It took less than a minute to get a reply.
Maeve:Hold on.
Sure. No worries. Not freaking out over here or anything. Before I could panic too much, Maeve texted back, but this time it was in a group text with… One, two, four… Oh my god…Nine numbers plus mine. What the hell?
Maeve:Ladies, we’ve got a Highland Falls hottie 911. Please reply with your name before I go on so Jules here can know who is weighing in.
There were dots indicating people were typing as I contemplated moving back to Chicago. Was this what you could expect in a small town? Before I could pull up Zillow, names flooded in. Grace, Emma, Elle, Allyson, Kristine, Kate, Maggie, and—holy shit—Ivy. Ivy hadn’t even been with us last night, but Maeve had pointed her out. And hell, Ivy was Noah’s ex, though everyone telling me about the connections between Noah, Ivy, and Jake seemed to think they were the kind of exes who were good friends and also co-parented a child. Sweet Lord, I didn’tknow what to do, but I knew I wanted to flee. One thing was for certain, I was never leaving this house again.
Before I could put that plan into action, the group chat started flooding with more than their names and hellos to me. I quickly added all their contact info so I could follow the chat.
Maeve:So, here’s the situation. Our girl Jules just realized who her backyard neighbor is. Thoughts?
Well, thanks Maeve. You could have just responded to my original text with ayes, Noah lives behind you. But now I was in some kind of group-text horror show, and I couldn’t look away. It was like a car wreck on the side of the highway and getting worse by the minute. Seemed healthy.
Maggie:I’m invested. What’s he wearing, Jules? Can you see him right now?
Emma:Girl, behave.
Maggie:You should know this is me behaving.
Grace:This is true.
Ivy:*Squeal* Maeve, thanks for adding me to this chat. Jules, hi! We didn’t get to visit last night. Sorry. Now, important stuff, do you like said neighbor? Want me to put in a good word for you?
Was I banging my head against my window seat? Yep. Sure was. But there was a cushion, so it was more symbolic than anything.
Kate:it might be important to remind you all at this juncture that not everyone is used to talking about all the intimate details of their lives like many of you.
Kristine:Kate, you’re no fun.
Kate:you know I speak the truth.
Allyson:Sweet Lord, Maeve, talk about overwhelming a person new to town.
Elle:Jules, I’m here for support, but I’m one of those people Kate’s referring to. No pressure from me.
Elle’s message had heart icons on it appear from Emma, Kate, and Allyson. I had a feeling I’d found my fellow introverts.
Maggie:Are you insinuating that I’m pressuring anyone?
Processing this chat in real time was something. These ladies must be voice texting, because the messages were coming fast and furious. I wasn’t even sure where to interject.
Maeve:No pressure, Jules. Just want you to know you have a team of women at your back and here for any conversations you want.
Ivy:I just realized my inclusion here might make you uncomfortable. Please know that I love Noah as my childhood friend and daughter’s dad, but nothing said here would be shared with him. That being said, happy to hop out of this chat if that helps.
Damn, the woman was kind as well as gorgeous? Of course she was. I couldn’t let her think my hesitation had to do with her. I fired off a message.
Jules:Hey all, I’m here. Ivy, no need to leave. Not sure what to say because there isn’t much to say. Just wanted to know if I was seeing things correctly and Noah is my neighbor.
There. That sounded nonchalant, right? Several folks “liked” my message, but then I saw someone was typing. Maggie’s text came in.
Maggie:Sure, babe. Whatever you need to tell yourself. Just know we’re here for you if you want a different conversation. But yes, Noah lives in Ivy’s old house, which is behind yours.
Oh, I hadn’t realized that. But then again, my entire interaction with Ivy had been a wave when Maeve and Maggie were filling me in last night. And now I was in a group text with her. Make it make sense.
Jules:Good to know. Might take me a while to get used to the small-town vibes here. Thanks for the chat.
