Page 85 of Can We Skip to the Good Part?
“You should know it’s a straight book. Are you all up for it?” Ella asked. “A brooding male MC. A hockey stick. Who knows what he does with it?”
“Gird your loins,” Stevie said with a smirk.
Ariana nodded solemnly. “I don’t know what that phrase means, but it sounds sexy. Is the book?”
Ella shrugged. “If you like rugged hockey players.”
“Hmm. That’s trickier. I want to support your first professional cover, though, so my vote is a hearty yes.”
“Bring on the straight drama.” But Max then remembered the night at the market when they’d spotted Olive with herpossible male date and decided to ease up on the joking. Instead, she decided to throw her an opening, just in case she wanted to grab it and dish a little. “Olive, you’re quiet tonight. How are things?”
“With me?” Her eyes went wide.
“Yeah, I noticed you texting a lot, and it made me wonder if you had a hot little situationship you’d like to share with the class. No pressure if you’d rather not.”
Ella passed her a look, but Max couldn’t help herself. She’d had a glass of wine.
Olive narrowed her gaze. “You seem like you know more than you’re letting on, Maxine.”
Max grinned and took a sip of wine. They were onto something.
“Well, is there something to know?” Ariana asked, taking the reins.
Olive smothered a smile and took a deep breath. Oh, damn. She was giddy about this person. “I suppose you want me to confirm if the rumors are true.” She looked over at Stevie, who seemed to give her a nod of encouragement. Apparently, she knew all. Max sat taller, ready to be supportive and excited for Olive, whether she was expanding her sexuality to include cis men or maybe dating a nonbinary person. Whoever it was, they had certainly made Olive happy, and that was huge. “Stevie and I are in love.”
The room went silent. “Stevie,” Ariana repeated, pointing. “Which Stevie?”
“Do you know a lot of them?” Stevie asked with a laugh. She reached over and took Olive’s hand, lacing their fingers. Right then and there, four jaws dropped.
“So, all that texting you do with the sexy smile on your face?” Morgan asked, attempting to keep up. They all were.
“Was to this one,” Olive affirmed. Her cheeks colored pink, and she looked around at the faces of her friends with such pride that Max felt a sentimental lump rise in her throat.
Stevie smiled. “I guess you didn’t catch the sexy smile on my face when I peeked at what she wrote.”
“This is downright scandalous,” Max said, slapping the arm of her chair.
Ella shook her head. “It’s downright romantic, too. Wait a minute. So, the guy we saw you with at the market was just a red herring?”
“At the night market? That was my cousin, Geoff,” Olive said with a laugh. “We get together a couple of times a year, and the market is a favorite of his. You thought we were on adate? That’s hysterical.”
Ella turned to Max. “We were so far off base.”
“We’re going to have to turn our amateur detective badges in because we completely missed this,” Max told her.
“Gonna have to resign from the Scooby-Doo gang,” Ella said solemnly.
Max stared straight ahead. “Pretty sure they blocked our number already.”
“Okay, stop being so in sync with each other,” Stevie said, pointing at them one after the other. “It’s freaking me out how adorable you are.”
“Not as much as this new pairing is freaking us out,” Max shot back. “Stevie, when did all this crop up?” she practically shouted.
Stevie sent Olive a smile and turned back to Max with a lifted shoulder. She looked absolutely demure, which was new and amazing on Stevie. “Truth time. We’d been flirting for a few months before I realized that I felt more for Olive than I ever felt for Dom. That’s when I decided to come out officially and end my marriage.”
Max nodded. “I know that wasn’t easy.”
“No. But it was easier than it should have been, and that was telling.” She raised her shoulders in sadness. “It took another month before I admitted that all I wanted to do was be alone in a room with this one.”
