Page 24 of Thanks for the Friendship
“The house looks great though,” he says. “Are you ready to sell?”
I put my finger to my lips and look around. “Shhh. No one knows yet.”
He cringes. “Sorry.”
Theo and another guy I don’t recognize interrupt our conversation and drag Cal away.
I exhale loudly. It definitely feels good to have that over with. At least now the awkwardness should be gone if we continue to run into each other like we have been. And it’s a relief that Sara knows.
I fill a small plate with cheese and veggies and look around as I munch on a piece of celery. There are people dancing, and there’s a fun and lighthearted energy in the air. Dare I say, I’m enjoying myself? All of a sudden something catches my eye.
Sara is talking to a guy with chin-length brown hair near the bar. He’s very attractive in a rugged, bad boy kind of way. Something about their interaction seems odd to me. They aren’t standing super close to one another, but he keeps looking around cautiously. It almost seems like he’s on guard. And Sara is gazing at him like a teenager at a boy band concert. I’d know her expression anywhere. I’ve used that same expression on many occasions. Curiosity is taking over—so me and my plate of food casually start moving toward them.
All of a sudden the DJ stops the music and asks for everyone’s attention. There’s a bit of commotion, then a spotlight shines on the hammocks where Theo and Gabby are talking.
Right away I know what’s happening. That’s the exact place they met, and I’m betting that’s where Theo’s going to propose.
Reagan comes running over to me and grabs my arm. “Is this what I think it is?”
Theo takes a microphone and starts talking about how his life changed the moment he met Gabby and how she fell out of the hammock and into his heart.
That line totally makes me cringe.
Like clockwork, he gets down on one knee and produces a little white box. A collective gasp moves through the crowd as he asks her to spend the rest of her life with him. Tears start streaming down Gabby’s cheeks before she yells yes. Her hand is shaking as Theo slides a ring on her outstretched finger. And just like that, my friend Gabby is engaged to my neighbor Theo.
Life is certainly full of surprises.
Chapter Eight
“This is so romantic,” Reagan says, clutching her chest. I nod without saying a word, but tears have filled my eyes. Gabby has told us repeatedly that she was completely broken before moving to Miami and that Theo restored something in her she thought was lost forever.
The party guests are all charging toward the happy couple, so Reagan and I hang back to give them space. We’ll have plenty of time to talk to her later tonight after everyone leaves.
“Do you think she had any idea?” Reagan wonders aloud.
“I don’t think so. She looked completely shocked.”
I don’t tell her that Sara let it slip. It doesn’t matter now anyway.
“I’m thrilled for her.” She pauses. “I guess this means we won’t be living together forever after all.”
Hearing her say this feels like a knife going through my chest.
“At least she’ll be right next door to us,” Reagan adds. “Assuming they stay in Theo’s house.”
My mind starts spinning. She’s right about us not living together, only it’s not only Gabby who’ll be leaving.
“What’s wrong?” Reagan asks, interrupting my thoughts. “You are happy for them, aren’t you?”
If she had asked me this same question a year ago, I don’t know what I’d say, but things are different now.
“Of course. Gabby deserves this, and I know Theo loves her.”
I’m going to have to tell Reagan and Gabby that we’re selling the house. I didn’t want to bring the mood down before the party, but at least Gabby’s engagement should soften the blow for her.
Reagan is another story. When she first moved here she was living with her sister, Kennedy, who’s fun but very intense. She was beyond thrilled to move in with me and Gabby. I keep reminding myself that we have time. My parents didn’t say we had to move right away.
“Isn’t this exciting?” Sara squeals as she joins Reagan and me. I’m sure she’s relieved that the cat is out of the bag after she slipped and told me what she overheard.
