Page 52 of Can We Skip to the Good Part?
Rachel stood in the doorway of her room, watching her with folded arms and a smile.
“The woman you’re thinking about, and don’t for a second say that’s not what you’re doing. I’ve known you your entire adult life, and that’s exactly who you’re thinking about.”
A quick calculation told Ella that there was no way out of this one. Rachel was right. She knew her too well. She swallowed and decided to be honest.
“Okay, here’s the deal.” She took a deep breath, unsure of how to go about this, but feeling compelled to try. She was stuck in neutral with both Rachel and Max and had to find a way forward. “There is a woman. From my book club?—”
“Ariana. I knew it. You mentioned her name the other day. Plus, I heard you on the phone with her and caught the tone in your voice.”
“When she called about food allergies?”
“Yes. You also had this look on your face.” It was such an inconsequential call and it had lasted all of two minutes. Ari had been preparing a dessert for book club two weeks prior and wanted to ensure Ella wasn’t allergic to any of the ingredients, given that she was new. How in the world had Rachel inferred that she was into Ariana? “No. It’s not like?—”
“It’s pointless to deny it. It’s cute, is all.” She hopped onto the bed next to Ella and bumped her shoulder. “Give it time, and I guarantee you’ll get more comfortable with her. You always were a little awkward and timid when it came to meeting women. A sweet little underdog.”
Ella swallowed. She didn’t love the characterization, but, honestly, maybe that’s who she was. Wouldn’t Rachel know? The unassuming wallflower that people had to reassure and pat on the head. “That’s me. Work in progress.” She attempted a smile because sometimes those made you feel better when slugged.
“But you settled in with Britney eventually, right?”
“Except she left me.”
“Right, that bitch. Well, you can do this, Ella Bella. I promise.” She popped up like a groundhog. “Hey, speaking of women, I got hit on again today. Not my type at all, but she had beautiful green eyes, so I gave her my number anyway. Who doesn’t love a free martini?”
“But you want to get to know her, too, right? Maybe she’s nice.”
Rachel stood and shrugged. “Maybe. Gonna make a big salad with those amazing feta sprinkles. Low calorie. Amazing. Want one?”
She didn’t. She’d had a cheeseburger like the underdog she likely was. “That sounds awesome, but no, thank you, madam.”
“Suit yourself, madam. I’ll leave you to think about sex with Ariana.”
“Rach! No!”
“You know I’m right.” With a final circle of her shoulder, she disappeared, bound for the land of healthy salads and women who asked her out randomly at department stores.
The entire conversation had sucker punched Ella’s ego and distracted her from the cause. She hadn’t had the chance to set the record straight about what was going on with her and Max, and now it felt like the moment had passed. Dammit. What was wrong with her? What kind of friend makes out with an off-limits ex and then doesn’t have the courage to be up-front about it?
“Hey, do you want to watch a randomly selected Sandra Bullock movie and stare at her?”
“Yes. Obviously,” Ella shouted back.
“Then get your ass in here already. I’m gonna make my phone bot pick one for us and pray to God it’s the outer space one where she looks so hot I melt into the couch like a Slurpee in summer.”
“Honestly, it can’t go wrong with any of them,” Ella said, glaring at the discarded romance novel that tortured her as she trudged into the living room, her pillow clutched to her chest. Surely, a really attractive brunette on the screen wouldn’t lead her to lustful thoughts about Max pressed up against a wall. That was definitely not a possibility. No daydreams about Max’s perfect mouth. Or her annoyingly sexy confidence. Or the way she always smelled like raspberries and something just a little bit spicy. Nope. No thoughts like that at all …
Ella dropped onto the couch, tucking her legs under her, and watched as Rachel held up her phone like it was a magic wand about to dictate their fate.
“Okay, here we go,” Rachel announced. “Random Sandra Bullock selection commencing in three … two … one …”
A beat of silence. Then Rachel pouted dramatically. “Miss Congeniality.”
Ella balked. “What’s wrong with you? That’s a bad thing?”
Rachel sighed. “No, but I was hoping forGravityso I could be emotionally devastated while also very attracted to her.”
“Fair. But this one has a makeover montage, and I know you love those.”
Rachel waggled her brows. “I forgot about that. You know me too well.”
