Page 24 of Can We Skip to the Good Part?
“You were lawyering me.”
“A little.”
They both exhaled at the same time, and if they had been on the same side, it would have been humorous.
Max’s mouth pulled sideways. “Is it imperative that you dislike me automatically just because I wasn’t a match with your friend?”
“You stomped on her heart.”
“We ended months ago. Do you know how many people I’ve dated since? Zero. She was dating someone two weeks later, so it couldn’t have been that broken.”
That pulled Ella up short, and she wondered if it could be true. Had Rachel moved on that quickly? “I’m sure if she did that, it was out of necessity. A rebound.”
“Great. But why is that my fault?”
“You ghosted her.”
“I absolutely did not.” She squinted and regarded Ella with a question mark hanging over her.
“What in the world are we talking about over here?” Ariana asked, striding toward them with both hands in her back pockets. She’d pulled her brown hair into a ponytail earlier in the evening when the discussion had turned lively. “A continuation of the first kiss debate? You two had some strong opinions.”
Ella decided that honesty was the best approach. “Max used to date my best friend.”
“Say again.” Ariana blinked widely. She swiveled to Max. “The only person you’ve dated in forever is …”
“Rachel,” Max said resolutely. “Remember her? They live together.”
She swiveled back. “You live with Rachel?” Ariana asked, eyes even wider. “Sorry if it seemed like I shouted that. I wasn’texpecting that information.” She returned to Max. “The Rachel?” she mouthed as if Ella wasn’t standing right there.
Max nodded wholeheartedly about six times.
“Yes. I’m currently staying with her until I find my own place.” Ella felt the need to explain further. “Rach and I went to college together. She’s my best friend.”
“Well, that’s great,” Ariana said, but her eyes went flat. Fire flared in Ella’s chest, and she resisted the urge to stand taller in defense of her friend. Apparently, the group had opinions. Probably Max’s doing. They’d heardherversion of the story, and probably not at all how Max had crushed Rachel’s heart like a bug. Ella shoved aside the knowledge that she hadn’t actually heard Max’s story herself because that seemed beside the point. Rachel was someone she cared deeply about. She was a good egg, if a little caught up in her own trajectory. Just that morning, she’d monologued her list of grievances to Ella without so much as taking a breath. Her lawn care service dared to raise prices. Her blueberry bagel should be way more crunchy after a good toasting. Her assistant at work needed a hairstyling tutorial. Her car. The morning news anchor. Her friend, Stephanie. All without asking Ella a thing about her life or morning. An oversight, surely, but thinking of others was maybe one of Rachel’s weaknesses.
“Well. What a small world!” Ariana said, regrouping with a burst of faux enthusiasm.
“It turned out to be, yes,” Max said, with a matching grin and an exaggerated hand to her hip. “So tiny, one can hardly believe it!” The bite in her tone said a lot.
Ella turned to Max and could almost visualize the daggers flying from her own eyes. Ariana must have, too. She looked from Ella to Max and back again. “Oh. There’s more to this story, isn’t there?”
“You don’t want to know,” Max said, throwing back the last of her wine like she was shooting a whiskey.
“But maybe I do,” Ariana said through a squint.
“A story for another day.” That’s when Ella caught Max sway and place a steadying hand on the back of the chair.
“If you say so,” Ariana said with a curiously arched brow. “I’ll let you two kids talk about whatever might require hashing out. Or therapy.”
“Funny,” Max said to Ariana’s over-the-shoulder grin.
Once they were alone, Ella harnessed her inner adult. “I don’t think we need therapy, but a touch of courtesy floating between us might make nights like this easier.”
Max shrugged, eyeing Ella in a way that made her insides feel fizzy like champagne. She squirmed against the sensation becausewhat the hell?
“We could shoot for that next week. See how it goes.” She turned and grabbed her bag, correcting her course and footing.
“Hey. I’m thinking you shouldn’t drive.”
