The Magnolia Chronicles: Adventures in Modern Dating(52)

I thought Sam could do all of that for me. I was wrong.

That kiss was a ridiculous intersection of very bad things. It wrecked Sam and Tiel's relationship for months. It killed my professional partnership with Sam. For a time, it killed my professional partnership with the entire Walsh Associates firm. I was persona non grata as far as they were concerned.

Except for Riley. The youngest Walsh at the firm knew I'd never intended to destroy relationships or harm anything. Riley was the one who brought them back around and forced them to see I wasn't trying to break up Sam and Tiel. I was just trying to be the girl who went for it. He forced them to see I hadn't done anything wrong, not really. Not intentionally. Not more than humiliating myself.

That was a tough time for me. I was embarrassed by my actions and wounded by the backlash. I struggled to keep my business going. It was difficult to pitch my services to clients when I felt so fucking worthless. This was a small town and that meant I constantly looked over my shoulder at the hopes of avoiding a Walsh or one of their allies. I was anxious all the time. Worried and ashamed and devastated that I'd worked this hard, and I was losing it all because I kissed a boy who didn't want me.

Somewhere along the way, Andy and I became friends. She kept me at arm's length at first, but Andy does that with everyone. Icy cold and distant was her thing. But just as gradually as a sapling grows into a tree so thick you can't get your arms around it or remember a time when it wasn't a deep-rooted anchor in your life, she grew into one of my best friends. And she brought her posse along with her.

When I thought about the steps I took and the mountain I climbed toward being all right with myself, Andy and her friends were the ones clearing the way and holding my hands. I wouldn't have made it here and I wouldn't have two men vying for my affection if not for these women. They were hard on me once upon a time and that was the ugly way of it—women were often hard on each other. Unnecessarily so. But when they came around, they came all the way around. Circled up so tight they pulled me back together and squeezed the darkness right out.

It was absolutely unlikely. It was also the best outcome of a very bad thing.

"We have bigger problems than hating you," Lauren said. "Like the fact my house doesn't have floors yet and we're moving out of the loft at the end of the month and having a baby right after that. Those are real problems. Floors are problems."

Shannon dug inside her bag and retrieved her phone. "Tell me who I'm yelling at and I'll yell."

Andy reached across the table and plucked the phone from Shannon's hand. "We're not doing that, sweetie." She leaned closer to Lauren, wrapping her arm around the woman's shoulder. "You have subfloors. I know they aren't the reclaimed wood Matt promised you but those will go in soon. It will be done and buttoned up, even if I'm putting down the flooring myself."

"And I'll be there unpacking for you," Tiel added. "I know Riley is working on painting a mural for the baby's room."

"And I'll be there with my whip, cracking it as necessary," Shannon said.

"And I'll have the landscaping done later this week," I said. "I'll come over on moving day. I can bring a firefighter and an investment banker with me if you need extra muscle. They both have plenty to spare."

"Oh my god, that would be awesome," Tiel cried. "We can judge them!"

"I love judging men," Shannon mused. "Objectification is an essential element in taking down the patriarchy."

"I'm sure that makes sense to you," Lauren said to her.

"You know what's funny?" Andy asked. "My phone autocorrects fuck the patriarchy to fuck Patrick. There's a statement about something in there but I haven't decided what it is yet."

"Aaaaand you're cut off," Lauren said, snatching Andy's champagne flute.

"Scorecards," Shannon continued, ignoring her sisters-in-law. "Ranking criteria." She nodded to herself, humming. "This is outstanding. Let's make this happen."

"It's not like I don't have a plan for finishing your house and getting you moved in," Andy remarked. "But sure, let's invite Gigi's boyfriends over for a meat market. That's far superior to my strategic timelines and critical threshold planning."

"I know you have a plan," Lauren replied. "And I can't even explain how much I appreciate your plan and everything you've done to help me and Matt. I'm just…I'm feeling some pressure."

"Are we talking deep, twisting pressure or my soul is telling me to nest pressure?" Shannon asked. "Because there's a difference, and if it's the first one, we need to start timing that shit."

"It's not the first one," Lauren said, laughing. She patted her belly again. "This kid is high and tight. Not ready to go anywhere."

"Let's not eliminate the possibility," Tiel said. "You're talking to two women who went from living their pregnant lives to birthing babies in the span of twenty minutes."

"Yeah, I know. I don't really want to hear that right now," Lauren said. "Can we go back to talking about my house now and how Andy saved the day?"

"Jumping in on projects is my favorite thing," Andy said. "Even if it is because Matt crammed the shit out of his schedule these past months and hasn't had time to sleep, eat, or breathe. He did it so he'd have more flexibility when the baby arrives and I can't fault him for that. Even if he did fall asleep in last Monday's morning meeting."