Kitty rolled her eyes. “Well, thanks to the temperance society here, I haven’t had a drink in ten days.”
“That’s a great start,” Marcus told her. “Congratulations.”
“How’s your ankle?” Laurel asked her. “Can you walk on it yet?”
“I don’t know.”
“Why don’t you give it a try,” Windy suggested.
“It’d probably feel good to get out of this stuffy room.” Laurel picked up her crutches. “You must be getting cabin fever up here.”
“And it’s a beautiful day outside,” Windy said. “The garden is looking better than ever.”
“You’ll feel better if you get out, Kitty. It’ll improve your entire outlook.” Riva smiled. “And you’ll get some vitamin D from the sunshine. That’ll help heal your ankle.”
“Come on, Kitty, take my hand,” Marcus offered. “I won’t let you fall.”
The women all stepped back as Marcus helped her up. They watched as Kitty sat up, then swung her legs over the side of the bed. Laurel offered her the crutches, but Kitty waved a dismissive hand. “I don’t need those stupid sticks. They just trip me up.” And just like that, she walked across the room and out the door. They cheered and followed her as she slowly went down the stairs. A small victory perhaps, but it was progress.
By the time they were all sitting outside in back, Kitty seemed almost happy. “I guess I should thank you guys for pushing me like this.”
“We’re just glad you were willing to try,” Riva assured her as she pulled out her phone again, opening up photos to have another look at Danny’s farm. “And I’m hoping you’ll be open to giving Danny a try too. At least, talk to him. He really is concerned for your welfare, Kitty.” She showed her the picture of the red barn surrounded by the green pasture. “His place has some great potential.”
Laurel poked Kitty in the shoulder. “And I decided that if you give him the heave-ho, I might have to check him out. He’s not hard to look at, and his farm might need some work, but it could be fun.”
“Yeah,” Windy agreed. “Especially if you’re interested in gardening like I am.” She winked. “Maybe I’ll go after him if Kitty declines.”
“Yeah, yeah,” Kitty said. “I don’t think you gals are even his type.”
“His type might’ve changed,” Riva told her. “Now that he’s committed to sobriety.”
“And again, that’s something you should carefully consider before you talk to him,” Marcus said somberly. “It’s pretty much a make-or-break for Danny.”
Kitty was still studying the pictures on Riva’s phone. “Dannylooks pretty good. He used to be a sweetheart ... but there’s been a lot of water under the bridge.”
“Alcohol-tainted water,” Laurel said glibly.
Riva tossed her a look.
“Anyway, things might be different, you know, if you were both committed to sobriety.” Laurel’s tone turned surprisingly gentle. “To be honest, if my ex cleaned up his act as much as Danny, and if he wasn’t already with someone else, I’d probably give him a second chance.”
Kitty looked dubious but nodded. “Well, I’ll think about it. And I should thank you guys for getting me out of my room. You’re right, it does feel better to be out here. But where does a girl get a drink?” She winked at Riva. “Asoftdrink.”
As Riva went inside to get Kitty a soda, she felt a small welcome rush of relief. Okay, maybe the Kitty dilemma was not fully resolved yet, but at least she was walking again. They definitely seemed to be on the right track.
Chapter28
Over the next several weeks, it seemed Kitty’s intervention was working. As far as Riva and the others knew, Kitty was maintaining her sobriety. And she was even doing her part with household chores and yard work. Kitty had cautiously allowed Danny back into her life and was now regularly attending AA meetings with him. No one was surprised when she lost her salon, and in some ways, she didn’t seem to care since her hairdresser’s license was still good and she could get work anywhere.
Riva suspected, despite Kitty’s complaints, she was relieved to be free of her business responsibilities, but whether she would be able to pay her next month’s rent was anyone’s guess. Riva decided not to obsess over it yet. It seemed more important to do what she could to get Kitty on a better path. And the housemates were doing all they could to encourage her too. Even Laurel had gotten better at holding her tongue when Kitty mouthed off.
Riva felt pleasantly surprised at their first “ladies only” book group. Not only had everyone, including Kitty, read their “assigned” novel, they seemed to have gotten something out of them. More importantly, the women seemed to have developed a new appreciation for each other. There was a new camaraderiein the house. Even Kitty was treating her housemates with a bit more respect. Albeit a bit savory.
“What was the single most important thing you learned from your book? The big takeaway,” Riva asked as they lounged in the library. I’ll go first. As you know, I went ahead and readA Gentleman in Moscow.”
“I thought that was the pick for our first official book group,” Laurel said. “Or have we scrapped that plan completely?”
“I guess time will tell. But since I was already reading it, I decided to use it for tonight. So anyway, without giving away too much plot, the thing that hit me was how the protagonist, that’s the main character, was in a prison of sorts. Partly enforced and partly of his own making. He was trapped, not just physically in the hotel but emotionally too. It made me realize I had sort of trapped myself right here in my lovely but lonely home, stuck in reliving old memories, trying to hold on to remnants of my previous life, refusing to embrace the larger life that was still out there waiting. But this guy’s world opened up through relationships. You ladies forced me out of my comfort zone and helped me to create a new life with friends and activities and community.” She smiled. “Thank you!”
