I sighed. “Sorry, sorry. You’re right.”
The server arrived and set down three plates loaded with fat, juicy cheeseburgers and thick, hand-cut fries. My mouth watered.
“I’m thinking of trying a paleo diet this summer to lose weight for the wedding.” Skylar announced this right before sinking her teeth into the doughy white bun of her burger.
“Ha! You’ll last less than a day.” Jillian poured ketchup onto her plate. “Trust me. I tried it last week. I didn’t even last the morning.”
“Why would you need to try it?” I looked at her incredulously. “You don’t have a spare ounce on you.” Skylar and I were always so jealous of Jillian’s naturally skinny frame. I swam endless miles every week to keep extra pounds off my short, curvy body.
“To feel better.” She shrugged. “I’ve heard people say they feel amazing on a paleo diet, but it was not realistic for me. I like bread too much. And pasta. And wine.”
“Yeah, the wine thing could be an issue for me, working for a winery and all.” Skylar set down the burger and dipped a fry in Jillian’s puddle of ketchup. “Maybe I’ll rethink it. So let’s talk about Natalie’s handsome stranger.” Her eyes went wide with delight. “Who could it be?”
“She didn’t say it was a handsome stranger, she just said it was a stranger.” I reached for the mustard and squirted some on the top half of my bun. “And it was a load of horse shit anyway.”
“You don’t know that. What if it isn’t?” Skylar waved a fry at me, a blob of ketchup dropping onto the table. “Everything else she said about you was spot on.”
I replaced the bun and took a big bite, chewing slowly as I mulled that over. Was it true what she’d said about me? That once I make a decision I follow it through to the end, whether it’s right or wrong? And wasn’t that admirable, anyway? Why was it stubborn to see your goals through? I was where I was in life because of determination and hard work. At twenty-six, I was a successful entrepreneur who’d started my own small business and managed it daily; a loyal girlfriend to my very first love; and a homeowner thanks to my wise investments and frugal living.
So why were Madam Psuka’s words so unsettling?
“Maybe ‘upended’ isn’t a bad thing,” I said hopefully. “Maybe it’s just big changes coming.”
“That’s true.” Jillian nodded enthusiastically. “She didn’t say the chaos was bad or anything. And no one can sort out chaos like you, Nat.”
“Thanks.” I gave her a grateful smile.
“Good chaos could even be fun,” Skylar put in. “Like getting engaged and planning a wedding. Or renovating your new house—that’s gonna be a huge project.”
I frowned at her. “It doesn’t need that much renovating, not really.”
Skylar’s eyes bugged out. “Natalie. You have a sponge painted dining room. No.”
“And that wallpaper in the guest bedroom is horrible,” Jillian added. “Sorry if I’m meddling.”
“And that ivy stencil in the kitchen.” Skylar shuddered.
“That doesn’t bother me so much. The master bedroom and bathroom are perfect. And I don’t have money to redo everything at once anyway.”
“What about Dan? Shouldn’t he be helping you with these costs? Assuming he ever moves in,” she muttered under her breath.
“He’ll move in, eventually.” I shrugged. “But he has to sell his condo first, and he’d remortgaged it to buy into the marina. Money is tight for him right now. Plus, I kind of like having the place to myself for a while. And I can afford it. I feel good about that.”
Skylar splayed her hand over her chest. “OK, but please let me help you in that kitchen. We’ll strip that paper and paint it. I cannot handle the ivy.”
Jillian laughed. “I’ll help too, when I can. My hours will be so much better than before. Almost human, I think.”
“Good. Then you can sign up for that online dating thing I told you about.” Skylar gave Jillian a smug look before polishing off her burger.
Jillian sighed, picked up her water glass, and put it back down. “Anyone ready for another drink?”
“Yes,” Skylar and I said together. We ordered glasses of wine from Abelard Vineyards, where Skylar worked and was planning to be married, and toasted our successes once more.
“To Skylar, may your wedding be the most beautiful event this town has ever seen,” Jillian said, glass raised.
“To Jilly Bean, may your future patients appreciate how lucky they are to have the best doctor in the world,” I said, clinking my glass to hers.
“To Natalie, may she always open the door of her new house to handsome strangers.” Skylar’s eyes glinted mischievously as she touched her glass to ours. “Sometimes a little chaos is a good thing.”
? ? ?
A few days later, I was getting ready for work when my phone vibrated on the bathroom vanity. Surprised, I glanced down at it as I finished winding the elastic around my ponytail. It was four in the morning. Who did I know that would even be up at this hour?
Miles Haas calling, read the screen