Between Us Girls (23 page)

“Maybe not. But it may be that she's resisting the warm-fuzzies rush. It can be hard to handle. Stubborn old ladies who resent heart attacks behave in a similar manner.” She winked, a slow, obvious lowering of one eyelid over the blue eye behind the large silver-rimmed glasses. “I truly appreciated the potluck, dear.” She turned to Chad across the table from them. “May I have one tiny little bite of your chimichanga?”

Jasmyn chided. “Liv.”

“Just a little.” She sliced an end off of Chad's stuffed tortilla and put it on her plate. “Just one teensy, itsy-bitsy bite.”

Chad took back his plate. “It's half gone.” Holding out the plate, he spoke to the others. “Anybody else want what's left of my dinner?”

Louis accepted his offer.

The bantering began and Jasmyn turned to Liv. “You sound like your old self again.”

“Oh, dear. Is that a good thing?”

“You know it is.”

“I hope so. But I don't want to completely be my old self again. I may have learned a thing or two through the ordeal.”

“Are you up for managing again?”

“I believe so.” She sighed and folded her hands on her lap. “I wish you didn't have to leave in two weeks.”

Ten days
, Jasmyn silently corrected. Who wanted to count out loud?

After dinner, Jasmyn and Sam strolled along a crowded sidewalk toward the Jeep parked several blocks away, past boutique and souvenir shops still open in the late evening to cater to ever-present tourists.

If Sam were Quinn, Jasmyn imagined they would pop in and out of stores, giggle over the silly things, drool over the chic clothing, and buy chocolate and refrigerator magnets. It was the sort of thing they did in the mall at Rockville, Illinois, population fifty-two thousand.

Not so with cool Sam. From the looks of her tailored clothes, she probably shopped in that one store at the mall geared toward businesswomen. She wouldn't give these places a second glance.

“Jasmyn.” Sam cleared her throat. “I, um, thank you for dinner. You didn't have to buy mine.”

“Yeah, I did. Consider it thanks for the desert trip and congratulations on your work.”

“Okay.”

“You're welcome. I'm sorry if I pushed you into having all those people there.”

“Don't apologize for doing something nice.”

“But you didn't have a good time.”

“I had a fine time.”

“Come on.” Jasmyn pointed at the plastic container in Sam's hand. “You didn't eat a fourth of your dinner.”

“Why would you notice what I ate?”

“Didn't eat.”

“Whatever. You're acting like Liv more and more.”

“I'll take that as a compliment.” Jasmyn nudged her. “Really, tell me what was wrong about tonight. I don't want it to happen again.”

“Nothing was wrong. I have social issues, that's all.”

“Yeah. You should get over that.”

Sam snickered.

Progress. Jasmyn smiled. The whole day and evening had been progress until Sam went quiet at the table. It was as if she crawled back behind that wall she kept up, that fortress. Things were fine until after the food had been served—“Oh my gosh!” Jasmyn said. “You have a problem with Beau.”

“No, I don't.”

Jasmyn burst out laughing. Sam's answer had been way too quick. “You got all quiet after he came.”

“I did not.”

“Did too.”

“Jasmyn! Good grief!”

She whispered, “Did too.”

“If I got quiet after he came, it was because he monopolizes every conversation. I didn't know you invited him.”

“Chad did.”

Sam exhaled what sounded like a big lump of frustration.

“Hey,” Jasmyn said. “Beau brought you a rose. Where's the rose?”

“I guess I left it at the table.”

“Aw, Sam.”

“It was over-the-top. He's over-the-top. Miss this and Miss that. Please and thank you and my Granny Mibs and all that homespun Kentucky jibber jabber.”

“Jibber jabber?”

“Yeah.”

Jasmyn giggled. “He knows how to push your buttons.”

“He's obnoxious.”

“He looked good in a tie.”

“Nobody wears a tie for casual dining in San Diego.”

“He's flirting.”

Sam whipped around to face her, so abruptly Jasmyn thought she'd lose her balance. “He is not.”

“He might be.”

Sam faced forward again and they crossed a street, the parking lot within sight.

Jasmyn wondered what Sam had against flirting. Hadn't she ever dated anyone? Or fallen in love? Or had a crush on someone?

Jasmyn sighed. She refused to end the evening on such a note. She grasped Sam's elbow and steered them both back toward the shops. “Let's get some chocolate. I saw chocolate truffles in a window back there.”

“I don't eat chocolate truffles.”

“Mm-hmm. Maybe we'll get some refrigerator magnets too.”

Thirty-Eight

Standing beside the trickling fountain, in shadows cast by the patio lights, Liv clasped her hands together and raved about the dinner to Keagan. “It was lovely.”

“That explains why you feel well enough to make your nightly rounds.” He turned toward his cottage. “Don't overdo it.”

Liv watched him walk away and called out, “Jasmyn fits in perfectly, don't you think?”

He didn't even look back. A moment later he opened his door and disappeared inside.

Liv smiled. He knew what she was talking about.

Jasmyn added a lovely spark to the Casa. Liv noticed that Keagan noticed because although he had skipped the restaurant gathering earlier that evening, he had attended the potluck last week, a rare occurrence.

