Page 84 of Can We Skip to the Good Part?
“Bless you,” Stevie said regarding the brownies.
Morgan nodded as if reporting for duty. She had her long, blond hair in a ponytail and wore a denim jacket, like an ad for a department store or a Girl-Next-Door-Barbie. “What I would like to say about you and Max is that it’s ridiculous how well you fit together. Especially the little book debates you have. It’s like watching a real-life rom-com play out in Stevie’s living room.” She shrugged. “I’m glad you’ve finally worked out the kinks.”
Stevie raised an eyebrow.
“Not those kind,” Ella said, though she wasn’t opposed to exploring if they were being honest. “Well, at least …” Hervoice trailed off to the sound of laughter and clapping from her friends.
“I’m missing something,” Olive said, clutching two bottles of wine with her lips pursed. “And I brought the expensive wine we like. Catch me up.”
Stevie pointed at Ella, her eyes dancing. “This one might be a tiger in bed.”
“Oh,” Olive said. A pause. “I guess that tracks.” More laughter hit.
“I don’t know what’s happening in there, but it sounds a little raucous.”
The sound of Max’s voice made Ella grin. “They’re having a little fun with the subject of you and me.”
“Hell,” Ariana said. “I think you’re both having more fun than the rest of us.”
“I will agree with that,” Max said, arriving in the entryway. Ella’s mouth went dry.Fucking look at her. She wore black pants, black booties, and a black sleeveless shell. She knew Max well enough to know she’d likely had a colored suit jacket over it all for a pop of contrast, probably left in the car after work, but this look made her appear very “Cool Rider” on top of a ladder, and Ella was here for it. Max met her gaze and widened her eyes, the amused grin tugging at her lips. Yep, they were both in fantasy land. Max knew Ella’s stares well enough and had decoded this one in no time. Ella shrugged at her innocently, as if to say,Can’t help it.
“I dropped some stuffed olives on the coffee table.”
Stevie blinked. “Since when did you all start bringing all this food? I thought I supplied the food. You occasionally buy me dinner.” She turned to Olive, who had her dark hair in a knot at her neck tonight. She’d definitely upped her game lately, looking downright sexy herself. “And you, going all in on the expensive labels.”
Olive deposited the wines on the counter. “Just felt like splurging.”
Ella surveyed the group, feeling like everyone was on their own personal high. She looked around the faces of her new friends and wondered about the trajectories of all of their intersecting lives. What had prompted each one of them to go out of their way that night and up the enthusiasm of their food game?
Ariana raised her hand. “I brought nothing. I’m the loser who mooches off of her book club buddies because they had a shit week. I don’t deserve you all.”
“Yes, you do. And because of your week, you get an extra brownie,” Morgan said, her brow furrowed in empathy. After the comment, they shared a sweet smile, and Ella was beginning to really appreciate the friendship they had.
“Shall we head to the living room and bring this meeting to order?” Stevie asked with one clap of her hand, the glamorous cougar football coach.
“Okay, but I’m going to warn you, I have some feelings about this one,” Ella said.
Max laughed. “You? Feelings? Whatever are you talking about?” They’d already debated their differing opinions on the book in short form, but Ella was ready to get into it now. Once again, Max thought the author went on for too long after the happily ever after, and Ella relished the epilogue, hoping for many more pages. She was the more forgiving romance reader, the unwavering champion of the genre. Max would come around, though. Ella could already see the cynicism begin to fall away, a parallel for their own burgeoning relationship.
As the others filed into the living room, chatting about how the blurb gave too much away, Ella hung back and met Max’s gaze. “Don’t be jealous just because you’re not as in touch with your sappy side, Wyler.”
“Is that what we’re calling it?” Max asked, giving her hand a tug so she could hold her a minute in the kitchen. “Also, can I just say hi?” Her lips captured Ella’s, who immediately went up on her toes for better access, pressing their bodies together for a stolen moment, a promise of more to come. There was no way they weren’t going home together tonight after being apart for two days. She’d missed those lips more than she would have ever imagined.
“Are you two joining us, or do you need a little laundry room time?” Stevie called out to the sound of laughter from the rest of the room.
Max could listento Ella talk for days. Tonight, as Ella animatedly discussedFollow You Home, the romance novel they’d all just finished. Max found herself completely transfixed. It wasn’t just what Ella was saying, though Max loved the way she picked up on themes no one else had mentioned, but how she noticed the quiet moments between characters and treated them like revelations. It was how she said it, too. She lost herself in the rhythm of Ella’s voice, the way her hands moved when she got excited, her mouth curving around certain words like they meant something more. There was also a slight rasp to her laugh and this softness when she said something vulnerable. Max felt each note like a tug at something deep inside her. She wasn’t just hearing Ella—she was absorbing her, imprinting every expression, every nuance, every blink-and-you-miss-it smile.
“You’ve been quiet, Max. What are your thoughts on the All is Lost moment?” Morgan asked as she popped the last piece of brownie into her mouth.
Oh, right, the participation part of this meeting. She closed her eyes for a moment as if internalizing her very complicated thoughts. Actually, she’d been pulling herself out of the fantasy she’d dipped into, which started with her pulling Ella into her lap. She rolled her lips in, buying more time. “I’m going to be honest and say that I understood why Marissa put up her hand when she found out about Laurelai making all of those career plans without including her. I wish she hadn’t run away, though. I’m not a big fan of the author using miscommunication as a source of conflict.”
Olive nodded. “Wouldn’t you say that many real-life conflicts are born from humans’ inability to have a simple conversation, though?”
Max grinned at the challenge. Olive was always thoughtful. “True. I see it every day at work. But can’t I escape real life every once in a while?”
Ella shrugged. “The drama kept me turning the pages. I don’t know how to argue with that.”
Ariana, who was on her stomach on the floor with her chin propped up on her hands, shifted onto her forearms. “Speaking of turning pages, I think we should read your first cover design next,” she said to Ella.
