“Who heads the volunteer program?” Roxie asked.
“Martha’s in charge of it, so she’s coming into the office all the time and asking for me to do something or other. I think I get caught in the middle in her excuse to visit with Sal,” she said with a wink.
“Martha is perfect for the task since it was always impossible to say no to that woman,” Roxie said with a chuckle.
“Tell me about it. I’ve even done trash cleanup,” Eden said. “But let me tell you, after doing that, if I see so much as someone throwing a gum wrapper on the ground, I won’t hesitate to yell at them until they pick it up.”
“I’m glad to be warned,” Roxie said before turning to Lily. “Better be careful, little girl, or Eden will be putting you to work.”
Lily clung a little tighter to Roxie’s hand as she glanced at Eden with a shy smile.
“I wouldn’t make you do anything that wasn’t fun,” Eden promised with a wink at Lily. “And sometimes, treasures can be found when you’re going through garbage.”
It was a warm day, and many people were milling about town, some sitting outside eating lunch, while others stood by buildings, visiting. It looked exactly the same, and yet subtle changes were showing throughout, such as planter boxes with bright flowers lining the streets, and new businesses that had customers walking in and out with bags. The town seemed to be thriving. It was a beautiful sight.
“Mr. Cortnick opened up a bakery over there,” Eden pointed out. “It’s absolutely sinful, and I know I’m going to gain ten pounds because I do good all day eating healthy and then get off work and swing by there. As soon as the door opens, I’m slammed in the face by mouthwatering smells and then buy half the case. I drop most of it off at the volunteer center, but not before consuming at least one pastry. I don’t know what that man does, but I’ve never tasted such good food,” Eden grumbled.
Roxie laughed. “We’ll definitely have to stop in there on the tour,” she said.
“Do you like chocolate doughnuts?” Eden asked Lily, who looked up and smiled.
“Yeah,” she said.
“Then for your sake, we’ll have to go there,” Eden said with too much enthusiasm.
“I remember our old bake sales―he would come in with the best treats. I’m glad to see he’s made a business of it now,” Roxie told her.
“I’m not,” Eden said. “He’s making me fat.”
“You know you haven’t changed one little bit,” Roxie said. She was amazed at how easy it was to slip back into her old routine with her friend. It was making her homecoming a lot better.
“Have you noticed my hips? I’ve gone up a pants size,” Eden said.
“I’m sure half the men in town have noticed your hips. They’re stunning,” Roxie said.
Eden laughed. “You don’t understand.” She lowered her voice and looked around before she spoke more quietly. “I was feeding Scooter, and I bent down and heard a horrible ripping sound. I was afraid to reach back, but I felt the breeze, so I already knew what had happened. My favorite jeans split down the middle. My ass has gotten so huge that I ripped out my jeans.” Her final words were spoken as a horrified gasp.
Roxie tried desperately to keep the laughter in, but between the horrified look on her friend’s face and the urgently whispered words, Roxie couldn’t keep it in. She bit her lip and still couldn’t stop herself. Laugher rolled out of her in waves, and soon she found herself bending over as she clasped her stomach as more and more laughter escaped. The longer the laughter continued, the more her stomach hurt. It took several moments for her to gain control over herself.
When she was finally able to stand upright again, she looked at her friend, who was wearing a bemused expression as she tried to look offended. She wasn’t pulling it off very well.
“I don’t know what to tell you, because you look great,” Roxie finally said.
“You can be horrified with me,” Eden suggested.
“Are you working out?” Roxie asked.
“Every day!” Eden said, her voice rising.
“Then maybe you are building that booty in beautiful waves. Don’t men like a good butt?” Roxie asked.
“Or maybe I just need to avoid the bakery,” Eden pointed out. Then she looked at Lily. “But not today, ’cause I can’t disappoint Lily.”
“Of course you can’t,” Roxie assured her. Her friend truly was beautiful, with what didn’t look to be an ounce of fat on her. She’d always been so thin in school, and now she looked like a woman with curves Roxie was almost envious about.
“Now that you’re back, maybe you can come work out with me sometime. I’m almost obsessive about it. I had so much pent-up tension in my life after my breakup, and I discovered I’m a much happier person when I lift weights. If only I could stick to my diet, I’d probably be in the best shape of my life,” Eden assured her.
“You are in the best shape of your life,” Roxie said. “And if weight lifting can relieve tension, then maybe I’ll have to take you up on that offer.”
“Yeah. I always love to bring newbies with me,” Eden said.
They made it to the park, where several people were enjoying the warm, sunny day. They continued chatting about different people in the community, and Roxie found herself smiling and laughing easily, as if she hadn’t ever left. She’d needed this time with her friend more than she’d realized. For too long she’d been suppressing her feelings, and being with Eden for less than an hour had begun cracking the careful wall she’d built around herself.
Maybe she’d been protecting herself when she hadn’t really needed to. Why had she let her feelings for one man influence her in so many ways? She’d kicked women like that in the past for being weak, and yet she’d turned into that. Maybe she’d now have the power to stop such negativity.
“There’s a group of the kids from the volunteer place,” Eden pointed out.
Five kids, two boys and three girls, were over at the restroom area with paint and brushes. They were laughing as three of them painted, and two were carting materials in and out and performing cleanup. She instantly recognized two of the boys from the hospital and felt panic stir in her. Would Kian be there? She’d avoided him since she and Lily had returned to Pam’s house, but this was a small town, and she knew the more she got out of the house, the more likely she’d see him.
“Who’s supervising them today?” Roxie asked, hoping her voice sounded casual. She didn’t want to admit to Eden she was afraid Kian would be there.
“Not sure who’s with them today, but most of the volunteer coordinators don’t hover, wanting them to feel like they’re capable and appreciated, not needing their hand held,” Eden said.
“I’m definitely going to have to get involved if I stay here,” Roxie said, but as soon as the words were out of her mouth, she realized that might make her run into Kian as well. This was all just too damn complicated.
“A lot of these kids come from troubled homes, or they have emotional or mental issues they’re dealing with. But this center is really great about not putting any of them into a category. They want them to be just like their peers, and the more respect they are treated with, the more stable they feel,” Eden said.