Ellie watched with quiet fondness as Chrissy stared out at the spread of wool she'd laid out for them both. The other woman was looking at it all with the same wide-eyed wonder that Ellie had when she'd bought it! Ellie had never been a very material person, and she'd certainly never been able to afford to be either, but all of the most expensive things she owned had been gifts from Reid. Gifts she'd been endlessly and utterly grateful for, of course! But gifts all the same. She wasn't a big spender by any measure, even when she had a little left over pocket money once the bills had been paid. Any residual pennies went into Dylan's future college fund. Her second greatest investment after that had always been her thread and her wool. Whatever she was knitting or sewing would eventually be fashioned into something genuinely useful, so she always saw her purchases as going to a good cause.
“A bandana would be so cute! But what about you?” Ellie mused, smiling excitedly. After a brief pause, she elaborated. “Sorry, I mean... What would you like? Not that we can't make Lettie her bandana! But maybe us girls should be a little selfish and make something for ourselves first?”
Ellie giggled at the thought. She'd rarely had a selfish thought in all her 30-odd years. Being a mother meant that there was always somebody else whose priorities came first, and being a sister and a best friend and a daughter often meant the same. At work, she had a classroom full of tinies that she needed to give all of her attention to, somehow all at the same time. At home, even when Dylan was out with his friends or spending the night at Ozzie's, she made sure she had a dinner rustled up for Reid, or was checking in to make sure Aspen was taking care of himself. She always had a million and one different people at the forefront of her mind, ready to distract her as she fretted over their every need.
But tonight was girl's night, which meant that the only people who mattered were her and Chrissy! Their interests and their needs were the top priority, and Ellie was determined to make it the best girl's night ever.
Rummaging around in the drawer on the underside of the table, she retrieved the bright coasters she'd made just last week, and presented them to Chrissy with a rather dramatic flourish. She had three whole stacks of them! One batch had been for Reid's mom, of course, which were designed to look like fruit slices. Another for Ainsley, who'd requested a pretty array of pinks and reds, and so she'd fashioned them into various flowers. The last batch was for Glenn, not that she'd told him yet! She didn't know just how her friend would react to something as silly and cutesy as a set of coasters, but she'd spent hours and hours wiling away, the most intricate details being crocheted into each one. Her lovely friend was such an enthusiast when it came to Greek Mythology, so she could only hope that he'd be as pleased as punch to see the miniature trident that she'd knitted into one, and the lightning bolt that decorated the next.
As she awaited Chrissy's response, Ellie's eyes widened in surprise at her words. She'd always thought Ozzie's colleague was as lovely as could be, but hearing how genuinely grateful and excited she was made Ellie's heart burst with pride. Though, admittedly, her Pinterest remark did make a giggle erupt from her chest.
“I looked at Pinterest too!” she exclaimed cheerfully. Shaking her head fondly, she leaned into the plush cushion of the sofa, and twisted her body to face Chrissy. “I've never been on a girl's night either, if it helps. I had no idea what to expect! Or what to plan, or what sort of snacks to lay out, or if you'd even like knitting with me. I spent about 3 hours today scrubbing away a particularly mucky spot on the kitchen floor where Dylan had dragged mud into the apartment, only to intentionally spill coffee onto the counter so that you wouldn't think I was a total nutcase who didn't let her son actually live.”
She blushed, feeling embarrassed at her sudden tangent. She probably hadn't needed to tell Chrissy all of that, actually. But it was true! She was so completely out of practice when it came to making friends and organising dates, that she'd spent the last 3 days telling Ainsley she had a grown up play date. The other woman had simply giggled, wriggled her eyebrows, and said is that what we're calling it, these days?
“Sorry. That was a lot,” Ellie groaned.
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