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As Rafferty led the tour through the kitchen working towards the backyard, both Tess and Natalie stayed behind.
“Your house is beautiful, Mia,” Tess said.
“Thank you.” Mia loved her house, and loved that it was hers. When they left, she was going to miss it. But it would be worth it to have Rafferty to herself.
“Food is here,” Mandy said, but she wasn’t carrying any when she walked into the room, just a baby boy in a car seat.
“Is it invisible?” Mia asked as she started to relax with everyone in her house.
“Ha ha,” Mandy said as the men came in and dropped off more food than the group was going to be able to eat at this impromptu get together.
Natalie looked at all the containers of food and asked, “What’s the plan, Mia?”
Mia sighed and smiled as she put the meat in the stove to heat up, “Rafferty and I are moving to Grand Forks. Together.”
It wasn’t what they had been asking, but it was what was on her mind. She had no idea how to feed a dozen people, and she had no idea how she was going to leave this town. Right now, leaving was foremost in her mind.
“What? No. You can’t leave.” Natalie looked at her.
Looking up, Mandy stopped taking her son from his car seat. “What about book club?”
“When did you decide this?” Tess pushed her sister-in-law away and took the baby from the car seat herself.
It was then that Hazel walked into the room, asking, “What are we talking about?”
“Mia thinks she’s leaving town,” Natalie explained to her friend as she gave Mia a side hug.
“You can’t leave, Mia. We need to have an emergency book club to talk you out of it.” Hazel looked around the room at the others, who were nodding.
“I was going to quit anyway. I can’t be around Ruth anymore,” Mia admitted as she looked for big bowls to put salads in.
Tess found some first and said, “There’s no quitting book club.”
“Why not? Ruth can’t stand me, and the feeling is mutual.” Mia slammed the cabinet door closed.
Hazel jumpedat the noise and said. “You two have always gotten along.”
“No, not in months,” Mia said, wondering how she hadn’t noticed.
“Then I shouldn’t have called her and invited her over? Sorry.” Opening a bag of chips to far, Tess looked confused as they fell onto the floor.
“I don’t really think she’ll come anyway.” Not after yesterday. They had said the words that had ended their friendship. There was no coming back from that.
“When are you leaving?” Mandy started picking up the chips, her focus on that and not on Mia—which meant she was more upset than she was letting on about Mia moving.
“Rafferty is leaving in a week or so, but I have to find a manager for the restaurant. Then I will follow. We were hoping to go look at places to live sometime this week.” Mia tried to sound excited.
“You’re finally getting out of here,” Natalie said. “Who’s going to do the winter carnival and the auction now?”
“You and Hazel could, Natalie. It’s a lot of work, but it can be fun,” Mia said to her younger, outgoing friend.
Both women looked at the other, but neither said anything. Mia knew the idea had to sit with them for a while before they decided to do it. Which she was sure they would.
“What you pulled in church today, Mia, holy cow. I think both of our mothers had you married with kids by the time the first hymn was over. And your mom had you having around six,” Mandy stated with a giggle.
“She’s not impressed that you’re having another one?” Mia asked, dodging the marriage question. They hadn’t settled on what to do with that yet. “I think it’s about time they gave up on that battle. I mean, Mom always has Kipling in the batter’s box. She can produce kids long after you Nordskov’s are completely dried up.”
Mandy laughed at the description of her family. Mia knew her mom looked on her youngest as the one who would bring her numbers up in the final inning. But maybe soon, Mia would add some numbers behind her name. Now with Rafferty in her life.
