Page 41 of Old Acquaintances

Serena doubles over, her chin almost hitting the table. “You’re changing the subject! You’re actually changing the subject fromCould I fuck my friend?to theweather.”

“I’m not thinking about him like that,” I grumble.

“But you are thinking about him?”

“I’m thinking about his absence. Missing him. And hating that I miss him. And hating him for everything and making me miss him on top of that.”

She shakes my wrist. “Do you miss Johnny like that?” I must have made some face because she points a decorated fingernail at my face and adds, “There it is. That’s the look.”

“What look?”

“I never said do youwantJohnny, I said do youmiss himlike you miss Tucker? You look like you want to vomit at the thought of missing Johnny which is weird because he’s your bestfriend. You’re allowed to miss him.”

“Just not like I miss Tucker,” I say.

She glances sideways. “What do you miss about him?”

I smooth my hands through my hair. I won’t have Tucker twisting the strands and tucking it back as an excuse to touch me this week. “The way he looks at me. Does he look at other girls like that? You can tell me, I can handle it.”

“No, you can’t.”

“Oh my God, he does?”

“No, hedoesn’t,” she insists. “Ella, he doesn’t look at anything or anyone the way he looks at you.”

I correct, “Looked.” No matter how I miss him or what we could have had, we’re empty-handed now. “He’s not a part of my life anymore.”

Serena wavers, “Maybe he’ll explain. We have days. He can’tnottalk to you, you’re shacked up in the same bed.”

“He could’ve called me at any time, Serena.” I hold on to that lingering bit of anger. I wonder, “What is he like without me around?”

Dimples pop up on the sides of her mouth. “Honestly? He’s a bore.” Her face breaks into a full smile. “I’ve never known Tucker to not liven up a party, but without you around, he just lost his will to have a good time.Or…you were the fun-time girl and he just fed off your energy.”

Before I can ask the next question on my tongue, she finishes, “I haven’t seen him in a year. He’s just not the same guy anymore.”

I don’t see a change in him. He hollers something at Wyatt and a laugh rumbles through his chest, causing his head to fall back. Tucker’s not different now, he has the same brash grin, cocky humor, playful energy. He commands attention without knowing it. Just as always, when Tucker is in a room, you can’t take your eyes off him.

Sopping wet, Callie comes over to me and asks, “Hey, Tucker wants to know the secret to your mom’s margaritas?”

He flickers his eyes to mine, hearing her request, and my stomach swirls. I raise my brows to Serena. “He’s using a third party to communicate with me. He doesn’t want to talk to me, either. We’re not friends. We just have to make it through a few days without murdering each other.” I slide off the chair and say loudly, “Tell Tucker he cansuck it.”

I untie my coverup and walk toward the pool. “Where’s Jen?”

Johnny tosses me a foam float. “In our bedroom, watching television. She’s not a big fan of…flesh.”

Ritchie and Wyatt laugh.

“She doesn’t like to show skin?” I lay on the float, the warm water pooling around my hips. “She can swim in whatever, we’re not going to judge her.”

Wyatt says, “I think it’sourflesh she’s afraid of.”

“She’s just a little modest,” Johnny explains. “I told her to do whatever she’s comfortable with, I just want her here. I don’t want my wife to not feel comfortable coming on vacation with my friends, you know?”

Ritchie swims toward me. “I should have done that before I got married. Olivia never liked coming on group trips with us.”

“Why?” I ask. “We’re a good time.”

“Well, after the ski trip, she realized we weren’t the high-class breed of people she was used to.”

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