"Do you want a drink or anything? A beach chair? A sun bonnet? The newest issue ofPeoplemagazine?"
I chuckled. "Do you have all of those things?"
She thought about it for a second. "Yeah, I think so. I need to duck inside for a sec because I had an incident with the cold brew and now I need to change my top." She pointed to a stain that I wouldn't have noticed. "I also need to find my phone and put on some sunscreen before we embark on a festival journey."
"I'm good," I said. "I'll keep an eye on the pirates."
I kept a comfortable distance while Jude presented an advanced course on ATV engines and the kids played on the swings. A few minutes passed before I spotted an unfamiliar car turning down the driveway.
I didn't think much of it because everyone seemed to love and tolerate each other in this small town and Shay was full of stories of folks dropping by with bread and gossip. But then Jamie climbed out of the SUV, yelling, "Hello, Friendship. Do you feel me? I'm in you!"
Ruth emerged from the driver's side, frowning at Jamie over the hood. "I can't believe you talked me into this."
"James! Ruth!" I cried, striding toward them. "You're here!"
"Get over here, baby girl," Jamie said. "Where's that fiancé of yours?"
I pointed to the ATV as I gave her a squeeze. "He's not my fiancé."
"You might not be his fiancée but he's yours," she said.
"I'm not debating this with you today," I said, laughing. "It's so good to see you." I pulled Ruth in for a hug. "I didn't think you'd make it."
Ruth pointed to Jamie. "This one told me she was stranded in the city."
I gaped at Jamie. "You could've gotten a ride with us."
"Yeah but how else would I have sprung her from the office?" Jamie waved this off, crossing her arms. "I make no apologies for my antics."
"Never have," I muttered, folding her into a hug.
"Could you apologize for the part where you told me this was a porn festival?" Ruth asked.
"I never said it was a porn festival," Jamie said.
"You used the corn emoji," Ruth said. "That's universally known as code for porn. Even my senior partner knows that and he thinks the Macarena is still trending."
"If you'd prefer it to be a porn festival, we might have more in common than I originally thought," Jamie said.
"It's not that I prefer porn," Ruth said.
"It sounds like you prefer porn," Jamie said, rolling her lips together as she fought off a laugh. "And that's great! I also prefer porn to corn. Honestly, who doesn't?"
"I don't," I said.
"Okay, but that's only because we haven't found the right porn for you," Jamie said. "I'm still looking. I'll get back to you soon."
"You really don't have to do that," I said. "In other news: how are you, James? How are you feeling?"
"Quite tragically, I feel a million times better when I'm not drinking or having sex. But taking all that away is like kicking out two legs on this tripod of mine."
"What's the third leg?" Ruth asked.
"Witchcraft," Jamie said. "Obviously."
"You are much more than sex and alcohol," I said.
"And witchcraft," Ruth muttered.
