“Your style has changed so much over the years,” Sarah observed, looking back at her over her shoulder. “In all the best ways, of course.” She tossed Beth a charming smile, sauntering back to their table. “Working on anything fun these days?”
She froze under Sarah’s unassuming question. The truth was no—she still hadn’t been able to produce anything more than the most basic sketch or drawing. Her studio, paints, brushes, and canvases remained untouched.
“Not really,” she said quickly, hoping that would be enough to quell Sarah’s curiosity.
Sarah simply raised an eyebrow as she sipped from her glass. Of course she saw right through Beth’s response.
“How do you do that?” Beth asked.
“What?”
“How do you always know there’s more than what I’m saying?”
“I’m very good at reading people. You should know that better than anyone,” Sarah said quietly.
Their eyes met over the small, flickering, flameless candle on the table between them. Beth took the time to really study Sarah in a way she hadn’t in years, trying to see beneath the carefully constructed exterior Sarah had always been so good at showing the world, searching for what existed behind it in the parts she kept the most guarded.
“Youhavealways been good at that.” Beth took another sip from her glass, contemplating what to say next. “I’m not actually working on anything right now. I haven’t been working on anything since Jamie died,” she said flatly.
If Beth were being honest, she’d admit that she was starting to get annoyed with all the lingering bits of grief that still existed in her day-to-day life and how they showed up unexpectedly on nights like tonight. She’d tell Sarah she was done and ready to fully move on to the next chapter of her life, leaving the chapter markedJamiebehind, but that truth stung a little too much for her to stomach saying it out loud just yet.
Sarah eyed her. “Do you want solutions? Or someone to listen?”
Beth blinked. She had been ready for Sarah to leap into solutioning mode—willing to turn over every stone until she found the right answer to Beth’s problems. It was what she had done ever since they had known each other. Sarah had a knack for finding genius solutions to even the most nonsensical issues. But here she was asking what Beth wanted instead of jumping right in. That was new.
“I think I just want you to listen tonight.” Beth’s voice was quiet, but even she could hear the relief in her words.
“You’ll find I’m a lot better at listening than I used to be.” Sarah smiled over the rim of her wine glass, taking the last sipbefore refilling both their glasses. “I’ve got nothing but time tonight.”
So that was exactly what they did. They took turns talking and listening and listening and talking until the bottle of wine between them disappeared and Sophie returned from the room behind the bar.
“I’m going to lock up soon. How was the wine?” she asked, collecting their empty glasses.
“It was phenomenal,” Beth said, words slurring together just the tiniest bit. The wine had been delicious, but she was feeling it.
“I’m going to call Lily. I don’t think either of us should be driving right now,” Sarah said, trying for the third time to put her arm in her coat sleeve.
Beth giggled as they waved goodbye to Sophie, promising to come back once Grapes of Wrath officially opened. Sarah stopped on the sidewalk outside the tasting room, her phone in her hand and Lily’s name already on the screen as she put the phone on speaker, holding it up between them.
Lily answered on the third ring.
“Hi, sweetie,” Sarah said in the same warm, soft tone she always used with Lily.
“Hi, love!” Beth said a little too loudly, holding up her hand to stifle her giggle.
“Moms? Why are you two together?” Lily asked, her skepticism coming through.
“I ran into your mama, Pat, and Sean, and we all had a glass of wine together,” Sarah explained as Beth swayed from one foot to the other, watching the way the street lights reflected in the puddles on the sidewalk.
“Sounds like more than just one.” Amusement laced Lily’s words as Sarah rolled her eyes.
“Can you come pick us up? We’re on Main Street between the gift shop and the Pho Palace.”
“Yeah, fine. I’ll be there in ten minutes,” Lily said before Sarah’s screen went dark.
“Whatever happened to the art of saying goodbye?” Sarah mused, sliding her phone back into the pocket of her trench coat.
“Communication is a dying art form,” Beth said lazily, shifting her head back and forth, still watching the reflections of light dancing in the puddles.
