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Magnolia
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“WANT A REFILL, BABE?” Jen offers me another glass of rosé and who am I to say no to the crisp, fruity goodness? I definitely need some liquid courage even though it’s post-battle with the humongous spider that’s probably still sleeping in my bed. Or crawling who knows where.
I shiver at the thought making Jen laugh.
“Mags, seriously what happened? The hair spray is a fool proof—”
I take another gulp of my wine. I downed the first glass like you take a shot, that’s why Jen is looking at me with a raised eyebrow.
“I was out of hairspray, Jennie. I used deodorant. It didn’t make it stick, it made it jump.”
“Well fuck.” Jen laughs. “I bet it must’ve burned the shit out of the poor spider.”
I narrow my eyes. “Poor spider? What about poor me? You know I don’t mean any creature any harm, as long as beings with more than four legs stick to the great outdoors.”
Jen gives me her shit eating grin. “I bet you’ll have more spiders around soon. Now that the little dude smells so good, thanks to you, I’m sure he’ll get laid plenty once he makes his way back outside.”
I groan. “Stop it. That’s all I need, to have helped that disgusting creature to proliferate even more.”
My eyes shift to the floor where Frank and Shreddie are sleeping “fur to fur”. “Aren’t those two adorable?” I muse.
Frank came to give me welcome kisses but as soon as he was satisfied with a few cuddles, he immediately ran back to hang with his new love.
“They really are. Shreddie has been way more friendly and relaxed since you left Frank here, she hasn’t shredded anything.”
I sigh, setting my glass down on the coffee table. “I’m glad to hear that but I miss my baby Frankie. I was hoping to take him home tomorrow morning.”
Jen shrugs. “I understand, babe. Maybe they can have regular play dates and sleepovers? I seriously think they’re in love.”
I look at the two fuzzy creatures curled up together in the cat bed and I smirk at Jen over the side of my wine glass.
“Well, be thankful that they can’t have puppies. What would a cat- dog hybrid be called? A “cog”?”
“Or a “dat”.” Jen giggles but it’s short lived as she looks at the clock hanging above the dining table. “It’s past 11:00 p.m., Mags, and those two aren’t back.”
I wrap a soothing arm around my bestie’s shoulders. “Babe, you need to relax. Have you seen the way Gemma looks at you? She talks about you all the time at work. That woman is in love with you. You need to trust that her ex coming back won’t change things between you two.”
“Easier said than done, Magnolia. You haven’t seen her. She’s stunning and I know that she was the one that got away for Gemma. She said that much a few times in the past. Look for yourself.”
Jen swipes her finger over her tablet, showing me Gemma’s Instagram. There are pictures of the two women out and about all over Silver Springs tonight.
“Peaches Brady? What kind of a ridiculous name is that?” I blurt out looking at the tall, leggy, redhead who’s sucking one of the giant cocktails from Vee through a straw.
One of her arms is obviously holding the phone to take the selfie, while the other one is wrapped tightly around Gemma’s neck.
Another photo has the two of them dancing closely on the dance floor.
“See?” Jen whines. “What would you do if that was Max? Or Porter?”
“Dag nabbit! You’re right. I’d totally freak. But Jennie, look more closely. This Peaches girl is all over Gemma, but look at your fiancée’s body language. I don’t think she’s into it. I would hold my horses and—”
The front door slams open and the sound of stumbling steps and barely stifled giggles reaches us before the two partygoers come into the room.
The way Jen’s eyes narrow when she sees Peaches literally plastered against Gemma’s side tells me that my attempt to rationalize this whole thing doesn’t matter a hill of beans.
“Hey Jenna!” Peaches greets stumbling even closer to Gemma.
“It’s Jen!” My bestie snaps but the newcomer doesn’t take any notice of being corrected as her eyes zero in on me.
Her brown eyes are glazed over and shiny and I can definitely tell that she’s three sheets to the wind by the way she slurs her words. “Who’s this hottie you’re cozying up to? The mice will obviously play when the cat’s away,” she says to Gemma.
“That’s Magnolia, Creamy, Jen’s bestie.”
“Aww, I love it when you call me Creamy, Twinkles. I miss the little names we always had for each other. But where are my manners?” Peaches extends a thin, long arm laden with bangles and offers me her hand to shake. “Magnolia, nice to meet you. Captain Peaches Brady.”
The woman sits down on the couch opposite the one Jen and I are occupying and accepts the glass of wine Gemma fetches from the kitchen. I take my refill with a smile.
“Thank you Twinkles.” Peaches smiles.
Jen’s expression darkens every time her fiancée’s ex utters what’s obviously an old term of endearment she used to call Gemma.
“So what brings you to Silver Springs, Peaches?”
The redhead’s smile widens. “You can call me Creamy, Magnolia. Gemma started calling me that when we were dating, because she said I smelled and tasted like Peaches and Cream.”
