Margot took a gulp of her drink.
“Great, because what the fuck just happened, Syd? Did my employee, who I—accidentally—slept with, and now can’t fucking stop thinking about, much to my dismay, just walk in here on a motherfucking date? With Avery Jensen, of all people?”
Sydney cut a scallop in half.
“Yes to all of those things, but why ‘of all people’? I thought you liked Avery?”
Margot cut into her steak, probably more vehemently than the steak deserved.
“I do like her! She’s great! She’s also young and skinny and has gorgeous hair and probably perfect perky boobs, all things I do not!”
Sydney paused, her scallop halfway to her mouth.
“Hey. You have great boobs. And fantastic hair.”
Margot rolled her eyes.
“Yes, when I work at it. Avery has that effortless sun-kissed-curls thing going on. When I try that, I just look bedraggled.” She grimaced. “See? I should have tried to go out on dates to get him out of my head! I should go pick up a stranger at a bar, or something, and make it even better than last time, so I know the magic is in me, not fucking Luke Williams.”
“In a manner of speaking,” Sydney said.
Margot glared at her.
“I didn’t say anything,” Sydney said.
“That’s what I thought,” Margot said.
Margot stabbed her steak again.
“You know it’s killing me that my back is to them, right?”
“Oh, I know,” Sydney said. “You’re doing great at not turning around, though. I’m really impressed.”
“Thank you. I appreciate that.” Then suddenly she grinned, and Sydney grinned back at her. And then they both started laughing.
“Only me,” Margot said, when they finally subsided.
Sydney shook her head.
“Oh God no, definitely not. Do you know how small Napa Valley is? Things like this happen all the time. Everyone knows each other.”
Margot sighed.
“I know. Did I tell you... when he kissed me, outside the Barrel that night, that’s what I told him—that we couldn’t do that there, that too many people know me.”
Sydney laughed again.
“Well, that’s both absolutely true and a very slick way to invite yourself back to his bed.”
Margot shook her head.
“No, no, I would have invited him back to mine, but his place was closer!”
And then they cracked up again.
“ ‘HAVING DINNER?’ DID Ireally say ‘having dinner’ like that?” Luke asked Avery.
She nodded, a huge grin on her face.