19. Girl talk
Angie Reynolds’ other best friend was Kaitlynne Blanton.
Kaitlynne moved to Britechester before her senior year at Buckingham High, when both her parents took positions on university faculties: Perry at UBrite, Steph at Foxbury. Tall, blonde, and gorgeous, Kaitlynne was exactly the kind of girl you might have expected to make fun of teenage Angie. But Kaitlynne was as kind as she was pretty, and she had a writer’s soul. She respected Angie’s intelligence, took the time to get to know her, and became a close companion.
From time to time, the pressures of life as a young Doctor bore down on Angie with greater-than-usual weight. She had come to learn that when this happened, some mental health time was required. Angie realized it had been too long since she had spent time with both her besties at once, so she invited Kaitlynne and Carrie Carson to join her at the Torendi Tower Spa in San Myshuno for a day of pampering.
Torendi Tower was a beautiful retreat, with floor-to-ceiling windows that overlooked the city and a variety of amenities. As the three friends decided what they would enjoy first, they sat down on a comfortable sofa for a conversation.
“It’s so much fun to get together like this,” Carrie sighed. “We keep saying it, but we really do need to make time for it more often.”
“We really do,” Angie agreed. “I have to work so much, though. I’m sorry I can’t be free whenever I want.”
Kaitlynne shook her head. “Please don’t worry about that. What you’re doing is important. You’re helping people, Ang.”
Kaitlynne was trying to establish herself as a Writer, picking up freelance gigs and working on a children’s book. Unlike Angie, she could usually make her own schedule.
Carrie agreed. “Honestly, if you were free to hang out more often, I would never get anything done.” An aspiring Conservationist, Carrie was preparing to start her university studies soon, but for now she was working part-time as a barista.
“As of now, we’re all still single, so there are no relationships standing in the way of our ‘girl time’”...
Kaitlynne stopped, mid-sentence, when she saw Angie’s cheeks turn an adorable shade of pink.
She giggled instead. “Is there something we don’t know about, Dr. Reynolds?”
Angie blushed even deeper. “Well…no, but…”
Carrie nudged her friend’s shoulder. “That ‘but’ says it all, Angie. Now you have to tell us what’s going on.”
Angie took a deep breath. Truthfully, she had wanted to talk to Carrie and Kaitlynne about what she was feeling. She leaned back. “I think I’m getting a crush.”
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The young physician told the story of her reconnection with Cameron Ross: the conversation at the park, the chess game, the occasional chance meetings at the gym.
“You are not getting a crush, Angie,” Kaitlynne declared.
“I’m not?”
“You HAVE a crush. You have a BIG crush.”
“Uh-huh,” Carrie added.
These emotions were very new to Angie. She’d had crushes before, but they had always been completely unrequited. She had convinced herself the objects of her infatuations would never feel the same way about her. These guys often had girlfriends who were, in Angie’s mind, far superior: taller, prettier, more comfortable in social settings.
“The thing is, I get the feeling Cam might like me, too.”
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“I get the feeling he does,” Kaitlynne confirmed. “He is displaying all the classic signs.”
“You should know,” teased Carrie. Indeed, Kaitlynne had much more experience with crushes, and their aftermath, than her friends.
Kaitlynne rolled her eyes playfully. “Hush.”
“Seriously, though. You know Cameron fairly well, don’t you?” Angie asked her.
“Yes," Kaitlynne replied. "My mom and his dad work together at UBrite. He’s, like, the second person our age I met when I moved here.”
“You didn’t date,” did you?” Carrie couldn’t remember.
“No. Cam was dating…She Who Shall Not Be Named then.”
“Ewwwww.”
The three friends never spoke the name of the girl who had been involved with Cameron that summer and fall. Shallow, manipulative, and just plain mean, SWSNBN had somehow ensnared one of the nicest guys at Buckingham High.
“We’ve always been friends, though,” Kaitlynne continued. “I talked to him a lot after they broke up. He told me a lot about the kind of girl he wanted to date.”
Kaitlynne looked directly at Angie.
“He pretty much described you.”
Angie’s heart was fluttering, partially from excitement, partially from relief. Maybe I wasn’t seeing things just because I wanted to see them. Maybe he really does enjoy my company.
“Now what do I do?” Angie’s question was sincere.
“You can wait for him to ask you out,” Carrie offered. “It sounds like he likes you too. He might be planning on it.”
“Or, you can let him know how you feel, and give him a little push,” Kaitlynne said. “Sometimes guys are cautious about expressing how they feel, because they’re worried we won’t feel the same way.”
The young doctor sighed. “I’m terrible at being coy. I would end up sending all the wrong signals if I tried it.”
“Then you should be your normal, direct self,” Kaitlynne advised. “You’ve learned how to tell a patient what’s going on, in very clear terms, right?”
Angie nodded.
Carrie rejoined the conversation. “Then be that same person when you tell Cameron you’re interested. Think of it this way. You know you like him. You’ve diagnosed yourself accurately. Be confident when you tell him about your diagnosis.”
“Whoa, Carrie,” said an impressed Kaitlynne. “That’s so well put.”
“Why, thank you.” Carrie giggled.
Angie looked from one friend to the other. “I’m going to find a way to tell him,” she concluded.
At that very moment, in a rambling, yet comfortable house on Sable Square in Brindleton Bay, the object of Angie Reynolds’ affection was learning to play his Grandmother Martha’s piano.
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It took the better part of three hours for Angie to summon up enough courage to pick up her phone. Cameron was taking the last bites of his Lobster Roll when his phone rang. He felt a delightful little burst of happy energy when he saw Angie’s name appear on his phone screen.
“Hey, Angie,” he greeted her. And, then...
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