Page 39 of Spotlight
“I’m trying to finalize everything this week. Does the first weekend next month still work for you?”
I nod. “I already asked my grandparents if they could watch Greer.”
I don’t love leaving her for that long, but I know how important it is to keep my friendships too. Sabrina has been a real friend to me. I lost most of my closest girlfriends when I got pregnant. A few tried to keep in contact, but we were just at two different points in life. I couldn’t go out with them, and I was worrying about breastfeeding while they were figuring out college or dealing with boyfriend drama. It wasn’t all their fault. I’m sure I wasn’t as interested in their lives as I should have been either.
But with Sabrina it’s different. Maybe it’s our age or maybe we just get each other. We met at Lilac Lounge when she first moved to Lake City. She worked as a dancer, and I was bartending. I thought she would be one of those work friends who as soon as I mentioned my daughter would never ask to hang outside of the club. But she surprised me. She not only wanted to hang out, but she also wanted to meet Greer and made a point to suggest kid-friendly activities. We went to all the parks and museums in the city, and she didn’t blink an eye when Greer would have a meltdown, or plans had to change because suddenly Greer wasn’t feeling well or needed a nap.
Being a parent is a constant game of agility, and people who haven’t experienced it, don’t always understand. I didn’t.
“I can’t believe you’re getting married,” I say, smiling when she gets that soft, happy expression that makes her pale skin flush from head to toe. “What is Archer doing for his bachelor party?”
“He hasn’t decided. Brogan came up with more than a dozen ideas and has been pitching them to him one-by-one each night. Last night he suggested bungalows over the ocean in the Maldives. He had a slideshow and wore a Hawaiian shirt.”
“I feel like I got invited to the wrong party.”
She elbows me playfully. “I told Archer he couldn’t go anywhere I haven’t been. We still need to pick a honeymoon spot.”
We fall quiet for a beat as I continue to look at the succulents. I have two aloe plants, one in each hand.
“Maybe I should get a plant for the apartment.” Sabrina picks up a beautiful Easter cactus. I have one at home on our entertainment stand, where it gets just the right amount of indirect sunlight.
“Oh no, that one is finicky.” I decide to get both aloe plants and put them in the cart. I pick up a potted moon cactus and hold it out to her. “This one is basically impossible to kill.”
Laughing, she takes it. “Thanks. I think.”
I take the cactus from her and put that in my cart too.
After I’ve bought too many plants, we pay and start back toward the apartment.
Greer wore herself out twirling around the nursery and Sabrina carries her while I lug the plants in a paper bag.
“Okay, I told myself I wasn’t going to bring it up, but I have to know about Flynn.”
That uncomfortable, skin too tight for my body sensation spreads through me. “There really isn’t much to tell. He came into the club with some of his teammates.”
“And almost got into a fight defending you from what I heard.”
“I nearly forgot about that,” I admit. “It wasn’t that big of a deal. Some guy got handsy. I had it under control.”
“Still, had to feel good to have someone there in the moment.” She shudders in a way that says she might be remembering her own interactions with drunk people at the club. It doesn’t happen that often, thankfully, but the exchanges always leave me feeling gross.
“Yeah, until I accidentally tossed the beer at him.”
“What?” she asks, clearly having not heard that part.
“I was aiming for the other guy and Flynn stepped in the way,” I defend myself, then finally laugh. The look on his face was priceless. So damn adorable, even with beer dripping down his forehead and soaking his shirt.
“That reminds me, I need to call someone about my car.” I don’t have to work tonight, and I can walk to the bookstore for my usual Sunday afternoon week prep, but I’m going to need my vehicle eventually. I start to take out my phone and Sabrina places a hand on my arm.
“You can borrow mine until then. Archer has been driving me to the studio every morning anyway.”
“Adorable.” I grin at her and pocket my phone again. How many guys would wake up early to chauffer their partner to work just because they want to spend time with them? “Ruby rarely drives her car, so I’m sure I can borrow hers, but thank you. I appreciate it.”
“Any time,” she says, and I know she means it.
As the apartment complex comes into view, Greer lifts her head from Sabrina’s shoulder.
“Can we go to the studio and have a dance party?” she asks with those big, pleading eyes.
