Page 4 of You Found Me
“At least he didn’t talk in the third person like the one before that.‘Jonah thinks Colette could be the mother of his children,’” Mia says through laughter.
“Why do I keep attracting men like this?” Lettie sighs, dramatically throwing her head back on the couch.
I pat her leg. “There is someone out there for you. You just haven’t met him yet.”
“Or you’ve already dated and now hate him for some unexplained reason,” mumbles Mia.
That someone would be Theo, Mia’s older brother, who Colette had been in love with since they moved to town. But something must have happened after they briefly dated in high school, because now she refuses to be around him unless it’s a group function. Even then, you can see it in her eyes that she still has feelings for him—though not all of them are pleasant.
“Not helpful,” I tell Mia with a pointed glare. Looking back at Lettie, I ask, “How’s work?”
She sighs out a breath of relief before responding, “School’s out for the summer, so right now I’m working at the youth center, and it’s been great. We’ve been planning on what fun activities we could add in around holidays. Like a trunk or treat around Halloween and there’s a possibility that I will be taking over the planning for Santa’s Village in December.”
“Oh, that’s right up your alley, Lettie!” Mia exclaims. “If you need help with anything, just let us know.”
“Especially since I’m a Christmas fiend,” I add in excitedly.
“You can count on it. Now Mia, tell Em about your love life, that way we can move on from my pathetic one.”
Mia smiles before relenting to our curiosity. “Nothing new is going on for me. Just the casual hookup every once in a while that leaves me frustratedly unsatisfied. You know, the usual.”
Unlike me, Mia has never been in a relationship for longer than a year. She dated a guy our senior year of college and itended badly enough that she swore off dating entirely. Only seeking out dates for hookups as a stress reliever.
“What about work, any fun new clients?” I ask, taking a sip of some chilled red wine.
“It’s been good. I love working in the apartment buildings, especially when my clients are couples buying their first home. Since they’re usually easy going, they’re always fun to work with. Oh! Did you talk to Chance about me decorating your new place?”
My stomach drops. With everything else that happened at lunch, I managed to forget that Chance and I diddiscuss it. I paste a pathetic smile on my face deciding a harmless lie is the best route. “We talked about it this morning actually, but Chance already found someone to do it. I guess a lot of the guys on his team use the same business and speak highly of it. I’m so sorry.”
She watches me for a beat, then waves off my apology. “No biggie, Em. Hopefully it turns out cute. I’m still waiting for that one job that makes everyone want to usemefor all their decorating needs.”
Colette, ever the supportive mom friend, squeezes Mia’s leg. “You will find that job. I have no doubt.”
A couple hours pass with the three of us catching up when my stomach decides to make it known that I never ate. Mia laughs at the rumbling sounds coming from me and decides we should all grab dinner before I turn into a hangry monster.
And to be fair, she isn’t wrong. I’m less than pleasant when I haven’t eaten.
Colette, who’s become paler and has a slight sheen of sweat on her forehead, winces. “I think I’m gonna have to pass on going out and focus on getting better for the party Saturday.”
“That’s totally okay. Thank you for letting me vent even when you aren’t feeling the best.” I pull her into a hug, Mia follows suit, and we head out.
Mia and I decide to go to Edie’s Eats, a diner down on Main Street, because we’re dying for a milkshake and curly fries. As soon as the bell above the door rings, the owner, Edith, is making her way over, arms wide open, and a smile on her weathered face.
“My sweet Emmaline! It has been too long since you’ve been around these parts.”
Squeezing the closest thing I have to a grandmother, I laugh. “Now why would you call me out like that, Edie? I was just here at Christmas.”
She pulls back with a chuckle. “Yeah, and it’s June now. I rest my case.”
Edie greets Mia in a similar fashion, then starts making her way back to the kitchen but not before adding, “Oh, your brother just sat down over in the corner if y’all wanna join him.”
Mia looks at me, as if to let me make the choice to sit with him or not. In lieu of answering, I hook my arm into hers and walk over to Theo.
To my surprise he’s not alone. But I can’t tell who it is. Mia calls out to catch Theo’s attention, “Oh, Teddy.”
I watch as he looks up, shakes his head while sporting a sneaky grin that rivals his sister’s, and responds, “Hey Bunny.”
When we were kids, Colette, Cori, and I thought his name was really Teddy. After pleading with us not to call him that in front of friends, we learned his name was actually Theo. Sometimes Mia chooses to be a brat and calls him Teddy when he’s out with friends.
