All's Fair in Love and Las Vegas

Chapter Eighty-Eight

        Monday night was the closest thing the three of us had to a weekend. Nina was off from work, Kylie was off from a long weekend of bartending, and I was only one day into my week at the hospital. This had worked for years, and secretly, I'd been hoping both of them had forgotten this system in my absence. It wasn't that I didn't want to hang out with my best friends, but I didn't know how much energy I could summon up for a long night of giggles and laughs.

        This week we met at Nina's house. She lived fifteen minutes away in this modern house with a heated driveway and a pool built into the basement. In a way, this made her the richest of all of us, even though the house had been a gift from her aunt.

        "Come in!" she sang when I knocked on the door. I opened the door to the warm scent of fresh-baked cookies, which only made my stomach growl. I'd just gotten done at work, meaning I hadn't had a chance to eat yet. 

        Kylie was already there, sitting at the counter and swinging her feet. In front of her was a bottle of wine with a huge pink bow tied to the neck. I assumed she'd brought it, since Nina wasn't the kind to get something so flashy.

        "Jackie, settle an argument," Kylie said, spinning on her chair. "If you go on vacation, is it better to go to a place where it's warm and sunny and peaceful to just sit and relax, or is it better to go somewhere where you want to do a lot of cool stuff?"

        "I'm biased–I've only done one of those," I pointed out.

        "That's exactly why I asked you," she agreed.

        Nina snorted, still transferring cookies onto the cooling rack. "Jackie would say see cool stuff, since she doesn't know how to relax."

        "I can relax," I said defensively.

        "You've checked your phone three times since you've sat down," she noted.

        "For work purposes," I said.

        Kylie clucked her tongue and gently held my hand. "Sweetie, that just makes it worse."

        "Well, no work stuff, because this is the first time in months we've actually hung out together," Nina said, setting down the tray of cookies before sitting at the table. Within five minutes, there were half of the cookies left.

        "Anyone have any good tea?" Kylie asked, downing another cookie.

        I snorted. "Kylie, you'd be the only one with tea. Nina and I have no life."

        "My exciting thing of the week was petting a cat," Nina agreed sadly.

        Kylie shrugged. "No tea from me."

        "Um, yes, tea, when is Clay proposing?" Nina asked.

        "He's not," Kylie groaned, raking her fingers through her blonde hair.

        Even though I knew the truth, I still had to ask. "Why not?"

        "Because Clay isn't the type to settle down," she said reasonably. "He's eighteen and has dated every girl who lives north of the forty-fifth parallel. As much as I'd like to say I'm different, it's just not practical. Even if he did want to make me his forever, we'd probably just date for the rest of our lives."

        "Wow. That sounded like Jackie talking," Nina deadpanned before whipping out the world's thickest binder. "Anyways, you're wrong and I've been planning your wedding for the past month."

        Kylie was intrigued, but said, "It's not happening, Neens."

        "Is too."

        It took everything in me not to explode with my secret. I felt horrible that Kylie didn't think Clay was serious enough to marry her, when in reality he was desperate to make their relationship permanent. But all I said was, "If he asked, would you say yes?"

        "Gosh, of course," she said, a flitter of wistfulness crossing her face. "But he wouldn't, so might as well accept it."

        Nina and I exchanged frowns before The Binder was opened. "I've already decided you're having it on the beach," Nina explained. "I'm thinking a theme of crystals and jewels and diamonds. We can have it at sunset so everything is super reflective and shimmery. You still need to pick out a dress, and I'm sure Clay will want something unique as well. For the rings–"

        "Guys, we just did a wedding, we can't be planning my imaginary one," she argued, then slammed her jaw shut.

        "Um, yes we can, yours needs to be epic and soon," I said. We couldn't just dance around the fact that I'd had a serious wedding recently. The biggest event of my life couldn't just be blotted out. 

        "He hasn't asked, and he won't," Kylie said, sounding closer to surrendering.

        "Yes, he will," Nina and I said in unison.

        Now she was suspicious. "Do you guys know that he will? Like did he tell you?" she asked.

        "No, I'm just very confident," Nina said.

        "Same," I lied.

        "Fine," Nina sighed. "I just read this amazing book and I need you guys to read it so we can all cry about it together."

        "I'm so glad you want us all to suffer," I remarked. There goes the last cookie.

        We spent the rest of the night eating cookies (another batch was produced) and talking. It was nice to do something so normal and nice. To get back on schedule.

        The rest of the week slowly adjusted back to normal as well. The hospital slowly stopped holding a grudge against me, and I thankfully didn't see Jada again. I got back in my rhythm as one of the best nurses on the floor. Winter was a regular winter, with the occasional snowstorm but nothing too horrific. I brought all of my plants back to life, which even under Kylie's watch had died in my absence. I read the book Nina suggested, and it did make me cry, as promised. But it was all good. All good things.

        I'd missed Jackie Langford.