Page 23 of Can We Skip to the Good Part?
“Oh,” Ariana said, nodding.
“You saw this coming?” Max asked quietly, eyes still on Stevie.
“Hundred percent,” Ariana said without moving her mouth. “Hey, we got you,” she told Stevie.
“We don’t have to make a big deal about it. I just thought you should know. You’re my friends, and I love you.”
“And we love you,” Olive said. “Is there anyone … special?”
Stevie’s eyes went wide. “No. I wouldn’t know the first thing about women.”
“Luckily, we do,” Max tossed in with a wink. She felt Ella’s eyes on her profile, but didn’t spare her a glance. If she wanted to coexist, that’s what they would do. “I’ll be your wingwoman anytime.”
Stevie, the most confident woman she’d ever encountered, actually blushed and waved her off. “Enough of my drama. Let’s talk about this book. These two should be presidents of the Mile High Club.”
“First of all, who here is a member?” Ariana asked.
To everyone’s absolute shock, the only hand raised belonged to Morgan.
“I’m sorry, Madam School Teacher,” Ariana said. “We’re going to need that story.”
Morgan shrugged. “It was a long flight, and my situationship at the time needed some assistance in the restroom. I merely obliged.” She picked up her copy of the book and thumbed through it. “Now, let’s get back to business. The flashbacks were my favorite.”
And they were off. Dishing and dissecting. Throughout much of the back-and-forth, Max sipped her newly poured wine and tried to stay with the conversation and not think for aminute about the way Ella’s blond hair brushed her shoulders, prompting her to flip it behind her back until it finally made its way to rest on her shoulder again the more she talked. The hair battle left her hot and bothered, and she hated it.
“I found myself pulled in every time they kissed,” Ella said. “I don’t care what was happening that might have pissed me off in the scenes leading up, but when those two grabbed each other and went for it? My heart went right along with them.”
“Right, but on chapter,” Max paged through her hard copy, “eighteen, I was rolling my eyes. They’re at this huge impasse, and they pause their very intense argument because one can’t stop lusting after the other one to the point that they have to kiss.”
“It’s fiery and awesome.” Ella shrugged and turned to her. “I think it speaks to their level of chemistry. The heat cannot be contained.”
Max snorted. Not her best moment. This was the wine egging her on. “It’s unrealistic.”
“Maybe that’s why I like it,” Ella said flatly, eyes flaring. “Isn’t romance about escape?”
“Why does it have to be? I’d love to see a glimpse of the real-life love we all battle every day represented on these pages.” She raised a shoulder and let it fall. “That’s all.”
She blinked. “I can’t say I agree in the slightest.”
“And that’s not surprising.”
That’s when Max realized the room was watching their exchange intently, confusion hanging from all four faces. “It’s good to disagree,” Stevie said brightly, clearly attempting to reclaim the discussion and shift them into friendlier territory. “It celebrates our different perspectives.”
Ella did the brush-off-the-shoulder thing, and Max resisted an eye roll. It was going to be a long night.
Oh,for fuck’s sake. Ella’s second book club meeting was proving to be way more complicated than her first. To kick them off, Stevie dropped the coming-out bombshell. And now, Max was on a very determined mission to undermine almost every word out of Ella’s mouth. Meanwhile, she was waging a battle within herself to reconcile the various versions of Max in her mind. She needed to fixate on something other than Max Wyler, who’d spent the better part of the evening being awful.
“Why are you so awful tonight?” That was the sentence that leapt from Ella’s lips the second they were alone following the more tumultuous book club meeting. The others had gathered up wineglasses and plates and were chatting away in the kitchen.
Max turned to her, incredulity bursting onto her features. She was all parted lips and dropped brows and caught Ella in a sideways stare. Say what you would, but she really had the best eyebrows, so expressive and perfect, bested only by those big brown eyes that were regarding her now with less than careful judgment. “I’m the awful one? Me? What did I do?”
“You challenged every opinion I offered tonight. You didn’t do that with anyone else in the room.”
“I provided a counterpoint, which is actually what a book club discussion is designed to include.” She held out a steadying hand. “But I realize you’re new. Maybe next time you won’t be caught off guard by a little back-and-forth.”
Oh, that comment got under her skin. She saw Max’s lawyer side coming out. “See? That was patronizing and uncalled for, making me seem sensitive and unprepared.”
The fire in Max’s eyes weakened. “Sorry. I heard it, too, that time.”
