Page 121 of The Guy Who Stole My Ranch

“Jerry. And my wife is Hillary.”

“Nice to meet you, Jerry,” Jessica said. “Please tell Hillary hello for us.”

He grinned. “Will do.”

“Well,” I said, “that’s enough to make you feel warm and fuzzy inside.”

“It’s incredibly sweet,” Nanette said.

“Thinking about starting a new tradition with David?” Teresa asked.

Nanette shook her head. “No, but it makes me wonder if we need to start something new.”

I nodded. We’d begun this storage unit thing so we could stay connected after we got out of the weight loss program. To have common experiences together, which grew our friendships. If this was getting old, maybe it was time to start something else.

“We never really discussed it, but one reason we started opening storage units was so we didn’t go back to eating everything in sight,” Jessica said.

“In theory,” I patted my hips.

“In theory.” Jessica nodded in agreement.

“Our problem then was weight loss.” Jessica looked around at each of us. “What are our problems now?” She pointed at Nanette.

“Rarely being in the same place for more than a few months.”

That made sense, considering she always went with her husband to his filming locations.

Jessica’s finger turned to Teresa.

“Balancing Marcus, playing in several groups, and teaching. All in a new city.”

Moving away from New York had been harder for Teresa than she’d thought it would be. That and a new husband—no matter how great he was—had stretched her in uncomfortable ways.

Ashley spoke next. “I hate to say it, but fame. I sometimes miss my anonymity. It’s weird for strangers to come up and chat with me like they’ve known me forever.”

“I get that,” Nanette said.

Jessica’s gaze fell on me, and I shrugged. “Either I’m taking over my dad’s ranch or I’m moving.”

“Or you’re going to start dating a billionaire,” Nanette teased.

“Or that.” I pointed at Jessica. “What about you?”

Jessica sighed. “I’m struggling with all of my best friends dating and getting married.” Tears glistened in her eyes. “Sorry.”

The rest of us engulfed her in a group hug. I knew how she felt, but now I also knew how the others had felt as they started their dating journey.

“Sounds like we’re all in new places in our lives,” Nanette said softly.

“Yeah,” Teresa said with a sniff.

I didn’t know how this would resolve, but I knew that the Curvy Girl Crew would be different moving forward.

I also knew my life was about to change, and I could only hope it would be for the better.

Chapter 32

-William-

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