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Climbing out of her van, she straightened her dress and carefully made her way up the B&B steps, where Sarah, Whitney, and Lia were already seated on the outdoor furniture.
Good. Staying outside was a good idea.
“Wow! You look amazing. Hot date tonight?” Sarah said, eyeing her dress and strappy sandals with a slightly mischievous grin.
Her cheeks flushed and she hoped the glow could be blamed on the reflection of the holiday lights above them. Sarah was obviously having too much fun being the only one to really know what was going on with Jessica and Mitch. She’d tried telling Whitney earlier that day, but lately her friend was busy whenever she tried to schedule a lunch or just call to chat. She was there that evening, which was a relief, but now wasn’t the time to say anything.
“I thought I’d dress up a little,” she said. And spend two hours curling her hair and applying more makeup than she usually wore for a night with girlfriends.
“For me?” Lia said. “I’m honored,” she said, standing and wrapping Jessica in a one-armed hug while she held her wineglass with the other.
“Red or white?” Whitney asked, holding two bottles for Jessica’s choice. Her cell phone was pressed between her shoulder and ear, and the distinctive sound of “hold music” could be heard on the line.
Hopefully, her friend wouldn’t be taking work calls all evening. Whitney’s ability to multitask was superior to anyone Jessica had ever met, but her friend needed to take some time off now and then. A concept that seemed lost on her.
“I’ll have the red, please,” she said as she sat in a plush chair facing the window looking into the den.
Whitney poured, then handed her a glass. She turned to Sarah. “White?”
Sarah shook her head. “Actually none for me.”
Whitney laughed at the perceived joke and poured the white. But Sarah shook her head again. “No, really. I’m just trying to cut back. Holiday season and all…”
Whitney frowned but nodded and Lia took Sarah’s unwanted glass. “Waste not, want not,” she said, sitting back on the porch swing, one glass in either hand.
“I brought dessert,” Jessica said, retrieving a box of pastries from her oversize purse. She opened the box and the smell of cinnamon filled the breeze.
“That smells like Christmas in a box,” Lia said, reaching for one of the chocolate cinnamon treats.
“These are Sarah’s favorite,” Jessica said. Or at least they used to be. Right now, Sarah looked slightly green as she covered her nose and mouth against the smell. “You okay?”
Sarah nodded. “Yeah…strong smells—even delicious ones—are just getting to me lately. Some weird allergy I’ve developed or something maybe.” She shrugged and moved her chair back a little away from the desserts.
Whitney disconnected her call and glanced at her phone. “Fifty-two minutes on hold with the printer and I just got disconnected.” She sighed as she set her phone under her leg on the chair. She was polite enough to turn off the ringtone, but Jessica knew it was on vibrate in case they—or anyone else—called back.
“Do you ever take a night off?” Lia was the one brave enough to ask.
Whitney frowned, looking as though she didn’t understand the question. “I think I have a holiday booked in April.”
Lia laughed, but unfortunately Whitney wasn’t kidding. And Jessica knew it wasn’t a holiday, it was a doctor’s appointment for a breast exam and pap smear. She had the date marked in her calendar, too. They’d been going together for mutual support since they were twenty.
“This time of year is so busy,” Whitney said, sipping her wine. Dark circles seemed to have formed under her friend’s eyes overnight and she looked thinner than the last time Jessica had seen her.
“Aren’t all of the town’s holiday festivities already planned and organized?” Sarah asked, rejoining the conversation from a distance, still holding her hand over her nose.
“Yes. Now we’re onto budgeting for the spring promo. Always a season ahead.” Whitney checked her phone and looked irritated that it wasn’t ringing.
“Must make it hard to enjoy the season you’re in,” Lia said, shoving the pastry into her mouth.
Whitney shrugged. “I prefer to plan and let others enjoy.” She twitched, feeling her cell phone vibrate beneath her. Grabbing it, she stood as she answered. “Daisy…tell me you got those new designs approved.” Her voice trailed as she moved farther away from the deck, holding up a finger to indicate she’d just be a minute.
“Wow. I thought I worked a lot,” Lia said. She turned to Jessica. “I assume Whitney will be working and Sarah will be celebrating her first Christmas with Wes and Marissa. Do you have any special plans for the holidays?”
Jessica shrugged casually and avoided Lia’s gaze.
Only crashing your early family Christmas.
“My parents are traveling through Europe right now and won’t be back until February, so I’ll most likely be with Aunt Frankie and the family.” It was true. Once Mitch was gone, she would be spending Christmas Day with her extended family. Like always. The idea had never depressed her before, but that year when she was enjoying the season more than usual because of having someone special to share it with, being single for Christmas Day was going to hit harder.
