Snowwasbeginningtofall softly as Esther and Tiffany parked in the church lot on Christmas Eve.
“You’ll give it to him, right?”Tiffany said, before she turned off her SUV.“He’s still your friend.”
A gift bag filled with coffee and a mug covered in images of gears and other mechanical things sat on Esther’s lap.“Just not his best friend,” she muttered.The sting of those words from Friday had still not gone away.
“It makes sense.You know it does,” Tiffany said.
“Yeah, I know.”Of course, it made sense.“Steve should be my best guy friend if I’m really serious about him.”Tiffany had said that very thing several times in the short drive to the church.And yet, Sean’s words from the Waterwheel would not let go of her.
The door locks clicked open when Tiffany turned off the engine, but then, she pushed the lock button again and turned toward Esther.“You just have to decide if Steve is who you want as your best guy friend and if you’re truly serious about him.If not, then you need to talk to Fred.And before you say it, there is no law against a girl asking a guy out or letting him know she’d like to take their friendship up a notch.It doesn’t matter what Mandy says.It’s neither brazen nor unladylike.”
Tiffany held her gaze until Esther gave a small nod of her head.It was easy to agree with Tiffany about Mandy.It was harder to put that agreement into practice.She had always cared what Mandy thought.But Tiffany was right.Mandy wasn’t the one who had to live Esther’s life.That was Esther’s to do.She sighed.Being herself was so hard when it pushed against disappointing the people she cared about.
“Speaking of Mandy,” Tiffany said.“There she is now.We should head in.”
Sure enough, Mandy had just pulled into the spot next to Esther’s side of Tiffany’s vehicle.There was no more hiding to do.No more time for indecision.Either this gift bag was a gift for Fred in an on-going tradition, or the last one she’d ever give him and the end of an era.That had been the conclusion of her discussion with Tiffany as they had driven to church, and it was truly the only outcome that could be.It wasn’t like she didn’t know that.She did.It was exactly what she had been thinking.
It was just that Tiffany’s confirmation that her thoughts were right about this gift had Esther wanting to both cry and reach for her phone to call Steve just so she could hear his voice and reassure herself that he and Madison were the correct choice.
“Hey, what’s that?”Mandy pointed at Esther’s gift as she exited her car just after Esther had gotten out of Tiffany’s.
“Fred’s gift.Like always.”Esther fell into step between Tiffany and Mandy as they walked toward the front door of the church.
“Does Steve know you’re giving Fred a gift?”Mandy asked.
“No.But he doesn’t need to know.This is a tradition that Fred and I have held for years, and I bought this for him before I started dating Steve.It seems rather foolish and wasteful to not give it to the person it was purchased for.”
“Whoa.Snappy much?”
“She’s a little bit of a mess over it,” Tiffany answered.
“As she should be.I mean, giving gifts to former best friends that are guys when you’re dating isn’t exactly the best way to inspire trust from the boyfriend.”
Esther stopped walking.“But I bought it before we were dating.”It wasn’t a big deal, was it?Tiffany hadn’t thought so.But maybe Mandy was right.“Maybe I should call Steve and let him know about it before I go in.”
“Isn’t he going to be here tonight?”Mandy asked.
“He’s at his parents’ house in New Brunswick,” Tiffany answered again for Esther.
“Oh, right.I thought he wasn’t going until tomorrow.”
“And have Madison miss opening stockings with her nanny and poppy?”Tiffany asked in a tone that clearly said Mandy should have figured that one out.“What parent wants to drive three hours on Christmas Day with an excited child who is anxious for presents?”
Mandy shrugged.“Yeah, I guess I can see how my thinking wasn’t quite right there.But then, I’m not a parent, so why would I know these things?”
“I’m not a parent either,” Tiffany pointed out.
Mandy waved the comment away.“But you sell houses to people with kids so you’re just more tuned into what they need.”
“And you never see children in the waiting room at the orthodontist office?”Tiffany asked.
“Of course, I see them, but we don’t discuss where the Christmas tree is going to fit in the living room.I get them crayons and tell the parents the password for the Wi-Fi.That’s about as involved as I get.Oh, and we discuss vacations a bit when it comes to scheduling appointments.”
“Well, maybe you should talk to them more, since I know you’d like to be a mom at some point in your life,” Tiffany grumbled.
“Do you mind if I make this call in your car?”Esther asked.
Tiffany sighed.“Fine.Let’s go make a call.Mandy, save us seats.”
