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“My dinner was with one of my old coworkers. She was the flight attendant who took me under her wing my first year, but she retired a few months back. She lives about a half hour from here and is passionate about senior dogs. She rescues them and occasionally helps find foster homes for them. Anyway, she was showing me pictures of her babies and I mentioned you, so if you’re ready to bite the bullet, she’d love to meet you and see if any of them would be a good fit.”
Mackenzie’s eyes widen. “Really?”
Hyla nods happily. “Yep. And I’m home all weekend, so we can go whenever.”
“Saturday?”
“Sounds perfect.” She claps her hands. “I love this. Okay, what did I miss? What’s new with everyone else?”
“We’ve mostly talked about pregnancy and puking,” Dani says, unamused.
Hyla scrunches her face. “Moving on then.”
“In the interest of future career stuff…” I say.
“What?” Sarah asks.
“I officially applied for law school this morning.” I cover my face with my hands. “I’m so nervous.”
“But that’s so exciting. I know you’ll get in. You’re too smart and driven not to,” Amanda says.
“I hope so. One of the many changes coming for the future,” I say absentmindedly. But everyone else was paying attention because they all turn to stare at me.
“Something you want to share with the class?” Hyla asks.
I bite my lip. “Well…” Then I smile and tell them all about my Valentine’s present to Miles last week. There are many squeals and claps of excitement. And then the grilling starts. And the planning.
“He hasn’t actually proposed yet, and I have no idea when he will.”
“Soon,” Sarah says.
“And it never hurts to be prepared,” Amanda says, jotting down notes.
“I’m sorry. Shouldn’t we be planning your wedding?” I ask.
Amanda purses her lips. “It turns out, I love planning things for other people. Not so much myself.” She runs a hand over her face. “I don’t know. It feels like so much pressure. And not in the fun way that makes me thrive. With you guys, you know who to invite and you can have a wedding anytime, anywhere, and it’s a big deal, but only for you and the people who love you. Jamie isn’t necessarily a household name, but he’s a professional athlete and one plenty of people find attractive. We have to be secretive and figure out who to invite and I don’t know.” She sighs. “There’s a reason Mark and Frannie had their wedding at that private resort—besides them being obsessed with it.” Rae’s cousin, Mark, and his wife, Frannie, got married last weekend at a resort in South Carolina that means a lot to them. Though we were invited, we didn’t attend because we didn’t want to travel with Emmie right now. Plus, it was our special Valentine’s weekend. “I don’t want that attention.”
“So do something more intimate. No one on the team is going to be offended if they don’t get an invite. They’re all in the spotlight. They know how it goes. Do something here or have a destination wedding. Invite the people closest to you. Or even just your families,” Rae says.
“No way. I couldn’t have my wedding without all of you.”
I look around the room. This incredible tribe of women. A year ago, all I really had was Dani. I’d hung out with the girls a few times, but I wasn’t one of them. Now? I truly can’t imagine my life without any of them. Dani is my ride or die, but Rae picks up everyone’s pieces. Sarah is a calm listener with gentle advice. Hyla shows the hell up whenever and wherever you need her, and she loves hard. Mackenzie is the calm wisdom with a hint of sass. Chelsea brings the spunk and hot takes. And Amanda is the one who finds her way to the center of everything—always willing to help and trying to uplift everyone else. Some days I’m still not sure I’m worthy of this band of spectacular women, but I’m grateful for it anyway.
“Then we’ll help make sure it’s perfect for you,” I tell her. “Like you do for all of us.”
Amanda smiles and nods. “That might be exactly what I need. All of you to pull me back to the ground.”
“We’ve got you,” Hyla says, bumping her shoulder against Amanda’s.
“Anything else exciting happening? Did you get married yet?” Dani teases to Chelsea.
Chelsea sticks her tongue out. “Not yet. We have a marriage certificate now, so probably soon.” She shrugs and rubs her stomach. “Feel free to make a bet on which will come first. Baby or wedding.” She laughs.
“Oh!” Sarah says. “Anyone want to move in with us?”
Rae laughs. “Not with us, exactly. But the little Cape Cod house up the road is for sale. It’s the property that runs along ours. It’s about ten acres, I think. Some woods and some yard. Only two bedrooms and a bath and a half, but it’s adorable. In case any of you are looking. Since my grandparents sold them the property to build the house on, they’re opening it just to us or referrals from us before they list it.”
Mackie looks down, seeming a bit bummed. “I love that house. I wish I could buy it. I don’t think any bank would give me a loan at this point.”
