Sounds like exactly what I need right now. Painting was a no-go this weekend, and to be honest, I’m kind of feeling like shit about it. I’m free any day but Thursday.
Sarah waited until she was parked in her driveway to respond.
Sarah 4:52 PM
Wednesday? Lily is going to stay with Dylan in the city for a few days. Want to come over around 5?
Beth 4:53 PM
Works for me. See you then.
Sarah didn’t like how slowly the days went by before Wednesday night. They gave her too much time to ruminate on the resurgence of her feelings for Beth. But the more she examined them, the more she realized they had never truly gone away—she had just gotten better at compartmentalizing them in recent years.
She rationalized to herself that these feelings had been bound to pop up now that she and Beth were friends again and spending more time together. But right now, it was best to keep that door closed.
Sarah peeled back the plastic shrink wrap around the roll of canvas, tossing it aside and unfurling the material across the hardwood floor of her living room. She had pushed the furniture to the edge of the room to create enough space for the surprise she had in mind for Beth.
She stepped back, flicking her wrist to check her watch. 4:51. She still had plenty of time before Beth was set to arrive. As she looked around the room at her handiwork—the couches moved, canvas laid flat across the floor, tubes of paint put on the coffee table—she hoped she wasn’t overstepping. It wasn’t her job to fix Beth’s painter’s block. She knew that. But she also knew a part of her had never been able to resist clearing obstacles that stood inthe way of the people she loved and their passions, and Beth was, after all, her family.
The doorbell rang, and it took Sarah a moment to realize it was Beth. She had become so accustomed over the years to Beth knocking and letting herself in that the sound of the bell was a reminder of how much things had really changed between them.
Sarah opened the door to Beth standing on her front porch, glass container in hand, filled with what looked like Beth’s famous trail mix.
“Hey, come on in,” Sarah said, pushing the door open further.
“Hey.” Beth’s greeting floated to her as she breezed over the threshold of the house through the door Sarah was still holding open. The signature floral scent of lavender accompanied her, and Sarah couldn’t help but inhale deeply as she followed Beth back into the kitchen.
“I made a big batch of trail mix yesterday.” She shook the contents of the container in her hand slightly. “I know how much you like it, so I made some extra for you. Oh, and catch.” Beth tossed a small rectangular package.
“M&Ms?”
“Yeah, you always pick all the chocolate out of the trail mix. It’s infuriating. So I brought you a bag to help keep the savory-to-sweet ratio even in this batch. Without that delicate balancing act, the whole experience is ruined.” She slid onto one of the counter stools as Sarah reached into the cabinet above the wine fridge, pulling down two stemless wine glasses.
Beth removed the lid on the trail mix, fishing around for a moment before plucking out a raisin.
“If you’re gonna call me out for my hoarding of M&M’s, I’m one hundred percent calling you out for stealing all the pretzels.” Sarah uncorked the chilled bottle of white, pouring it into the glasses in front of her. The liquid sloshed around as it settled.
“I know, I know.” Beth reached over into her purse, pulling out a small plastic baggie with extra pretzels. “That’s why I brought extras.”
“Looks like you thought of everything.” Sarah smiled, holding out the glass of wine to Beth.
“I try.” She raised her glass in a silent toast to Sarah before taking a sip, and Sarah watched the way the light reflected off her wine-kissed lips like the sun shimmering on the water.
She licked her bottom lip slowly before catching herself, hiding the gesture in her own sip of wine. Beth, it appeared, had not noticed because of course she hadn’t. They were friends—there shouldn’t be a single flicker of romantic energy between them anymore. Not after Sarah had worked so hard to put away all the pieces of herself that were capable of loving Beth like that again.
Sarah busied herself with setting out the small charcuterie plate, eyes cast down and focused on the task at hand, but that wooshing sound in her ears grew louder and louder.
“I was so excited to get your text on Sunday,” Beth started, popping a cashew into her mouth. “Honestly, the weekend kind of went downhill after I ran into you and Nell.”
“What happened?” Sarah asked, layering a delicate stack of fig jam, an apple slice, and goat Brie onto a cracker, popping it into her mouth.
“Well, Lily and I were supposed to go for a walk Saturday morning.” Beth reached forward, piling her own cracker with cheese and turkey pepperoni, carefully drizzling her creation with honey. “But I got ditched in favor of Wren again. I know it’s normal, and I love Wren so much, but I was looking forward to some quality time with Lily. Is that too much to ask for?”
Sarah looked around the kitchen, drawing out the act with playful dramatic flair.
“What are you doing?” Beth’s blond eyebrows knit together with confusion as Sarah laughed.
“I’m looking for Donna Walsh because I could have sworn she was just here. I’m pretty sure she used to say those same things when you and I started dating and I was monopolizing all your precious time. You blew her off for every long weekend and school break that first year to stay with me.”
