33. A Different Life

33

A DIFFERENT LIFE

“ D id you hear what happened to Aster?”

“No. What?” Laurel asked three days later when Ivy came rushing in. She’d thought it was odd Ivy and Brooks hadn’t gone on their honeymoon yet, but they were waiting a week. She didn’t ask specifics and it wasn’t her business.

“Earlier this morning he was outside with Zane working and he had chest pains and Zane rushed him to the ER. Thankfully they found out that it was bone fragments from his gunshot wound, but with the open heart surgery and all a year ago, they had no clue.”

“Gunshot?” she asked. Laurel knew he’d been in the service a year ago or so but had no idea why he left. She wasn’t one for getting in the middle of other people’s lives just like she didn’t like people getting involved and questioning hers.

“You don’t know?” Ivy asked. “First, Aster will be fine. I just got done talking to Raine. They are going to release him soon. He’ll have to have surgery, but guess some bone fragments were pressing on nerves and that is why he’s been having issues with his left arm.”

She hadn’t known he was having any issues there either. Again, not her business and it’s not like she shared health issues with anyone.

“I’m glad that it seems like it’s something fixable.”

“It is,” Raine said. “But you said you didn’t know about his gunshot. I shouldn’t have said that. I think I figured most knew now. It’s not a secret.”

“I’m not surprised he might have been shot in the service.”

“It wasn’t that,” Ivy said. “He stopped the attempted abduction of a teenage girl and was shot in the chest. He went back to Texas not long ago and helped Daphne pack up and move here, but he had to testify in court. That is why I assumed you knew. I know you two work together more than most.”

“No,” she said. “We don’t talk too much about those things. Mainly work. I’m sorry that happened to him.”

“He’s a hero,” Ivy said. “A true one. Such a great guy. I’m so happy for Raine and him. Anyway, that is why he had to leave today.”

She knew he’d left early with Zane, but no one had said a word as to why.

“I’m glad he’s doing better,” she said.

“Did you have a good time at the wedding?” Ivy asked. “Your boyfriend is smoking!”

She laughed. “You’re a married woman.”

“I am,” Ivy said, flashing her wedding set. “And I love every minute of it. Can’t wait to get the honeymoon started when we leave on Friday. Well, we’ve been having our own little honeymoon at home.”

She laughed again when Ivy did a little hip thrust. She was hilarious and Laurel had to admit she’d never had relationships like this at past jobs.

“I’m surprised you didn’t leave already,” she said.

“That’s my fault. I wanted to go to Aruba and found the perfect place. But by the time I settled on it, the place was full. I think the holiday and all. Brooks wanted to go all out with the honeymoon suite and insisted going the following week made no difference. And he’s right. So there you go. But back to you and Easton. Brooks said he knew him in school, but he was a few years ahead of him.”

Easton had mentioned that he knew River more. They were about the same or closer in age. He’d also said that it was nice to see River succeeding as a doctor because he knew what it was like for people to look down on you and want to prove you could still make it regardless of where you came from.

She knew that all too well too.

She’d never lacked money, in her eyes, growing up.

Her father gave her a good life, but it was a different life than most had.

She knew Easton wasn’t poor, but he was still raised by his aunt and uncle. Maybe many looked at him that way though.

No one would think it now.

“Easton mentioned that.”

“I’ve heard bits and pieces on how you met,” Ivy said.

“From Poppy?” she asked.

“Yes. I don’t see her as much since she’s still out of work, but we do chat a bit. Sometimes I think this place is magical.”

She tilted her head. “How is that?”

“My sisters and me, we all found love here when we never did anywhere else. We’ve all dated, but here, we find the guy pretty fast and the rest is history. Seems to be happening to you too. You haven’t been here that long.”

“No,” she said. “But I’m not rushing either. Been there and done that.”

“The same with me. I said I wasn’t going to rush, but Brooks is getting up there in age and he didn’t want to wait. But it’s not like my sisters who married or got pregnant right away. Though I’m hoping for a baby soon.”

