“Well, at least you weren’t full bush. That would have been embarrassing,” Jocelyn adds.
“Full bush is back in,” Roxy states.
“Is it?” Cornelia asks.
Roxy nods. “Oh, thank God. I have missed those days,” Margie says with a wistful look.
I sigh. “I mean, I had just taken an everything shower, so the lady bits and everything else were under control. I suppose it would have been more mortifying if it wasn’t.”
“Exactly,” Jocelyn agrees.
“Not to change the subject, but…what is everyone taking for the wedding? Cam, like, do you have colors or something?” Roxy asks.
Cam claps her hands. “Well, Drew is the best man, and Fletcher’s brothers are his best men. His nephew Timothy is going to be our ring bearer and Ava is going to be our flower girl. I don’t have colors, per se. Just flowers, lots of flowers.”
Piper puts her head in her hands and smiles. “It sounds wonderful. I can’t wait till we’re all there.”
There is a round of “me toos,” and then Margie tells us a story about the Italian men she slept with when they were on their European adventure. By my third glass of wine, I’m feeling a little better. Except, I can’t help wondering if Bray liked what he saw or if he just saw my stretch marks and belly. Ugh! I need to get over it. I need to go back to keeping Bray firmly in a friend zone that can never be breached.
I get a call from Bray at three the next afternoon, and I panic as I answer.
“What’s wrong?” I ask, still anxious after Ava’s fall.
“Nothing. Everything is OK. There was just a bad car accident, and they need an extra set of hands. I have to go in early, but Hutch is working from home and can take an hour off to come babysit. I’m sorry I can’t stay,” he says, and I can hear the sincerity in his voice. God, why is this man so perfect? I really should set him up on a dating app. Maybe I’ll do that tomorrow.
“Oh, no worries. That’s fine. I can leave a little early if Hutch needs to get back to work,” I say, feeling bad as usual. It’s always my friends helping me and seldom the other way around. I hope they don’t think I’m using them.
“Carls, it’s fine. Seriously, no one minds helping watch Ava. She’s a great kid. He’ll probably just bring his computer here, and she can draw while he finishes up stuff,” he says. He started calling me that nickname one night when we got drunk, ordered pizza after tucking Ava in, and watched some movie where the main character was named Carl. I pretend to hate it, but secretly I love that he has a nickname for me.
I breathe out and let my nerves calm. “OK. As long as he doesn’t mind, I do have a kid coming in for a three o’clock appointment. He should be here any second,” I explain.
His voice lowers a little, and his speech slows in a calming manner. “It’s alright. Everything is alright.”
I take a shaky breath. “Right. OK. Great. This appointment is over at three thirty. So let Hutch know I’ll be home a little before four.”
“Will do. I’ll see you tomorrow,” he says.
“I hope it’s not too bad at work,” I add.
“That makes two of us,” he says sardonically.
We say goodbye, and I disconnect as my student walks into the room. My mind stays on my insecurities around all the help we get as I work with the young man on a summer school thesis statement assignment.
By the time I get home an hour later, I’m worrying my lip between my teeth while opening my door. But I freeze as I hear Hutch’s deep laughter and Ava’s high-pitched giggles filling the air.
“Stop that, Ava,” he manages as I push the door open and find the two of them at the dining room table.
Ava’s head whips in my direction and her cheeks heat. Hutch turns to face me, and his cheeks also turn pink.
“What’s going on here?” I ask.
“Nothing,” Ava says quickly as she pretends to be very busy with coloring a page in some booklet Bray bought her at the art museum last week.
I put my hands on my hips. “What are you two up to?”
Hutch shrugs and looks guilty over at me. “Just…having a laugh, right, Aves?”
“Yep,” she says, and she presses her lips together, trying not to laugh.
