Free When Love's at Work by Merri Hiatt Page B

room.
    As Purity made her way back to the waiting
room, she wanted details about her mom’s carotid artery surgery.
When she entered the area, she asked her sister about it.
    “ The doctor said he could
go either way. Either she could have surgery to remove the plaque
or start mom on an aspirin regimen. I told mom I wouldn’t have the
surgery and that she shouldn’t have it either. She agrees with me,
so she won’t be having surgery. They plan to have her go to rehab,
but I don’t think she needs that either. I’m guessing she’ll be
back home tomorrow.”
    Courtney, Meg and Purity all had a look of
disbelie on their face. No one uttered a sound.
    Angela said she was heading for the
cafeteria to grab a bite to eat and walked toward the row of
elevators.
    Pure didn’t tell her that the cafeteria
wouldn’t be open at this time of night.
    The small waiting area was filled with
unsaid words and thoughts unexpressed.
    Finally, Meg’s voice sliced through the
thick pause. “Your sister is some piece of work.”
    “ You said it,” agreed
Courtney, glad that someone had broken their trance-like
state.
    Purity shook her head. “You think I’d be
used to all the chaos and confusion she brings with her wherever
she goes.”
    “ What does your brother
think of her?” Courtney asked.
    “ Mostly that she’s an
airhead and he doesn’t take anything she says
seriously.”
    “ Well, that’s good, at
least,” Meg commented.
    To lighten the mood and to change the
subject, Courtney inquired, “How’s the Garden Party shaping
up?”
    “ Good,” Pure started.
“Actually, it was a huge mess for a while, but now things are all
smoothed out. It’s tomorrow.”
    “ Wow, that came up
quickly,” Meg remarked. It seemed like Purity just started working
on the project.
    “ I kissed one of the board
members tonight,” Purity blurted out.
    “ What?” Meg and Court said
in unison.
    “ I hope it was that cutie
Alex,” Courtney added.
    “ It was,” Purity said and
then regaled them with her woes about the Garden Party and Alex’s
humor at her dismay. She recounted the words she’d flailed at him
and that she told him she quit. Pure’s friends listened intently to
the part where Purity apologized and they touched hands. Meg’s eyes
sparkled as the scene unfolded and Courtney urged her to get to the
kissing already.
    “ Well, well, well,” Court
said, when Pure was finished with her tale. “ Purity and Alex sittin’ in a tree,
k-i-s-s-i-n-g… ” she sang.
    Meg joined Courtney for
the rest of the refrain. “ First comes
love, then comes marriage, then comes Pure with a baby
carriage! ”
    Purity couldn’t help but join them in the
camaraderie. “I don’t know about babies, but there was some serious
k-i-s-s-i-n-g going on.”
    “ Isn’t it taboo to get
involved with a co-worker?” Courtney asked.
    “ Well, technically, Alex
doesn’t work for The Kids’ Place, he’s a board member. They don’t
get paid, but yeah,” she answered. “I think it is frowned
upon.”
    “ True love will always
find a way,” Meg said.
    “ Always the dreamer,”
Courtney commented as she gave Meg’s shoulder a gentle
shove.
    “ Just because you’ve never
been in love, you shouldn’t knock it,” Meggie replied.
    “ I’m not knocking love,
I’m knocking you for the googly eyes and that faraway look you get
when you talk about love,” Courtney explained. “I don’t see that
look on Pure’s face when she’s in love.”
    “ That’s because I’m
jaded,” Purity replied. “I think I’ve only had the look Meg gets
one time and then I got burned. That turned me into a realist.” She
reached over and gave Meg a hug. “Meg can be the dreamer for us
all. We need someone to remind us that love will find a way, dreams
really can come true, and the sun will come out
tomorrow.”
    “ The sun will come out… ” Courtney began to sing.
    “ No! Stop!” Meggie put her
hand over Courtney’s mouth. ‘I hate that