AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Ding-dong. Mia closed the laptop and jogged down the stairs to peer out the peephole of the front door. Two smiling faces greeted her as she opened it.
“Hey, chicas. What are you doing here?”
Remy handed her a basket filled with two bottles of wine and baked goods. “We wanted to welcome you to the neighborhood.”
“Come on in. Thank you so much. This is so kind of you.” Mia accepted the basket as the women entered her home.
“No pequeños, little ones, today?” Mia asked.
“No, Mikel and Bently are on baby duty so we could have some girl time.” Jasmine smiled, tucking a dark strand of hair behind her ear. Jasmine’s almond-shaped eyes looked nothing like her brother’s.
“Perfecto. You can help me drink these,” Mia said, pulling the wine from the basket as she searched her drawer for a corkscrew.
“Don’t mind if I do.” Remy sighed as she sat in one of the barstools around the kitchen island.
“Please make yourself at home.” Mia encouraged Jasmine, who had held back.
They poured their drinks, and the conversation flowed more easily as one bottle turned into two.
“I have to say, I have never done day-drinking before, but I think it’s highly underrated.” Mia chuckled.
“There isn’t much opportunity for me as I’m almost always in mommy mode,” Jasmine said tracing the rim of her glass with her finger.
“I don’t usually drink more than one glass a couple times a year for special occasions, so I may be a little drunk right now,” Remy said before she hiccupped.
The women all shared a laugh.
Mia patted Remy’s thigh, about to say something, when the rough bump along her friend’s skin drew her attention. She immediately retracted her hand, noticing the long scar. “I’m so sorry. I was just going to tell you that it means you have to spend the afternoon with me until you sober up,” Mia said, hoping her apology was enough. She didn’t mean to draw attention to her friend’s injury.
Remy waved her hand. “Please don’t worry.” She pulled up her floral sundress to expose the full length of the healed dark flesh. “It’s a long story, but basically there was an intruder in my home and I was the only person to stop him from going after my daughter.”
Mia swallowed. Tears welled in her eyes. “Dios mío. I’m so sorry. I’m glad you and Lyra both made it out of that horrible situation.” She wiped her eyes.
“We all have different things we’ve had to face. I like to think I came out stronger from it,” Remy said, eyeing Jasmine.
Share something about yourself with your new friends.Open yourself. Her therapist’s words rang through her mind.
“That’s why I started doing yoga,” Mia blurted out.
“What’s why?” Jasmine asked, seeming intrigued.
“To help with . . . trauma,” Mia explained. Boy, when she decided to be more open, she went straight into the deep end. “It helps me connect my mind and body, to have something to look forward to, and to keep moving even when I feel . . . too depressed.”
“Maybe it could help me,” Jasmine said, her eyes meeting Mia’s as an understanding passed between the women.
“When should we have our first session?” Mia laughed, trying to lighten the mood.
“Tomorrow at the beach. We’re having a cookout at the cove,” Remy said.
“It’s a date,” Mia agreed.
Was it too much to hope Andre wouldn’t be there?
