Page 83 of Coming Up Roses

“Well, he’s . . .” Cash pauses, searching for the words. “Not what I expected.”

“Told you so, babe. Now, wanna meet everyone for lunch?”

“Sure thing, darlin’.” We walk hand-in-hand out to the parking lot. “I’ll follow you?”

“Sounds good.” I drop a quick kiss to his cheek before hopping into Bertha.

* * *

I guidethe Land Cruiser to stop right outside Dilly’s, a cute little lunch spot about a block from the salon. Cash pulls his truck into the spot behind mine before coming over to open my door for me.

“You ate here before?” he asks, helping me out of Bertha.

“A time or two. They’re so close, but I always forget they’re here. But the bean isn’t feeling Dream Beans, and this is close enough for the girls to join. OH! You haven’t met Magnolia. I hope she comes. Warning though, babe—she’s shy. Like super shy.”

“Well, we’re at no risk for me scaring her away. Azalea though . . .” he trails off, knowing full and well that I’m catching his drift. Girl’s a freight train gone off the tracks some days. Others, she’s the Southern belle her mama raised her to be. The fun thing is that you never know which you’ll get.

It seems we’re the first to arrive, and since I’m not sure on how many are joining us, the hostess seats us at a large table in the back. Slowly but surely, our group starts to trickle in. First Drake, then Azalea.

“Hey, AzzyJo. Is Magnolia coming?” I ask her as she takes the seat next to me.

“Sure is,” she tells me before turning to face Drake. “So you sure as shit had best be on your best behavior.”

Drake holds his hands up in front of him. “Damn, Little Bit. Ain’t been here five minutes and you’re startin’ in on me.”

Azalea sighs loudly. “I mean it. She’s . . . fragile. So be nice, and calm, and quiet. You know, all the things you aren’t?”

“You wouldn’t like me if I was all those things, Bit.”

“I hardly like you now.”

“Not what you said last—”

I can feel Azalea kick him under the table as she yells, “Can you just fucking agree to be nice?”

“Yeah, sure thing, Az,” Drake says, his eyebrows drawn tight.

“Is Seraphine coming with Magnolia?” I ask, attempting to slice through their tension, because damn, it’s thick.

“No, her dad’s nurse called as we were leaving. I’m finished with my clients, so we just shut down the salon. I made her swear she’d call if she needed us.”

I don’t like that, not one bit. That girl needs to realize that asking for help doesn’t make her weak, especially when she has so many people who love and want to help her.

A few moments later, the door chimes and Magnolia walks in. Her head is down and her shoulders are hunched in, as if she’s trying to make herself as small as possible. Briefly, she lifts her eyes to scan the restaurant before beelining for our table.

As she draws near, I realize she has tears in her eyes. “Mags?” I use the nickname without thinking about it. “Are you okay?”

“Oh, y–yeah, sure. I . . . b–backed into someone trying to park. I’m not the best driver, still fairly n–new.” She looks down, embarrassed by her admission.

“Oh, well, that’s no big deal, hun. Not to mention, that’s what insurance is for.”

“Y–yeah. You’re r–right. H–he was just so m–mad,” she laments, taking the seat next to Azalea. Over the course of the past week, Azalea, Seraphine, and I quickly realized Magnolia gets uncomfortable around men, so we try to always be present as a buffer.

Even now, Azalea quietly asks her to switch seats, ensuring that Mags is girl-locked on both sides. She’s just gotten herself situated at her new seat when the door chimes again.

This time it’s Simon, and he’s fuming, muttering, and mumbling to himself as he heads our way. When he notices Magnolia, though, he comes to a dead stop. After forcing several deep breaths, he schools his features into what I call his calm mask.

“Sweetheart, you okay?” It takes me a moment to realize he’s addressing Mags.

She nods, refusing to make eye contact. “You sure?” She nods again. “Good. I gave that jackass the what-for and sent him on down the road. Acting like a little paint swap is the end of the goddamn world. I swear, some fucking people.”

Once we’re all here, introductions are made, and Simon relays to us the altercation outside. Lunch is amazing, and the company is even better. By the time our checks arrive, we’re all laughing, smiling, and passing around the pictures from my ultrasound.

All-in-all, today has been nothing short of magical. And I just know I’m the luckiest girl around because I have an entire lifetime of this on my horizon.

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