Page 19 of When Our Stars Aligned

Not wanting to disappoint Gabby, Alex takes the cookie and shoves the whole thing in his mouth. “I arur en I enood!” The girls burst into hysterical laughter. Alex, who has clearly bittenoff more than he can chew, looks like a chipmunk storing acorns for the winter.

“Hey!” Alex says once he’s finished. “That’s really good, Peanut!”

“Told ya!” says Carter. “Do you think you could make these again, but you know, in regular cookie form?” he asks Michelle.

“I can absolutely make these again, and trust me, I will shape them differently next time,” Michelle answers.

“You know there’s a whole industry for this kind of stuff. Back in Beaute, we had two bakeries: a traditional one and an erotic one.” Aly casually steps in front of me to grab her purse. “My best friend Jess had a crazy bachelorette party a few years ago. Her cousin, Britany, and I were co-maids of honor and Britany went all out with the decorations and food. We had penis-shaped balloons, sandwiches, and cupcakes.”

“Yes!” Gabby says. “Back in Phoenix, I went to a bachelorette party like that for one of the nurses I worked with. Did you play pin the junk on the hunk?”

“Came in first!” Aly says proudly.

“Girl, me too! Although there was a five-way tie. Guess that’s what happens when you get a bunch of nurses trying to accurately locate a male’s appendage.”

I tilt my head towards the ceiling, close my eyes, and silently count to ten. When I open my eyes again, I see Aly watching with me with an amused look on her face.

“I’m making you uncomfortable talking about this, aren’t I?” A playful smile curls on her lips.

“I’m fine,” I grumble.

“I’d ask if you want a cookie, but I already know the answer.” She slips her purse over her shoulder with a smug look.

With the girls finally ready to go, we all head out the door. “Wait a minute!” I yell as we get to the parking lot. “How are we going to get there?”

“Do you want to hold hands and skip?” Aly says sweetly while fluttering her eyelashes. Her little teasing does things to me, things I like too much.

“I mean,” I say through gritted teeth, “there are six of us and no one has a car big enough for all of us to go in one vehicle.”

“Aw, crud,” Michelle whines. “This means we’ll need two designated drivers.”

Originally, Gabby volunteered herself to be the designated driver, stating that she had an early meeting tomorrow.

“I’ll do it!” Carter raises his hand like he’s in school. “It’s probably better that I stick to water since Michelle is going to have me dancing most of the time.”

Michelle gives a wide, appreciative smile. I’ve been out to the bar once or twice with them. Michelle will stay on the dance floor all night and Carter always takes it as a challenge to keep up.

“Perfect! So, the girls will go in one car with Gabby as our DD and the boys can go in another with Carter as their DD,” Michelle says in a singsong voice.

I huff as I climb into the back seat of Carter’s Jeep. “I can’t stand that girl!” I also hate sitting in the back of any vehicle. I’m six four; back seats aren’t built for me. Alex is slightly shorter than me at six two; he wouldn’t fit much better back here and the ass called shotgun before I did. Plus, it’s his birthday, so I guess it’s only fair to let him sit up front.

“Who? Aly?” Carters asks while putting his seat belt on.

“Yes, Aly.” I lean forward between the front seats and place my elbows on each headrest.

“Why? She’s terrific! I think she makes a great addition to the girls.”

“Yeah, she’s so much better than Carrie,” Alex snorts. “And better looking too!”

Carter turns his head to look back at me. “Have you even tried getting to know her?”

That’s my problem. I have a feeling that if I get to know her, I’ll want to know more.

14

Aly

Everyone splits off in different directions as soon as we get into The Local. Michelle immediately pulls Carter onto the dance floor, Alex and Jax grab seats at the bar, while Gabby and I settle into a booth. I’m still full from dinner, but Gabby swears the nachos here are the best. It’s my first time here, but I’ve heard from several coworkers that this is one of Starboard Beach’s favorite places. It’s easy to see why it’s a popular place. There is a light, airy feel to it with beachy décor and reclaimed wooden tables and chairs. I take in a deep breath. I swear this place smells more like funnel cake than your typical stuffy bar.

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