“Agreed.” Lyndi joins me by the mirror. “Here, I swiped these from the shop.” She hands me a gaudy, diamond encrusted necklace.
“Lyndi!” I gape.
“Oh, don’t worry, it’s fake. But it looks real, doesn’t it?” She beams.
“Extremely. You realize I’m going to a dance with teenagers. They might mug me.” I put it on anyway so I don’t offend her, but I might have to leave it in the car. Teenagers still scare me.
“Eh, let them take it.”
“Notthe part of the mugging I’m worried about.” I deadpan.
“You’ll be fine.” She turns around and grabs something off the nightstand. “But don’t let them steal these.” She hands me a box with some dainty teardrop earrings. “Thesearereal.”
My head flies up. “What?”
“This is my gift to you. For everything you have done and continue to do for me and Crew.” Tears flood her eyes like an on-call waterfall.
“Lyndi…” I grab her hands. “You know I’d do anything for you. You don’t owe me a thing.”
She swipes away a tear, but they keep coming. “Let me spoil you for a change.”
Tears slip from my own eyes, and I embrace her. But only for a minute. I’ve already done my makeup.
“Okay, put those on, I’ll be right back.” Lyndi sniffs and runs from the room. I put the earrings in, admiring their shimmer in the mirror. They are perfect.
I slip on my shoes and spray one more spritz of perfume. I’m going to be in a high school cafeteria; it can’t hurt.
I step out of the bathroom as Lyndi comes in clutching a package of gummy rings. And she’s devouring them like there’s no tomorrow.
“Are you all right?”
She blinks but the tears still stream down her face. “Of course. I’m just really hungry.”
I narrow my eyes, studying my best friend. It’s all so very familiar, right there on the tip of my memory. The emotional rollercoaster, the gummy candy obsession…
“You’re pregnant!” I screech.
Lyndi’s eyes dart up from the package of gummies, and her brows furrow. “No I’m not.”
“Really?” I snatch the bag and dangle it in front of her face. “This gummy fetish can only mean one thing.”
Her eyes slowly widen, and she blinks rapidly. I can see her piecing it together.
It’s taking her forever.
“But we’ve only been married two months, and I am…”
“Very fertile?” I supply with a grin.
She sprints into the bathroom and starts rummaging through the cupboard, chucking things out left and right.
“Whoa, calm down. What are you doing?”
“Ward’s sister gifted me a pregnancy test as a gag gift for my bridal shower, remember? I’m trying to find it. Aha!” She snatches a pink box out of the cabinet and rips into it like a wild woman. “What if Ward isn’t ready? I haven’t even had time to tell him about the dog! This is all happening so fast. What if he leaves me like Rodney did?”
“Whoa.” I grab her arm. “You know Ward is nothing like Rodney, so don’t say that ever again. This time is going to be so different.”
She swallows. “You’re right. Just freaking out a bit here.”