I immediately dislike her shameless flirting when she bats her fake eyelashes at Gemma and I see my bestie’s knuckles turn white around the stem of her wine glass. I take it with the excuse of pouring her another one, in fear that she’ll shatter it and cut herself.
I make quick work of refilling the drink and pass the glass back to Jen with a look of understanding.
If I thought that Jen was being dramatic and too jealous, I’m starting to rethink the situation because every word that leaves Peaches’ mouth is shameless flirting with Gemma or a provocation to my bestie.
“So, we were saying?” I ask, trying to sound friendly. “Are you in town for the weekend?”
Peaches replies with a shrug. “In all fairness, I came over here without a plan. It was so spur of the moment that I didn’t even book a hotel room for tonight. I decided to stop here after my layover flight in New York was cancelled. I’m coming straight from Germany.”
“Peaches was stationed in Germany with the US army. She’s a Captain,” Gemma explains.
I’m about to ask her about Europe, when Peaches interjects. “Was a captain. I just got an early retirement for medical reasons. And I planned to fly back home to Florida but when my flight was cancelled and I realized that I was just a few hours away from Silver Springs, I thought why not come here and rekindle things with my Twinkles. We broke up when I joined the military because after Officers school, I was sent to Germany and Gemma’s Medical school at Harvard put us at opposite ends of the world. Little did I know that the love of my life is engaged to be married!”
I kick Jen’s foot when I see her grit her teeth at the other woman.
Stay calm, Jennie. She came here on a whim and now that she knows that Gemma’s taken, she’ll be gone before you know it.
I try to convey all that with one look and Jen settles down just briefly, but things certainly aren’t going her way tonight.
“It’s getting late and I’m exhausted,” Peaches says with a yawn. “I better call an Uber and find a hotel room for the night, before I pass out on your couch, Twinkles.”
I’ve always maintained that sometimes book smart people are clueless about practical things or social cues, and Gemma must firmly sit in the latter category because she doesn’t notice her fiancée’s relief at the idea of Peaches leaving.
“Do you have anywhere in mind?” she asks.
“No, not really. I haven’t been to Silver Springs since the last time we visited your parents, just before I PCSed to Germany (PCS: Permanent Change of Station). I’m sure the Uber driver will be able to suggest some place nice. If not, I’ll look on TripAdvisor.”
Gemma opens her mouth to speak but my silent communication skills don’t work as well with her because my Don’t offer her to stay with you! totally misses the mark.
“Oh but if you’ve nowhere to go, we have Magnolia’s old room. It’s empty aside from my stuffed animal collection. Why don’t you stay with us for a few days?”
Peaches smiles coyly. “Are you sure? I would absolutely hate to impose.”
“Nonsense! That room is never used, you can stay as long as you want, Peaches. Actually, we have our engagement party on Saturday. Why don’t you stay at least until then? It would be awesome to have you here.”
There! If I ever saw anyone stick a foot right in their mouth, Gemma takes the cake.
“Omg, that would be amazing! I don’t know how to thank you, Twinkles. Or actually ... I might just have the perfect thank you gift for letting me stay with you and your gorgeous fiancée. Since you told me that you haven’t decided what kind of ceremony you want, I can marry you when the time comes!”
Jen sputters her wine back into her glass, her face turning all shades of red at the other woman’s offer. “I— we ... how?”
“That would be amazing!” Gemma squeals hugging her ex. “Peaches is an army chaplain.” She finally explains when she notices mine and Jen’s bewildered expressions. “What do you think, Jennie? Wouldn’t it be perfect if Peaches officiated?”
My bestie, for once in her life, is stunned into silence. So I try to come to her aid. “That’s definitely an interesting option. But I’m sure you girls can talk about what you want when you’re alone, right? Like Peaches said, it’s getting late and we’re all tired.”
Peaches rises from her seat on the couch and comes close to me. “Are you sleeping over too, Magnolia? If that’s the case, I don’t mind sharing.” My stunned expression must register because Gemma’s ex hastily adds, “Or I can crash on the couch.”
Now while I’m absolutely flattered by the heated look Peaches is throwing my way, Peaches Brady is the last being I’d ever hook up with if I were single. Not just because unfortunately when it comes to sex I’m painfully straight but because I’d never get into bed with the enemy. “That’s so very kind of you, Peaches. But no, I was about to walk back home. Your roommates will be just Gemma’s teddy bears.”
“Oh talking of which, you just reminded me, Magnolia!” Peaches walks to the hallway and unzips a large suitcase I hadn’t noticed when I came in.
She comes back into the living room holding a teddy bear in an army uniform with a cute black beret. The uniform is accurate in every detail, down to the US ARMY stitched in black letters on the breast of the ACUs (Army Combat Uniform). The only difference with a real army uniform is that where the soldier’s last name would go, the teddy bear has Ramstein.
“Oh my gosh, this is so cute! Thanks Creamy! I’ll think about you every time I look at it!”
That’s the perfect time for me to make my exit and I’ll be back tomorrow morning with breakfast because I know that Jen will think about Peaches every time she looks at that teddy bear too.