A/n: Did I say Wednesday? 😅 I meant Thursday. Here you go 😁
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They spend most of the rest of the day together and Hope wonders if Lizzie is giving them time because she knows they won’t see each other for a while. She would like to think that is it, and maybe they really are coming around to more neutral ground. Whatever the reason, they didn’t see Lizzie until dinner time which was uneventful and then they said goodnight at their respective doors.
The next morning Hope was in the great room passing the time waiting for her aunt Freya to pick her up by reading a book when she felt someone sitting beside her. Only one person would do that so she said, “Morning Jo,” before even looking up to confirm that it was her.
“Morning, what time are you leaving?” Josie asks.
“Anytime now I think, my aunt said she should be here by ten, ten thirty and it’s,” she checks the big clock on the wall. “Oh it’s ten already, yeah any minute.”
“You excited to go home?”
“Yes actually, first thing I’m doing is have a beignet, the second I’m there,” Hope says closing her eyes, picturing it.
She hears Josie laughing beside her, “You’re gonna have to bring me one of those when you come back, I wanna know what the fuss is about that.”
Hope looks at her with wide eyes. “You’ve never had a beignet?”
Josie shakes her head no.
“Oh my god, no you’re right but I’m not gonna bring you one, that’s too long away, I’ll find a way to send you one when I’m home, I’m sure my aunt can help, this is crazy. Josie! Beignets are amazing, they’re like a little piece of heaven; beignets are life!” Hope is sure she must look like a crazy person but she feels very passionate about beignets, she blames her father for that.
Josie is laughing by now and says, “Oh my god, calm down you crazy beignet lady! I’ll try them.”
“Good! Then you’ll be a crazy beignet lady with me.”
“It doesn’t even sound like a word anymore by how many times you’d said beignet,” Josie says amusedly.
Before she can defend her favorite pastry again she sees her aunt approaching and jumps to her excitedly.
“Aunt Freya!”
“Hey there gorgeous,” her aunt says as she hugs her tightly. “I’ve missed you.”
“I’ve missed you too, how’s Aunt Keelin?” Hope asks after they’ve pulled away.
“She’s great, excited for you to get home, we kind of have a surprise for you,” her aunt says and suddenly she’s even more excited.
“Oh my god, what is it?” she asks, desperately wanting it to be what she thinks it is.
“You’ll have to wait till we’re home, I’ve made a vow of silence,” Freya says teasingly.
“Aunt Freya! You can’t do this to me, it’s a seven hour drive!”
“You’ll have to exercise your patience then.”
Hope just groans and then she hears a familiar giggle and remembers that she wasn’t alone before her aunt got there. She immediately spins towards Josie.
“Oh god, sorry I’m being rude. Aunt Freya this is my friend Josie, Josie this is my aunt Freya,” Hope makes the introductions.
Her aunt snaps her head towards her and exclaims, “You have friends!”
