Page 4 of Not Just Gal Pals

“Well, I’d better be off,” Blake said abruptly, glancing at her watch. “I’ve got a patient in fifteen minutes.”

“Good to see you again,” I managed.

Blake gave a smile that didn’t reach her eyes and walked to the door.

I waited until Blake left the building before I turned to Amanda. “I can’t believe you didn’t tell me she’d be here.”

“Sorry, I was desperate. And if I had, you would have weaseled your way out of it. Anyway, you need to get used to being around her.”

This was true. Amanda’s bachelorette party was this weekend, and her wedding was in a week. Not only that, but we were both bridesmaids. When Amanda told me that Blake was also in the bridal party, I was taken aback. I didn’t realize how close the two had become in the past few years. I mentally shook myself. For Amanda’s sake, I needed to put my feelings for Blake aside—at least until her wedding was over.

Amanda inspected me closely. “I know she can be a little gruff, but I still don’t understand why you dislike her so much.”

“You know she’s more than a little gruff around me, and she’s been like that for years.” Since high school, to be precise. And it didn’t help that not only was she rude and standoffish, but she was also annoyingly perfect. “I know it’s not like all queer people have to be friends, but it would have been nice if we could have at least been friend-ly.” We’d been the only two “out” girls in our class. I’d come out as bi as a sophomore, Blake as a lesbian a year later. But Blake had brushed off all my attempts at friendship.

“How’s all the wedding prep going?” I asked, hoping to change the subject.

Amanda’s eyes lit up. “Great! My wedding planner is a superstar, despite being run off her feet with weddings while pregnant. To be honest, I thought it would be a lot more stressful than it has been, but she’s got everything under control. Which is just as well because I’ve got a whole lot of essays to grade this week.” She grimaced.

“That’s great! Well, let me know if there is anything I can do to help.”

Amanda bit her lip. “Actually, on that note…” Her voice trailed off. “Could you give Blake a hand with the bachelorette party? I get the impression she’s stressed about it. She’s had a lot going on at work, and I don’t think she’s had as much time as she expected to plan it. She’s terrible at asking for help, but I think she could really use some. And you’re so good at that kind of thing.”

My heart sank. I’d just survived one Blake interaction and wasn’t keen for another one so soon. “If you'd agreed to let me plan it in the first place, you wouldn't be in this predicament,” I said, sounding more petulant than I’d intended. But I had a point.

Instead of appointing a single maid of honor with all the usual responsibilities, Amanda had distributed tasks amongst her bridesmaids. She claimed it was to avoid overburdening any one person, but I suspected it was really to avoid hurting anyone’s feelings. While I’d put up my hand to plan the bachelorette party, Amanda had insisted it would be too difficult to do from LA. Instead, I’d been assigned to give a toast at the rehearsal dinner and provide emotional support.

“I know, I know, but it’s done now. Can you just help her, Jen? Please?” I sighed. As much as I wanted to avoid Blake, I loved Amanda and wanted her wedding to be a success. And if that meant having to deal with Blake, then I’d have to suck it up. And at least, for once, Blake was the one struggling.

“Ok, fine,” I said. “But have you spoken to her about this? I can’t just show up at her clinic and announce I’m taking over the bachelorette night.”

Amanda’s face broke into a broad smile. “Just to clarify, you’re not taking it over. Just helping her. And yes, I did mention that I’d see if you could help her. I’ll text you her number.”

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw the back door open, and Mrs. Harding appeared. She began walking toward us.

“Oh shit,” I muttered. “Mrs. Harding is on her way over. I gotta go.”

“She’s really quite a sweetheart when you get to know her,” Amanda said.

I raised an eyebrow, unconvinced. “Do I need to remind you of the To Kill a Mockingbird incident? Or the time she failed me because she didn’t think I’d actually read The Great Gatsby? Or the time—”

“Okay, point taken,” Amanda said hastily. “Just promise me you’ll reach out to Blake.”

“Yes, don’t worry. I’ll sort it out.” And with that, I turned and walked quickly toward the other exit before Mrs. Harding reached us and I was forced to relive any more high school trauma.

CHAPTER TWO

BLAKE

I winced as Dad thumped the printer and swore loudly. Multiple times a day, I questioned whether employing Dad as my receptionist was a good idea. This was one of those times. At least there weren’t any patients in the waiting room to witness his assault on my poor printer.

“Have you tried turning it off and on?” I yelled from my desk.

I turned back to the financial aid application I was completing for Mrs. Alvarez and sighed. She wasn’t able to navigate the complex financial aid system herself, and she desperately needed treatment for her diabetes complications. It wasn't part of my job, but I couldn’t just sit back and watch her suffer. Hopefully I could convince the hospital to give her the treatment she needed for free.

Once I finished, I’d head home to my little cottage, microwave a frozen meal, log back on from the couch to do some insurance paperwork and then sort out Amanda’s bachelorette party, which had been hanging over my head for weeks. I’d been so busy at work I’d struggled to find the time and inspiration to focus on it. But with only a few days to go, I had to make it my top priority. I couldn’t let Amanda down.

After a few moments of silence, Dad poked his head around the door, grinning. “Turns out I hadn’t turned it on. Thanks, pumpkin. I’m going to head home now. Have a good night.”