Samantha was touched too. To think that Jasmyn had spent the entire day with her, that Samantha had told her about some work accomplishment, that Jasmyn had thrown together a festive dinner and Samantha came, that they weren't home yet because they must be out enjoying life— Well, that all said a lot.

If Liv polled the Casa family, she was certain they would all agree that Jasmyn was a perfect fit.

Of course she was. “Because You brought her to us, didn't You, Abba? And my old lady biological clock seems to have stopped its incessant ticking. Unless that was just my heart acting up.”

Smiling, she slid a cushioned chair out from a patio table and sat to
enjoy the night's beauty. The damp coastal air enhanced every fragrance the courtyard offered, a heady mix of floral, pine, eucalyptus, cedar mulch, and plain old dirt. The patio lights cast a soft glow over it all. Solar lamps in the ground lit pathways to the cottages.

She heard Jasmyn and Samantha before she saw them. Jasmyn's infectious giggle was at full volume—which was never very loud—and then, wonder of wonders, Samantha's low chuckle escalated into a burst of laughter.

They emerged from the back gate area, spotted her, and walked over.

“Liv!” Jasmyn sat on a chair beside her. “You're up awfully late.”

“For an invalid. I'm not an invalid anymore.”

Samantha stood before them and thrust a fist in the air. “Yesss! Mama Liv is back.”

Liv stared at her.

Jasmyn laughed. “Way to be excited, Sam.”

“It's the sugar. Liv, she made me eat truffles.” Samantha slapped a hand to her mouth and her eyes grew wide.

Jasmyn said, “Oops.”

Samantha lowered her hand. “We would have bought some for you, but, you know, it's not on your diet. We did get a magnet for you, though.”

Jasmyn dug into a shopping bag, pulled out a small sack, and handed it to her. “For your fridge. It says ‘I
heart
Seaside Village.' The heart's supposed to remind you to take care of yours.”

Liv took out a square magnet and chuckled. “Aren't you ladies thoughtful?”

“No,” Samantha said. “We just felt guilty about the truffles. Speaking of which, the sugar crash is coming.” She yawned. “Good night all.” She turned and walked toward her cottage.

Jasmyn called out, “See you tomorrow, BFF.”

Samantha waved over her shoulder.

Jasmyn whispered to Liv, “Do you think that was too much, the BFF part?”

“Best Friend Forever?” Liv smiled. “Yesterday, I would have said yes, but she's different tonight. The way she teased just now was simply amazing. I haven't heard her say a silly word in four years.”

“We had such a great time today. She really loosened up.”

“She's always so tense. I worry she's going to pop.”

“Exactly. I think she has a lot of hurt inside. Are we gossiping?”

“Not quite. We're both concerned for her well-being.” She squeezed Jasmyn's arm. “I must say that organizing the dinner for her was a stroke of genius.”

“I'm so glad you think so. Is it what you would've done?”

“No. She's always been a puzzle to me. I love on her the best I can, make her soup or whatnot, and encourage her with words, but I never have had a clue how to honor her and include our family in on it. Only a BFF could've done what you did.”

“It just came to me out of the blue, this wild idea to treat her to dinner. She was a little reluctant about inviting others, but I told her you and Chad especially would want to celebrate her accomplishment. Whatever it is.” She grinned and leaned closer. “I think Beau has a crush on her.”

“Really?”

“Really. And she was not happy about him being there. Not one bit.”

“Hmm. Maybe the crush goes both ways?”

“Maybe. They're total opposites.”

“Now we are gossiping.”

“Yes, we are. But it's a fun thought. Love makes the world go round, right?”

“Right.” Liv smiled. What was going on? Jasmyn's sweet voice sounded sweeter, more melodious than usual. The air positively shimmered with her bubbly energy.

There was more behind such happiness than chocolate truffles alone. Had something happened in the desert?

“Tell me about your day. All I've heard is that you loved the desert.”

“Oh, Liv, I was in absolute awe of it. It's simply magnificent. It's so huge. Huger than cornfields. And Overland, the town on the reservation, is just a speck in the middle of all that hugeness, but it was…” She grew pensive. “Well.” She turned to Liv. “It was magnificent too.”

Ah.
Now they were getting to it.

Jasmyn described her visit in great detail. By the time she finished telling her about the mission church and an old woman named Nova and the feel of a stone floor beneath her knees, Liv's cheeks were damp with tears.

Jasmyn wiped her own eyes. “I've been thanking God for things lately. I wasn't sure He was listening until now.”

Liv nodded. “Jasmyn, dear, you experienced a thin place.”

“What's a thin place?”

“Where the walls of this world go blurry and we get a glimpse of something Other. ‘Other' with a capital
O
.”

Jasmyn stared at her. “That was it.”

“You never know where or when you'll stumble into one. Maybe in a church, maybe in Walmart. And what's thin for someone might be thick for someone else.” She grasped Jasmyn's hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. “This was a gift especially for you.”

They sat in silence for several moments. Except for the sound of the trickling fountain, the air was hushed.

Jasmyn breathed out a long sigh. “Love does make the world go round.” She leaned over and kissed Liv's cheek. “Thank you.”