She put on a friendly smile and turned around.The large frame of her friend Becky filled the doorway.Drew’s smile grew. She willingly let herself be engulfed in a bear hug that lifted her off her feet. She gave Becky a gentle slap on the shoulder. “Have you finally given up that awful brew and decided to try my wine?”“Oh, no.” Becky lifted her broad hands. “Keep your wine. I’ll keep drinking beer, thank you very much.”Grinning about their old joke, Drew went to get the beer that she kept in the fridge just for Becky. She turned the sign on the door to display “closed” from the outside, got herself a glass of Merlot, and took a seat next to Becky at the bar. “Where’s Sam?”The mere mention of her wife’s name put a smile on Becky’s face.Seeing her friends so happy warmed Drew’s heart, but at the same time, it made her long for the same kind of happiness.“Still at work,” Becky said. “She’s got a PTA meeting. I’m picking her up in half an hour. Since I was in the neighborhood, I thought I’d look in on you and see how you’re doing.”Drew had heard that excuse often in the last year.
