Page 18 of Can We Skip to the Good Part?
Ella frowned, feeling a step behind. “I just wanted you two to meet.”
“We know each other,” Em said calmly with a sidecar of regret.
“She’s my ex,” Rachel stated.
Ella blinked, trying to catch up and failing like a second grader who hadn’t studied for the spelling test. “What? How is that possible?” She touched her head. “I’m so lost right now.”
Em took the lead. “Rachel and I dated for a few months.”
Rachel folded her arms. “Not my best decision.”
This was not going well. “But the bad ex was Maxine. Max.” Em must have been someone from an earlier relationship.
“Exactly.” Rachel extended an arm toward Em and then re-extended it for emphasis. “Meet Maxine Wyler.”
“Not Em?”
Em slid her hands resolutely into her back pockets. “I usually go by Max. I thought you knew that. The book club calls me M for my first initial.”
“How would I know that?!” Ella went still, and her blood ran cold. This was the worst possible kind of misunderstanding. But then the reality came flooding in. That meant that the woman who’d shared the best kiss of Ella’s life was the very same Max who’d ghosted Rachel at the end of their relationship,who’d been self-involved and unsupportive in the midst, who’d checked out other women when they’d gone to restaurants together. This couldn’t be reality, yet, it was.
“Okay, so I think we’ve cleared up that mystery,” Rachel said with a clap of her hands. “I’m going to go.” Rachel turned to her in question. “You?”
Ella met Max’s gaze. Seeing her in this whole new light was jarring. Somehow, it didn’t seem possible that the two women in her mind were one and the same. But her brain’s slow uptake didn’t matter in this moment. Her friend’s heart did. There was no question at hand. She had Rachel’s back and always would. She’d deal with her own feelings in good enough time. “Yeah, I’m coming with you.”
If Max’s eyes carried a hint of hurt, Ella refused to register it fully, not after how she’d treated Rachel.
“Ella,” Max said quietly.
“No,” she said unequivocally. “Just no.”
Max straightened, and any trace of emotion fled from her face. Steely. That was the best word to describe her. And that was fine. In fact, it made this all much easier. “Got it. Have a good night. Rachel.” She met Rachel’s gaze evenly, but Rachel only glared.
They left McHenry’s in a haze of shock and fumbled with what to do next, finally deciding to stop for a drink downtown just the two of them. “No point in letting our cute outfits go to waste, right?” Rach slid a strand of auburn hair behind her ear and sashayed through the parking lot, probably trying to take back the night.
“Definitely no point,” Ella said, numb and grappling. She followed Rachel into Dirty Little Secret, the swanky little martini bar she frequented. Her head had begun to throb, but she set the pain aside, trying to do what she could to ease Rachel’s night, after this mortifying blunder. She’d been kissing Rachel’s ex andgushing about it to her while a guest in her home. Bad friend form.
“Ms. Rachel, right this way,” the host said as soon as they arrived.
“Thank you, Peter. I need one of Marco’s cucumber martinis with a double twist. We’ll take two.” She turned back to Ella. “Trust me.”
“I do.”
He led them through a blue and green room that seemed to glow until they arrived at a curvy high-top with see-through chairs. Ella would have to up her sophistication game if she planned to frequent places like this one. “I’m not cool enough to be here.”
“Well, you’re with me, so all is okay.” Rachel smiled and tented her hands. “What a night, huh? I’m so sorry this happened to you. I know how excited you were about Max, but trust me when I say you’re so much better off.” She shuddered. “I would absolutely hate for you to go through what I did. Can you imagine her doing a number on both of us? She’s not at all someone you can let your guard down with. Mark my words.”
“No. And I should have realized so much sooner. I think I saw a photo on Insta, but you all were in a group, and people can look so different in person.”
“So, what about book club? How are you going to be in that same space with her? You know, I wouldn’t be surprised if she knew exactly who you were and showed you all of that attention to get back at me.”
The idea hadn’t occurred to Ella, and she deflated even further, her stomach gnawing itself into knots. “I guess it’s possible.”
“It’s more than possible. I talked about you all the time, and Max is incredibly intelligent.” Two cucumber martinis were placed in front of them. Ella resisted the urge to gulp hers.“Fantastic chance she knew exactly what she was doing. I’m just glad I went with you tonight.”
The more Rachel talked, the more dejected Ella became. The year had been a tough one, and this was the first spark of connection she’d felt on the romance front in a long time. And if she’d been purposefully manipulated for her proximity to Rachel, then this whole thing was exponentially worse. Those old feelings of worthlessness that had clung to her after her engagement dissolved were creeping back in again. She felt silly for getting excited about Max and for thinking they had a legitimate connection right from the start.
She sipped the martini, and Rachel was right, it was good. “Well, I’m sorry I allowed this to happen. As for book club, um, maybe I bow out.”
