my love for knitting with, well, everyone, it’s actually my favorite part of my week. I have a regular stitch-and-bitch group that rotates meeting in all of our apartments, and tonight, we’re on the Upper East Side, in Evelyn’s small but immaculate apartment, gathered in her living room amid the pink silk drapes, purple tufted couch, and green Persian rug.
The lady likes her color.
“What do we think? Is chartreuse too much?” our hostess, a sassy septuagenarian with cropped silver hair, holds up her latest project, a densely knitted scarf in a lurid shade.
“Chartreuse is always too much,” her daughter, Lottie, replies with a smirk. Dressed in cream linen, I’ve never seen her wear so much as a pastel. “That’s the point.”
“And since when do you care about being over-the-top?” Sixty-something Arthur adds, from his spot working on a onesie for his latest grandchild.
“You’re right. I like it!” Evelyn declares.
“Sorry I’m late!” The door opens, and our latest addition, Roxy, hurries in. She’s the other young’un in the group, also approaching thirty years old, with choppy dark hair and a great taste for chunky boots. “But I brought drinks!”
“Ooh, what is it tonight?” Evelyn brightens. Roxy is a professional bartender and is always whipping up the most delicious concoctions.
“Summer Breeze,” she replies, unpacking her pitcher. “Pineapple and coconut, with a spicy kick on the end. And yes,” she adds, before Evelyn can ask. “It goes great with a dash of rum.”
We pause knitting to pour drinks and pass snacks.
“Best one yet,” Evelyn says, smacking her lips. “You’re a talent, Rox.”
Roxy waves one hand out in a little bow.
Lottie goes quiet, focusing. She’s designed a scarf with two words running the length of it: KNIT HAPPENS. I love the soft click of the needles beneath the conversation. Often, we chat—or gripe, or encourage each other—but the quiet stretches are just as comfortable.
“Who has news?” Arthur asks. Of all of us, he loves gossip the most. “Roxy, what happened with your roommate?”
“You mean the one who is eating only raw food, and takes three hours in the bathroom? I need to move.” She sighs. “And find a new job. In fact, just give me amnesia and let me start over, the way that lucky guy did in that movie.”
“You mean, the tragic love story?” I ask with a laugh.
“Looked like a good time to me.” Roxy grins back. “How’s the job-hunt going?”
I pause.
“Actually… I landed a new position,” I announce.
There’s a chorus of celebration. “Way to go!”
“Tell us everything,” Arthur prompts.
“Well…” I pause. There’s no way I’m sharing the whole story, so I stick to the highlights: “The role kind of fell into my lap—marketing for a new luxury spa. It’s owned by a former pro baseball player, so the treatments are inspired by athlete-focused wellness.”
“Who is it?” Lottie asks excitedly.
“Austin Banks.” I say his name casually because I don’t expect my friends to recognize it any more than I did.
Evelyn’s needles go quiet, dropping into her lap. “Excuse me, young lady? Austin Banks ‘fell into your lap’…?”
I blink. “You’ve heard of him?”
“Have I heard of him?” Evelyn snorts. She looks at Arthur disbelievingly, and he shakes his head. “Honey, half the damn city knows his name. Storied career and a class act on the baseball diamond.”
“Well, good.” I reply. “He seems like a really nice guy.”
“Also has a reputation with the ladies,” she says, shimmying her thin eyebrows. “If you know what I mean.”
