Putting the last of the baby items into the drawer, Rosie turned to her best friend, Liz, and said, “You know, you really do have it all.” Pointing to her friend’s expanding belly, she said, “You married the perfect man, you’re having his baby, and you got the best dog ever.” She smiled warmly, even as her mind added, I should have found it first.
Liz positively beamed with the praise. “I don’t know how I got so lucky.” Patting her belly while looking around the newly decorated room. “Thank you so much for doing all of this. Although it should have been for you. I can’t even imagine how all of this happened to me before you. You’ve always been the more outgoing of the two of us.”
Internally cringing, Rosie wondered if Liz had learned to read minds as her pregnancy advanced. It would not be any stranger than the idea that her husband actually came from a different dimension. No matter how normal he appeared, the magical powers he possessed reminded her of his difference.
Again, Liz seemed to be thinking along the same lines as Rosie’s thoughts. “Scott said he might be able to teach me to use the earth’s elemental energy. Did you know they call it elemy for short?”
“What makes him think you’d be able to learn? Isn’t it something only Tualans can master?” Leaning back against the chest of drawers, Rosie’s expression clearly showed alarm. “Is he sure it won’t hurt the baby?”
Sitting down on the plush comforter, Liz let her hand roam across the smooth fabric, luxuriating in the feeling of the firm mattress beneath her. Pulling her feet up, she scooted back until she rested against the headboard. “Scott assures me it’s not dangerous to either myself or the baby. He also thinks I must have some relative in my history who’s from Tuala.”
Coming to sit at the end of the bed, Rosie rubbed Liz’s foot as she asked, “What gave him that idea?”
“He said there’s no way I should’ve remembered anything about my time in Tuala unless I have some of their blood in my ancestry. There’s something about a veil that erases memories when crossed.”
“Do you believe him?” Rosie switched her massage to Liz’s other foot.
Lifting one shoulder, Liz replied, “There’s no reason to doubt him, nor is there any way for me to prove him right. I don’t know anything about my parents or their ancestry. Unless I somehow locate my family, I’m just going to have to trust in Scott’s theory.”
“Parentage aside, what kinds of things does he want to teach you?”
Another shrug, Liz answered, “I don’t really know. He said what the mind can think, the elemy can create. I guess the sky’s the limit. I think it’ll be fun to try, even though I’m not holding out much hope of actually succeeding.”
“Isn’t belief a part of it?” Rosie pinched her toe playfully.
“Yes. I’ll have to work on that, now won’t I.”
“I should probably get going so you and Scott can have a proper house-warming without me hanging around and ruining it all.”
“Are you sure that’s why you’re in such a rush? It doesn’t have anything to do with that hunk of a guy who greeted us when we got here?”
“Didn’t you say his name was Link?
“Oh, so you were paying attention to me after all.”
“Ha. Ha. Only if you’re into the tall, dark, and dangerous type.”
“He can’t be that dangerous. Scott says he’s an old friend of his.”
“Somehow, that doesn’t give me much assurance.” Patting Liz’s feet one last time, Rosie stood up to leave. Seeing Liz struggling to get herself up, she offered her a helping hand. Together, the girls left the bedroom to make their way back to the front door.
“Where’s Link?” Liz asked Scott.
“He had to go home. He was actually just leaving when we got here. He said to tell you goodbye.” Scott leaned forward to kiss Liz on the cheek while drawing her close to him. He rested her back against his stomach while draping his arms protectively across her middle.
Rosie thought they looked like the perfect picture of wedded bliss. Once again, she felt a pang of jealousy. She was thrilled for her best friend, but she wanted the same security for herself. “I’m getting outta here before things start getting any more awkward.” Rosie grinned to take any sting out of her words.
“Oh, Rosie,” Scott hastily interjected. “We’re planning a house-warming party for this weekend. I hope you’ll be able to make it.”
Liz glanced up at Scott and innocently asked, “Is Link going to be there?”
Raising one eyebrow playfully, Scott asked, “Should I be jealous, or are you asking for someone else?”
Playfully swatting his hand, she answered, “Obviously for me!” Seeing his look of disbelief, she began laughing. “As if!”
Rosie stood her ground, eagerly waiting for Scott’s reply. She certainly would find a way to free up her weekend if Link were going to be attending the party. Something about that man had drawn her in, something on a gut level she had never before experienced.
“Yes, and a few other people who were responsible for making this house possible.”
Liz raised one eyebrow, wondering who those people might be. Instead of worrying about it now, she turned to Rosie and said, “Can you please let Eliana know about it as well? We both want to have her come over.”
“Sure. I’ll definitely do that. Okay, well, I’m glad you two are happy with how this place turned out. I’m getting out of here before I regret staying.” She looked pointedly at Scott’s hands, resting proprietarily around Liz. “I think you have some celebrating to do without a third wheel.”
Liz blushed at Rosie’s mention of their upcoming activities. “I’ll talk to you soon, Rosie.”
Rosie let herself out of the house and over to her waiting Uber. One of the reasons she was so eager to go was knowing the driver would only wait five minutes before driving away and charging her the fare anyway. She let herself into the back seat, already thinking how nice it would be to go home to a friend rather than an empty house.
More than once, she was glad Liz had introduced her to Eliana. The girl was everything Liz had purported her to be, friendly, clean, and always paid her part of the bills on time. She had just about had it with the crazy, lazy roommates she had found through Craigslist.
Once she let herself into the apartment, she instantly spotted Eliana coming out of her bedroom. “Hey,” she said in greeting.
“Was Liz happy with the place?”
“Absolutely. Oh, before I forget. Liz and Scott asked me if you want to attend their housewarming party this coming weekend.”
“Sure, sounds like fun. I still can’t believe they got a house in the suburbs. It’s so not like Liz.”
“Tell me about it. I think I’d go crazy if I had that much space around me and nobody to ask for help if something went wrong.”
“I don’t know; I think it’s kind of nice to have some space to myself.” She looked up swiftly, worried she might have offended Rosie. “Not that I don’t appreciate having a place to live here with you.”
Rosie laughed. “I know what you meant. The city isn’t for everyone, but I happen to love it.”
“Yeah, it does have its benefits. Maybe you’ll get a chance to see some places where the scenery is worth the inconvenience of driving a little to get anywhere.”
With a shiver of revulsion, Rosie shook her head. “No way. You couldn’t pay me enough to want to drive anywhere around here. It’s almost like a death sentence with all those wackos out there.”
Eliana merely shook her head at her sadly.
Rosie grinned. This was a frequent argument between the two of them. She walked into the kitchen to see what was left in the fridge for dinner. Noticing the almost empty shelves, she said, “You up for Chinese takeout tonight?”
“Sure.”
“Another benefit of living in the city. Food delivered straight to your door at any time of the night.” Rosie laughed out loud at Eliana rolling her eyes.