She smiled. “Most people don’t say when they are trying.”

“Nope,” Ivy said. “But we stopped protecting from it a month ago. If I’m anything like my sisters, there is hope it’s soon. But I know I should be off the pill for a bit. My sisters weren’t on any birth control. Here’s hoping Aruba is good for us. The timing could be there.”

“Good for you,” she said. “I hope so for you too.”

“Did Easton go back home or is he working from your place?” Ivy asked.

“He left Sunday afternoon.”

“Ahhh,” Ivy said, putting a cute pout on her face. “That stinks. It was a holiday weekend. He should have stayed an extra day.”

She’d wanted him to but understood his reasoning too.

“He’s working on a few things internationally and they didn’t have the day off. He could have taken it, but he had an early call. Like four in the morning and he didn’t want me to be bothered. It’s all good. I’m going there next weekend and then we are going out with some of his coworkers.”

She was thrilled to see Nicole again but a little nervous about meeting the rest of his coworkers. Groups of people he hung out with when he was dating Rachelle.

“That sounds like fun,” Ivy said. “Do you know where you’re going?”

“Not yet,” she said. “I told him to let me know by tomorrow so I can figure out how to dress.”

“I’d be bringing so many outfits, it’d drive Brooks nuts.”

She laughed. “Easton expects that of me.”

“I have to say I love how stylish you are even here in the plant.”

She looked down at her jeans. They were darker in color, fitted to her but with a lot of stretch. Her shirt was a short-sleeved light blue cotton with yellow and white around the neck and sleeves. She had canvas sneakers on her feet and tried not to wear shoes around the plant. If she had to, she changed into boots but didn’t need them.

Her hair was in a loose braid hanging down her back and had a few of Rose’s bobby pins holding some shorter strands away from her face.

“Thank you,” she said. “I try, but not really. I think you get it because you’re the same way.”

“Awww,” Ivy said. “I appreciate that. I always want to make Poppy proud. All the sisters. I love accessorizing too. This is like the perfect job for those things.”

“Tell me about it,” she said. “I find I look for my clothes around the accessories I want to wear but don’t want to overdo it either because I can be on the floor.”

“It’s so much fun working here,” Ivy said. “And speaking of work, I need to grab a few things and then swing by Poppy’s on the way home. She shouldn’t be working, but she wanted a few samples of something.”

“Have a great night,” she said. “Thanks for telling me about Aster.”

Laurel went back to her office, noticed Denise on the way. They nodded their heads at each other and then moved on.

Things were about as good as they were going to get there and she had to accept that. There weren’t going to be friendships with everyone at work and she never expected that.

But she was getting some and it did make her feel better.

At the end of the day, she’d gone home and changed into shorts, lit the grill, and started to cook dinner. There were a few pieces of chicken on there that she was flipping when Abe pulled into the driveway and waved to her.

“Hungry?” she asked.

He grinned. “What are you making?”

“Grilled chicken. I was going to put it on a salad. Seriously,” she said. “But you don’t need that. You can have chicken and I’ve got pasta salad I made yesterday.”

“That sounds good,” Abe said. “Do I have time to shower?”

“I’ll hold dinner since I want you to shower,” she said, laughing. “You’re covered in dirt. Did you fall in a hole or something?”

Abe looked down at his clothes. His jeans and shirt were literally sprinkled with a coating of dust, and his arms and face were darker than normal too.

“No,” he said. “But it was windy and we were dumping fill. I wasn’t standing in the best spot. My bad.”

She shook her head. “Don’t clog the drain.”

“Ha ha,” Abe said. “I won’t, but if I do, I’m not admitting it so you can come and fix it on me.”

She laughed and went back to the chicken, picked up her phone and texted Easton to let him know. She didn’t think he’d care she was sharing dinner with his cousin, but she never wanted him to find out from someone else either. Handing food off to Abe in the driveway was different than spending time eating the meal together.

Could be because she knew what it was like to be blindsided by not having knowledge of something going on behind her back with her ex and she’d never do that to another person.