Page 33 of Everything I Crave

“Willow, it’s time to tell us what’s going on,” Mom says.

I tell them all about Nashville. All about how I lost every penny I had fighting Jake. How I lost friends, my career. Everything.

“And then, Gunnar completely rejected me today. I mean he’s been rejecting me since I first met him, but I thought we were getting closer, I thought … I don’t know what I thought. But that rejection just put me over the edge,” I finish.

“Oh, honey.” Mom strokes my hair and I lean into her touch. “Gunnar might be my fault.” She looks at the girls.

“Mom, what meddling did you do this time?” Scarlett asks, pinning her with a stare. Scarlett and Preston are only together because of Mom’s meddling so she knows a thing or two about being on the receiving end.

Lacey laughs. “Oh she just showed up at The Bar and tore Gunnar a new one the day you moved in.”

“Mom!” Addy admonishes her.

She at least looks ashamed.

“It’s not my fault! You were drinking so much, then he just happens to have a room and a job above and at a place where you were drinking! I didn’t know he loved her!”

“Well you’re part right. He doesn’t love me though.” I laugh thinking about my tiny mom threatening big bad Gunnar. The laughter bubbles up and out of my mouth before I can stop it, I’m doubled over laughing at the whole situation.

“Girl, what are you laughing at?” Addy asks with a bemused smile.

“Just picture it. Mom inside The Bar, all five foot one of her, waggling her finger, yelling at six foot three Gunnar, and him just taking it and being scared enough that he’s actually listening to her!”

My sisters join me laughing at the image in our heads.

“Hey, no! He’s just a respectful boy!” Mom defends him, but calling him a respectful boy just makes me laugh harder knowing what he can do to me. And imagining what I want him to do to me again. Respectful isn’t exactly what comes to mind.

Once we’re able to gather ourselves after laughing so hard, we enjoy some snacks that Lacey brought and wine that Addy brought.

Mom places the plastic red cups on the blanket but before she pours them, she pulls out a sparkling water for me.

“I know about Gunnar’s rule. So if you don’t want wine, I brought this.” She whispers to me and uncorks the wine.

I squeeze her leg in thanks and pour myself a glass of sparkling water. Mom passes the other girls their glasses of red wine. Lacey lays out our snacksthat consist of snacks for a child. She shrugs when I give her a questioning look.

“You guys gave me like four seconds to get snacks! I didn’t want to miss sister time so you get what was in the pantry, and between Oliver and Colton I don’t have adult snacks. So take your Oreos and shut up.”

We all laugh and put our hands out for our cookies.

Just as Addy takes her Oreos from Lacey, her foot knocks over Scarlett’s wine and it soaks into my dress.

“Oh, shoot! Willow, I’m so sorry!” Addy and Mom rush to the hem of my dress with napkins and in the process Addy spills her glass down the front of my dress. The whole scene is straight out of a comedy. “Oh no! I’m more sorry now!”

“It’s fine. This dress was thrifted and cost me maybe three dollars,” I say through the laughter.

“Still! Now you’re covered in wine! You look like Scarlett when she spilled the whole pitcher of fruit punch, remember that?” Addy looks at Scarlett with a hint of a smile starting to spread.

“Oh my. That was quite the mess. Your father was so upset, we had just redone the wood floors and hadn’t stained them yet,” Mom recalls.

“The spot is still there! He couldn’t sand it off. He was so angry with me. That was the first time we went hiking together. He apologized for getting angry, and then told me how we were going to fixit. I was sticky the whole way because I ran and hid in the treehouse!”

I remember that day so vividly. I was maybe three years old, Scarlett was nine. She wanted juice but our parents were busy with remodeling our old farmhouse. Mom had just made the pitcher of juice so it was full to the brim. We all thought Dad was going to take Scarlett away to live somewhere else, he was so angry. Lacey, Addy and I had never been happier when we saw them walk back through the door laughing.

I use some of the sparkling water to try to get off some of the wine, but it’s a lost cause.

Shortly after, my alarm sounds. Reminding me it’s time for work.

I thank the girls for coming, and hug them.

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