AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Today’s about Joy,” she told herself as she entered Lotus Flower, the familiar scent of sesame oil mixing with rose water meeting her nose.It took a few breaths to feel like she wasn’t breathing in the wrong thing, during which she caught sight of Joy in a corner booth.She nodded to her and gestured to the hostess, who was helping someone else.
She joined Joy with a sigh and another, “I’m sorry.”
“It’s fine,” she said.“I ordered the pork potstickers.”She slid the half-eaten plate of them closer to Lauren, who didn’t hesitate to pick up the closest one.
“I’m starving.”
“You skipped breakfast, didn’t you?”
“The extra twenty minutes of sleep was amazing,” Lauren said as she dunked her potsticker in the bowl of sauce.
Joy smiled and lifted her hand.A waiter came right over, and Joy put in her order.Lauren didn’t need a menu, and she simply said, “Same as her, but with white rice.”Joy was forever eating brown rice, wheat bread, whole grains, all of that.Lauren admired her for her zeal and commitment to healthier eating, and she reached over and covered Joy’s hands with hers.
“Tell me about Wendell.”
Joy kept her head down, her eyes on Lauren’s hands.She turned hers over and put her fingers between Lauren’s.“He moved out.We decided to try a few months apart while we continue the counseling.”
Separated.Lauren had seen other people do that, and they rarely came back together.She didn’t know what to say.Should she console Joy?Or was this what she wanted?She couldn’t tell if she was happy or sad.She supposed neither, as this didn’t seem like a winning situation no matter how it got sliced.
“How are you feeling?”she asked.
“You know, I’ve been trying to figure that out for a few days,” she said, finally looking up.“He moved out while I was at the Supper Club last week.”
“Joy, that was almost a week ago.”She stared at her friend, sure she hadn’t been dealing with this alone that long.“Why didn’t you tell me?”
“I just did,” Joy said.“When I felt like I could.”
“So we’re upset about this,” Lauren said.
“On some level, yes,” Joy said.“But it’s much easier at home now.I don’t have to walk on pins and needles all the time, so I’m more comfortable in the evenings.I hate saying that, and maybe that means Wen and I should just call it quits.He says he’s happier in the cheap apartment he got in Short Tail.”She exhaled and reached for her water.“So I don’t know.”
Lauren thought about what she’d said.She didn’t like going home alone, and here Joy sat, saying how much easier it was to go home alone.“Come over to my house tonight,” she said.“Chloe misses you, and we can sit on the back deck while she torments the robins.Then Oscar will come out and do this flying stunt.”She grinned at Joy and slid her hands back to her side of the table.“It’s pretty amazing to watch.”
Joy smiled back, though her bright blue eyes held tears.“Thank you, Lauren.”
“Of course.”
“Now.”Joy took a deep breath.“How are we going to get you a boyfriend?”
“Oh, I’m over that,” Lauren said, swallowing the lie.“I don’t want to get all riled up about it again.”She picked up another potsticker and had just stuffed the whole thing in her mouth when someone said her name.
A male someone.
She looked up, a gorgeous man there with a head full of dark hair, plus a full beard, and a pair of deep blue eyes a woman wouldn’t forget in her lifetime.She tried to speak, chew, and swallow at the same time, and that didn’t go well.She choked, which only added to the problem, and she ended up smiling and chewing as fast as she could as Nash Hale laughed and said, “Don’t rush, Lauren.I shouldn’t have done that.”
He looked over to Joy.“I’m Nash Hale.”
“Joy Bartlett.”They shook hands over the table, and Lauren finally got the potsticker all the way down.She slid out of the booth, managed a laugh, and then she hugged Nash.
They laughed together, and he held onto her shoulders as he pulled back.“You look great.”Something shimmered in his eyes, and warmth doused Lauren from head to toe.
“Thank you,” she said, her smile wide and real.“What are you doing back in town?”
“I just started a branch here,” he said, letting his hands fall back to his sides.“We just opened last week.”
“That’s amazing,” Lauren said, moving back a step and tucking her hair behind her ear.
“Do you have the same number?”he asked just as someone called his name.
