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“Oh, I hope it was good?” I ask playfully.
“Of course. Even prettier in real life. What are you drinking?” She smiles as she wipes down the bar in front of us. She seems nice, and I try to pick up some energy, but I am exhausted.
“Please tell me you have a margarita?” I ask almost pleadingly.
“Not common around here, but I can put one together.” With a smile, she gets to work in front of us.
“Big day?” Jasmine asks. From where she sits at myside, she sips on what looks like cola, but I am sure has liquor in it.
“Renovations have officially started,” I say, propping my hands on the bar.
“Oh my God, look at your hands!”
My eyes flick to my fingers that are red and dry.
“I spent the afternoon sanding the floors and then cleaning walls and taping up, ready to paint, before I hosed down the outside, so I’m ready to start the exterior painting tomorrow,” I tell her. My bones in my body are so sore from all the physical work of being up and down ladders and ripping tape and soaking sponges in cleaning fluid to remove stains and buildup from the walls. “The floor sanding went great. Although I think I went through at least ten rolls of painter’s tape just to tape up the windows and arches, but it will be worth it.”
“You're painting the whole house? Today you mentioned renovating, but I didn’t know you were doing so much!” Jasmine asks, surprised, or potentially looking at me like I am certifiably crazy. Could be either one at this point.
“What? Marie's place?” Lacy asks.
“That’s the plan. Bob helped me out today with all the paint and supplies,” I tell them, as Lacy slides over what looks to be one of the best margaritas I have ever had in my life and I haven’t even had a sip yet.
“That is going to take a while. So you are planning on staying?” Jasmine asks.
“Well, I have nothing but time. My plan is to do the outside during the morning and then inside during theafternoon. A few coats, and hopefully I will have it done in a week or two, maybe?” I say with a shrug. This is what I signed up for, and even though I am excited about it all, now after a full day's work, the novelty has worn off a little.
“Have you renovated homes before?” Lacy asks, and I huff a laugh.
“No. It’s my first time. But I have a passion for design. I always wanted to do something like this, and when I got the letter about Aunt Marie, it was like it was meant to be. Oh, and I started a blog,” I say, pulling out my cell.
“That’s so fun! Show us!” Jasmine says, her smile wide as she bounces a little in her seat. I open the social media and show the girls the images so far. All the before photos, a small video I put together, plus I spent some time last night taking progress photos and editing them so they look really good. My feed is already garnering followers.
“Oh, I'm going to follow,” Lacy says, pulling her cell from her back pocket.
“Me too!” Jasmine squeals.
“Should we take a photo? I can put it up?” I ask, smiling at how supportive they’re being.
“Yes!” The girls are immediately on board and the three of us squish our heads together. I quickly take the photo and upload it with #newfriends, tagging both the florist shop and the bar.
“So were you close to Marie?” Lacy asks as I sip the cocktail. It tastes so delicious, I’m regretting that this will be my one and only. Tanner's warning about driving Marie’s truck is still fresh in my mind so I want to have my mind clear for the drive home.
“No, I didn’t know she existed. I came here as a kid, apparently, but I don’t remember. But like a fairy godmother, she left her estate to me just as my life was starting to crumble,” I tell them, licking the salt off my lip.
“Really, what happened?” Jasmine sits forward, totally hooked on my story.
“My fiancé had a terrible accident.” I look at both of them seriously and watch their eyes widen as they wait for more.
“What happened?” Lacy asks, holding on to the edge of the bartop.
“He fell into his colleague’s vagina.”
They both pause for a second as I take another sip of my cocktail, looking at me, wide-eyed, before I give them a smile and we all burst into laughter. It feels good to be able to laugh about it. The only sting remaining is from being so stupid that I didn’t notice what was going on earlier.
“Oh my God, what an asshole,” Jasmine says.
“What a shit colleague,” Lacy states, and I nod.
