Page 28 of Love Bitters

I know it's rude and highly inappropriate, but I can't help the quick laugh that slips from between my lips. I'm not the only one either. Jolene, Luci, and Penelope crack smiles. Maisie is the only one whose face flushes as she glances to the floor. She looks ready to bolt right out of the shop at any moment.

Abilene, who is obviously witness to the same, flatly states, "I happen to love the book you're referring to, even if the first movie sucked harder than a Hoover. I'm down to give it a reread if anyone wants to choose that."

My heart warms at the words of my new friend. Maisie's does too, apparently, because her eyes lift to Abilene's gratefully.

Blythe goes in for a retort, but Jolene interrupts her. "Look, there are going to be eight of us in the group. We're bound to bump into each other's preferences and dislikes. My vote is that we have the choice to read or not to. Everyone is still more than welcome to come to the meetings, of course. That doesn't mean you're going to be required to do something you don't want to do."

Luci speaks up. "On that note, though, if we don't read the book, I don't think we should get conversational privileges at the meeting."

"Sounds fair," Jolene agrees.

Blythe's expression says she’s none too happy about it, but she doesn't argue. I'd bet my peanut butter frappe that she's going to read the books, no matter the genre. Her vibe speaks volumes to being not only someone who always gets her way, but also as someone who likes to start trouble.

"Now back to our first choice," Jolene says. "I was thinking we could write our picks down on little slips of paper and draw from them. That way no one can complain about their book not being first."

"I like that idea," I tell her, with everyone but Blythe nodding to agree with me.

Jolene tears a piece of paper out of the small notebook she's been holding in her lap, proceeding to rip it into eight pieces. Handing us each one strip while her keeping two, she explains, "I'm pretty sure I know what Jade would choose, so I'll put her vote in too."

Several of us have pens and share them around the circle until everyone has a title written down. At Jolene's instruction, we all fold them into tiny squares and place them in the middle of the table between us. She tosses them around to mix them up and does the best kind of shuffle that she can considering they're little bits.

Pinching one between her fingers, she unfolds it to announce, "Howling with Wolves."

Blythe immediately brings her phone up, pressing a few buttons before flipping it around for us to see and announcing, "Just bought it on iBooks." Once it's facing her again, her eyes travel across the page. It's clear she didn't read the description before hitting that buy button because her lips sink into a frown.

"Real funny," she says with another eye roll. "It just had to be werewolves. Whatever. I'm going to read it, but if I don't make it to the meeting, you’ll know I've offed myself. Text me the deets just in case. Been a pleasure, peeps, but I've got to run."

Barely waiting for a confirmation from Jolene that she'll be sending her address, Blythe rises to her feet and proceeds to arrogantly stride out of the cafe. There's a moment of silence where no one really knows what to say in the aftermath.

"Well," Penelope says, finally breaking it, "I guess the meeting is over for today?"

"I think we've covered everything we need to, so I guess so," Jolene huffs humorously.

As Maisie, Luci, and Penelope all say their goodbyes with respect for first day introductions, I hold in my chuckle until all that's left is Abilene, Jolene, and myself. I start laughing and can't seem to stop, making the other two snicker as well.

Abilene finally catches onto what set me off, asking, "That was your pick, wasn't it?"

I nod, wiping away a tear. Jolene opens all the slips of paper to read what the rest of our options would've been. We read over her shoulder and break out into another laughing fit together.

"Seems like all of us had the same idea you did," Abilene says, thumbing a tear off her cheek. It appears that every title put into the drawing has one thing or another to do with wolves or shifters.

Jade picks that perfect moment to walk into the café with a young guy in tow. He looks around her age and more than a little nerdy with almost square-shaped glasses that he keeps having to push up his face. His presence raises a ton of questions in my mind, but I don't get a chance to ask them.

"I can't tell whether the laughter is indicative of a good meeting or bad," she says, taking the empty loveseat with her guy friend, and that simple statement sends us right over the edge again.

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