Page 27 of Between Now and Forever
CHAPTER SEVEN
GABRIELLE
Come on in, Gabby,” Della calls from the other side of the screen door.
Laughter and soft music greet me as I step inside the small bungalow.
Della’s home is absolutely adorable and more feminine than I would’ve predicted. The white walls and ceilings are extra bright compared with the warm wooden floors. Instead of one giant chandelier overhead, there are five smaller lights. None of them match, yet somehow, they do.
The living area on the right is comfortably decorated with accents of pink and turquoise. A large art piece resembling paint thrown onto a canvas and smeared hangs above a slim fireplace. Ahead is the kitchen, where Della, Cricket, and a dark-headed woman I’ve never seen before are gathered around an island.
“Hey,” Della says, waving me in.
“There you are. I thought I would have to come and get you,” Cricket says, grinning.
“I argued with myself for ten minutes over whether I should bring something. Otherwise, I would’ve been on time.”
“Like I told you, the hostess takes care of everything,” Cricket says, her emerald-green blouse complementing her red hair perfectly.
Della smiles, looking up from a chopping board. “Besides, we don’t get fancy. Especially me. I keep it as simple as possible.”
“Gabby, this is our friend Scottie,” Cricket says, motioning to the dark-headed woman sitting beside her. “Scottie, this is my cousin Gabby.”
“It’s so nice to finally meet you, Gabby,” Scottie says, grinning.
“It’s nice to meet you too.”
“Scottie lives catty-corner to me,” Cricket says. “Her house has flower beds that look like a magazine cover.”
“That’s your house?” I ask, lifting a brow. “Oh, my gosh. It’s beautiful.”
She waves a hand through the air. “Thank you. But it’s pathetic, really. I gave up on men and decided that I was going to channel all my passion into gardening.” She laughs. “Let’s just say I didn’t imagine I’d have this much time to perfect the art.”
“Scottie is on a self-inflicted hiatus from men,” Della says, squeezing a lime into a glass.
“Not true.” Scottie points at her friend. “I did take a hiatus from men. But I called it off a year ago and haven’t found a suitable candidate to ease me back in.”
“I don’t want to be eased back in,” I say, coming around the island to stand beside Della. “It’s been so long since I had a man that I don’t want there to be anythingeasyabout it. Just give it to me, baby.”
Della bumps me with her hip, making me laugh. Then she hands out palomas with a salt rim and fresh lime wedge.
“If you don’t like tequila, I can make you something else,” she says. “I ordered enchiladas and rice from Gran Ranchero and thought palomas would go perfectly with it.”
“Della refuses to cook for us,” Cricket says, taking her drink.
“Wait, Alden has a Gran Ranchero?” I ask. “When did that happen?”
“Because I want you all alive and well, not knelt over your toilets fighting for your life,” Della says to Cricket. Then she turns to me. “No, Alden still just has Betty Lou’s. I was in Logan today and picked it up.”
“That makes sense. I was wondering how I missed a new restaurant in town.” I laugh. “Tequila is great. Thank you.”
The three friends argue over a pot roast Della recently made—or tried to make, depending on who’s talking. I sit on a barstool and sip my drink.
I didn’t realize how badly I needed this evening until now. How much I missed having girlfriends.
The tequila is potent as it hits my stomach. Instantly, liquid fire flows through my veins. I close my eyes and enjoy the sensation of giving up a bit of control and stress.
I enjoy being a woman with a life outside of her kids.
