Page 18 of The Logic of Loyalty

Becky

I’d be disappointed if there wasn’t.

She is so ridiculous.

I pull up to Bethany’s house while Abigail chatters about her favorite animals being penguins in the back. Jacob jumps out of the car and runs up to Bethany, giving her a massive hug before running past her into the mausoleum that is the Whitaker house. I hop out of the car and give her a hug, which she returns awkwardly before spinning around and chasing him, true laughter trailing behind the two of them.

“Are you ready, Ms. Paige?”

I check in the back seat to see the joyful girl staring at me. “I’m ready, Ms. Abigail.”

The drive to the coffee shop is uneventful, and I can see Becky at our favorite booth when I walk into The Tea. I’m not two steps into the place before she’s yelling out to me. “Took you long enough!”

“Yeah, yeah, yeah.” I sass back. I point to the line for coffee, and she rolls her eyes but nods as she takes a sip of her drink. I turn to my small friend and kneel to her level. “Wanna go see Ms. Duchamp, darling?”

Abigail shakes her head. “No, thank you.”

“Okay, ma’am. Would you rather stand in line with Ms. Paige or sit with Ms. Duchamp?”

I already know the answer, but I’ll give her the choice. “Hmm.” The tiny copy of her mother taps her lips in contemplation. “Ms. Duchamp, please.”

I nod my head in pretend seriousness. “Okay, darling.” She nods somberly in response before dancing off to sit across from Becky. Her face brightens as the tinkle of Abigail’s soft voice starts talking about penguins again. “I hope she talks about peacocks.” Jill’s peacocks would be something they could agree is fascinating.

At the counter, I notice Doris moving without the usual pep in her step. “Hey, Doris! How are you this morning?”

“Oh. Hey, there, Paige, darling. I’m just fine. How about you? How are you doing with everything happening with you?”

I barely resist the urge to cover my belly with my hand. “I’m doing great. Can I get a caramel macchiato with oat milk, please?”

Doris tips her head to the side, inspecting me, then nods and selects a cup. “I’m assuming you want a large, like Becky over there.”

“Did she ask for it in drip yet?”

“No, hun. It’s summer. That’s a fall, winter, and spring request for her.”

I snort. “Good point.” The whir and clinks of the best drink in existence being made fill the silence between us. I wait at the counter since nobody is waiting in line behind me. “Oh, can I add an Italian peach creamer for Abigail?” Doris absently nods, grabs the necessary ingredients, and starts the additional drink. I tap the counter a few times and yawn. Damn, I’m tired. “How’s Patrick?”

“That old man? He’s doing old man things. Refusing to retire from that damn auto shop.” She chuckles. “I’ll tell him you asked about him. It’ll make his day.”

“Oh, goodness, Doris.” I accept the drink from her. “You and Pat need to come over for dinner sometime.”

Face filled with warmth, she bobs her head once. “That sounds wonderful, Paige. Thank you.”

I nod and head over to the table where, sure enough, Becky and Abigail are discussing the oddities of peacocks.

“I’m just saying, why are the males so beautiful? I’d love a dress that color.” Becky is leaning forward, arms resting on the table in front of her, holding a phone out to Abigail.

“I want a peacock dress, too, Ms. Duchamp.”

Becky slaps the table and points to her. “See? You get it.” She waves me over. “Abigail gets it.”

She bounces in her seat. “I get it!” I slide into the booth beside her and pass over her drink. “Mmm. Thank you!”

I thread my fingers around my cup and take a deep drink. “Mmm. So good. So, we need to plan for the fourth! I also want to invite Bethany and Bobby, so maybe she can break out of her shell, and you two can finally stop missing each other.”

Becky smirks. “I think you’re missing the subtle part, Paige.”

“I think the only way I can get her to come is by inviting her boyfriend, so maybe inviting the people who work with him is good, so it’s not as obvious?” Becky knows that I’ve been trying to drag Bethany into our sphere for ages, so I don’t feel bad about being so obvious about it. I also want to get a look at how Bobby acts around her and their coworkers. The accusation from last week swirls around my mind, unchecked. Mostly, though, I want her to feel welcomed by my friends and her family. She and Trevor need to get over themselves. We all could use Bethany’s friendship just as much as she needs ours.