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“No.” Caden grinned. “I like the latter part way more.” They laughed and ate their sandwiches with easy conversation flowing between them.
After lunch, Hallie returned to her apartment and parked herself on the couch with her laptop and phone in hand for several more hours. She took notes on all the ideas that came to her about possible ways to market her store. She considered starting a loyalty program, but at the top of her list was reaching out to other local businesses to see if they could do some kind of cross promotion. It was already dark outside when her phone buzzed with an incoming text. She thought it was Caden, but smiled when she saw it was a message from Meg.
Meg: Wanna come out with Alicia and me? We’re going to Madigan’s for a self-pity party drink.
Hallie smiled at the invitation. Garrett had called all three women earlier in the afternoon to let them know that it was Meg’s ex, Kenny, and a few of his friends that were responsible for the vandalism of their shop windows. Meg likely needed a girl’s night, and Hallie had an idea.
Hallie: I’d love to. Mind if I invite a friend?
Meg: The more the merrier! See ya soon.
Hallie clicked on Orly’s name and typed out a quick text.
Hallie: Meeting my friends Meg and Alicia at Madigan’s for a drink. You free?
Three dots came up almost immediately.
Orly: Yes! I’ll be there :)
***
When Hallie entered Madigan’s, she immediately spotted Skyla behind the bar serving drinks to a group of rowdy men. Instead of watching the game on one of the wide screen TVs mounted on the wall over the bar shelves, their attention was on Skyla and her every move. They were giving her their flashy million-dollar smiles, and doing their best to get her attention. But she seemed to be in her own world, just doing her job, almost on autopilot.
Hallie took a step back to let someone pass in front of her, and bumped into someone behind her. She turned and saw Orly standing there, smiling at her. “Hi, did you just get here?” Orly asked.
“Yep,” Hallie responded. She turned and spotted Alicia and Meg, already sitting in a booth in the far corner of the bar. “I see them,” she told Orly. “Come on, I’ll introduce you. This’ll be fun.”
Hallie proceeded through the small crowd of people until she reached the booth. As soon as Meg saw her, she jumped out of her seat and embraced Hallie in a big hug. “It’s so good to see you. I’m so glad you’re okay. The police told us you were there when it all went down. I can’t imagine how terrifying that must’ve been.”
Not really wanting to get into that nightmarish moment of her life before even sitting down, Hallie shrugged and turned back to Orly, who was standing a little behind her. “This is my friend Orly, she’s married to Caden’s best friend and she’s also good friends with the manager of this bar, so I thought it would be fun to invite her tonight.”
“You know Skyla?” Alicia asked. “She and I went to high school together back in the day.”
Hallie smiled. Alicia made it sound like they were much older than their actual late twenties.
“Ladies,” Skyla smiled brightly coming up to their table. “Hey Lish, Hallie, so good to see you here.” She gave Orly a quick side hug, then turned to Meg. “I don't believe we’ve officially met. I’m Skyla, and I kind of run this place.”
“Meg,” the other woman said. “It’s nice to meet you.”
The women exchanged a few more words of pleasantries, then ordered their drinks. Skyla left with their orders and Hallie turned back to her friends. “So, how are you guys doing?” She looked to Meg who was now fidgeting with her phone. “Expecting a call?”
Meg shook her head. “No, I guess not. Just maybe from my lawyer. I am so sorry for what Kenny did to you two. He’s such a jerk.”
Since Garrett was able to track down the footage of Kenny and his friends doing the deed on a traffic camera, it was unlikely that the men would get away with it. Still, Meg had nothing to apologize for. Kenny had acted on his own, with his stupid friends, and Garrett had assured all three women that the men would pay for what they’d done. Hallie was just glad no one had been hurt.
“You are not responsible for that man’s actions,” Hallie insisted. “Can you imagine if women went around apologizing for the dumb things the men in their lives did? We’d never catch a break.”
“Tell me about it,” Orly said. “First I lived with a monster and then I found out that my own brother was a psycho.”
“Men,” Alicia groaned. “And by the way, none of that is on you. Hallie may have shared a little of your story with us, and I just have to say, you are like the strongest person I’ve ever known.”
Orly’s eyes flew to Hallie, but she gave her a quick shake of the head, hoping Orly understood that she’d never betray her trust. Orly’s gift was a private matter that Hallie would never divulge to anyone without her permission.
The relief in Orly’s eyes was palpable, and Hallie squeezed her hand under the table. She knew better than anyone what it was like to have a secret she didn’t want to share.
It had taken all her courage to tell Orly and Caden. There was no way she was ready to tell anyone else, even Meg and Alicia. They were close, just not that close. And maybe it was Hallie’s fault for keeping the two women at arm’s length, but they each had their own lives, and she just didn’t want to burden them with her problems. It wasn’t like they could do anything about itanyway.
Skyla returned with their drinks and they clinked glasses. “Cheers!” They all called out and took several sips of their colorful concoctions. Conversation flowed easily and it wasn’t until they were on their second round of drinks that Meg’s pallor suddenly changed from a rosy pink to a grayish shade of white.
