October to October

{Chapter Twenty-Six}

  "I can't believe he surprised you like that! It's so romantic!" Monroe said as she hung up clothes at the store while Lauren pretended to be sorting through the accessories as she sat on the floor, but she wasn't getting much done. She was too sad to work.

  "Yeah it was."

  "He really must love you if he's coming back from such important work. I guess you're impossible to be away from."

  Lauren wanly smiled. "That's me."

  "So is everything okay with Ruth?" Monroe asked suddenly as she hung up a few dresses.

  "What do you mean?" Lauren asked.

  "Well, she was here working your shift last night, and I guess she didn't expect anyone to come in because I found her crying behind the counter," Monroe said. "She said she was just upset about some fight with you, but she wouldn't go into detail."

  Lauren was bewildered. "Um, yeah... we're fine now."

  "Oh, I'm glad." The worried look on Monroe's face vanished. "I hate when you guys fight. I've never had a sibling so I guess it's normal, but it still makes me feel weird."

  Lauren wondered what was going on. She made a note to ask Ruth later. Lauren wasn't too worried though. She figured it was Ruth upset about some sort of stupid wedding detail, and she didn't want to admit it. 

  Jake dropped in to see Lauren, and he spent an hour telling her and Monroe stories from Brazil. He had to get to work, and he kissed Lauren goodbye and promised that he'd take her to dinner the next day. Somewhere really nice, he said. He was going to ask his Dad what was the best restaurant in town.

  "He is so perfect," Monroe said as they watched him leave; tall and handsome as he got into his SUV outside.

  "He is pretty fantastic," Lauren said vaguely.

  Monroe had a date [which she had obsessively talked about all evening], and she left early. Lauren was closing up the shop by herself when she saw Joan hanging around on the sidewalk outside. She was wearing a yellow swing coat that Lauren picked up for her at the store, and black tights with her favorite brown boots. Lauren waved hesitatingly, and Joan waved back before she finally came inside.

  "Hi..." Joan said as she opened up the door, and she looked nervous.

  "Hi," Lauren said back.

  "I wanted to apologize." Joan started; folding her arms across her chest as she stood by the door. She didn't want to seem to get any closer. "It was wrong of me to get so angry at you. You were honest that you were unsure about... everything between us. I still want to be friends with you. You're important to me."

  "I still want to be friends with you too," Lauren said, and she felt tears in her eyes.

  Joan smiled a watery smile. "Okay then."

  "Okay," Lauren said, and she felt like she couldn't catch her breath as they stared at one another. "Oh, we got in some new coats. I know how much you loved that one. Some of them are really old. We haven't put them out yet so you can get first pick if you like."

  "Oh, awesome," Joan said as Lauren walked her into the back and showed her the line of 60's and 70's coats that Janet had picked up at an estate sell. "Oh my Lord, look at this fur one. Who would be caught dead in something so tacky and disgusting?"

  "Janet wanted to bury it," Lauren said with a sigh. 

  Joan burst out laughing. "She would."