Take The Wins When You Can Get Them, Even If You're Longing For The One
Day 173 of The Andie Chronicles
The table in the corner looked like the one at Candy's Bar; in the corner, by the back wall—our table.
Except we weren't at Candy's Bar but at Garden State on Flinders Lane, and it wasn't the intimate suburban oasis we treasured. Yet, it was the four of us, plus the partners we'd come to love, and it felt like the old days. I couldn't complain.
But wedged in between GG and James, I had to remind myself this wasn't the old days. The status quo in my friendship group hadn't returned to normal. As much as the scenery looked right, I wasn't there with my friends.
My heart hadn't stopped hurting. My trust had yet to be restored. And after everything they said to me over months of emails, I couldn't handle their lack of honesty.
What they said about me, their lack of faith in me, well, that was a whole different story. My heart couldn't reconcile that quite yet.
As I studied the faces at the table, I had to remind myself my friends were allowed to hate me. They could think what they wanted about me.
But saying it?
Overthrowing me in my own business? Gees, it was pushing the boundaries of what you would call friendship.
I was trying to move on.
James handed me the cocktail list. "I'm ordering espresso martinis for the table. Ok, by you, babe?" I nodded. "Now, tell GG about the mailer idea."
GG heard her name and quit her conversation with Taylor to talk to us. "What's all this?"
I felt them both staring at me, waiting for my story.
"Um, well, James gave me the awful-looking mailer option. And I suggested he send the parcel to himself and see how it arrived."
"You're missing the best part. You said if it looked like shit, I could show Douglas and prove to him how bad the option was. And it arrived today."
"How did it look?" enquired GG, leaning into me, waiting anxiously for the next word.
"Fowl. Horrible. Covered in crap from the post, made worse by the fact it was white. And it had a hole in it, as predicted. Disaster."
I contained my smile; it felt nice, though, for a moment, to have a win. To prove to everyone I wasn't hopeless. To show my friends why they went into business with me in the first place. To win a minor yet significant championship of my own.
"And what did Douglas say?"
"Babe, you would be so proud of me. I walked the insufferable-looking package onto his desk, dumped it down, and the dirt exploded all over the hideous beige suit he had on. It was fabulous!"
James laughed, and GG joined him, and as I looked at my friends, I couldn't help but laugh with them.
As I returned from the bathroom some three cocktails later, Taylor bumped into me. "Oh, sorry," I said, unable to contain my smile.
"Why are you so happy, Andie? What is going on?"
You’re reading The Andie Chronicles, the 2023 romance-fiction series from the 1 Lovelock Drive (1LD) universe.
By the way, this all started when Andie turned thirty-five, and her then-boyfriend didn’t call her.
Or the day after that.
Or the day after that, too.
Everything started to unravel when her BFFs got into bed with her ex, too… ⬇️ ⬇️ ⬇️
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A little lost on what’s happening at 1 Lovelock Drive?
Well, you see, Andie’s break-up started back in February and so much has happened since then. These stories will help you catch right up! xx
