“Well now that you’re here, it will be.”
She nods, but I can tell something’s on her mind.
“What are you thinking?” I ask.
“I should probably check on my house,” she says with a quirk of her lip.
“We can load this up, along with Carl, and stay at your place for a few days.”
“You don’t mind?”
“As long as I’m with you, I don’t mind at all.”
~Joy~
“Why am I going to this?” Noel asks me for the fifth time. Jace just dropped us off at a spot in Bellevue that’s known for good food and even better music. “I don’t know any of these girls.”
“Because we need a girls’ night out,” I inform her again. “And you’ll like these women. I promise. They’re not bitches.”
“Everyone’s nice to you,” she says as we walk down the sidewalk in our heels. “Because you’re likeable.”
“Well, so are you.” We head into the bar. It’s not quite hopping yet, and I spy our party right away at a big round booth in the back. “There they are.”
“Joy!” Meredith exclaims and waves in excitement.
“Hi,” I say with a smile and gesture to my sister. “This is Noel. Noel, this is Meredith Williams, and Amelia Crawford, who I believe you’ve met.”
“Definitely,” Noel says with a nod. “Hi, Lia.”
“Hey, girl,” Lia says. “This is my sister, Anastasia.”
“We need name tags,” Noel says as we scoot our way into the booth.
“Oh, honey, this is nothing,” Meredith says with a laugh. “You should see my family. I’ve been part of it for over five years now, and there are days that I think we need to wear name tags.”
“It’s a huge family,” Anastasia agrees with a nod. “But fun. And let’s not forget, sexy as hell. I mean, the level of hotness that exists in that family should be illegal.”
“I’ll have a champagne with pomegranate,” I inform the waitress, and Noel orders the same. We also place an order of just about everything on the appetizer menu. “How was your honeymoon, Lia?”
“The best,” she says with a grin, sipping her martini. “Wyatt took me to Paris for fashion week.”
“No,” Noel says, her eyes wide in shock. “Stop it.”
“It’s true.” Lia sighs. “VIP all the way, too. Front-row seats. It was off the fucking hook.”
“Oh my God, that’s awesome,” Noel says, and I know that she and Lia will be good friends. They share a love of fashion and makeup and all things girly that I just don’t have a passion for.
“I have some fun makeup ideas for the kids,” Lia informs Meredith.
“Awesome,” Mer says, clapping her hands. “Lia’s been working with me and the kids in my studio and does all of the makeup for our recitals.”
“They’re cute,” Lia says with a smile.
“And are you still going to keep up with your YouTube channel?” I ask her.
“Oh, yeah, I love it, and it’s a great source of income,” Lia says with a nod. “But what I really want to know is, what’s up with you and Jace? Wyatt said you’ve always just been friends, but you were more than friendly at our wedding.”
“I love gossip like this,” Anastasia says, sipping her drink. “We need more nights out.”
“Well, we’ve been friends since our freshman year of college,” I reply with a smile and glance at Noel, who’s also smiling. “But over the past couple of months, things have grown more . . . intense.”
“So you’re fucking,” Mer says with a grin. “I love it. Keep talking, and use all the dirty words.”
I laugh and reach for an onion ring. “The sex is . . . wow.”
“I just need to add something,” Noel says, holding up a hand. “As someone who’s witnessed this from the beginning. The Jace you all know now is not the Jace from almost fifteen years ago.”
“How so?” Anastasia asks.
“He was a little nerdy,” I say, but Noel rolls her eyes.
“No, he was a lot nerdy. And shy. And just not confident at all.”
“I mean, he was nineteen,” I remind everyone and glare at my sister. “You’re making him sound awful, and he was not awful. He was young.”
“But man, did he grow up,” Noel says with a smile.
“Sometimes, it takes a person a while to come into their own,” Meredith says with a shrug. “I was the skinniest, scrawniest girl ever. Of course, dance kept me small, but I didn’t blossom until after school.”
“Jace’s always been a great guy,” I continue, “and we’ve stayed close all these years. He’s an amazing doctor. I have a lot of respect for him.”
“And his penis,” Anastasia says with a wink, making us all giggle.
“It’s evolved from friendship love to romantic love,” I continue. “And the sex is off the hizzy.”
“Atta girl,” Lia says, reaching her hand out to bump mine. “I love Jace. He’s the best. When I didn’t know if things would work out between Wyatt and me, he was there to listen, and he never judged me.”
“That’s Jace,” I agree with a nod. “He’s a good friend.”
“What about you, Noel?” Meredith asks. “Are you seeing anyone?”
“Who has time?” Noel asks with a gusty breath. “I work non-stop. So, unless he wants to pick out curtains or a sofa, I’m probably not going to meet him.”
“Same,” Anastasia says. “The only men I meet are grooms and new dads.”
“Well, that one groom did come on to you,” Lia says, and Anastasia rolls her eyes.
“Don’t remind me. What a creep.”
“Joy, has Levi said anything to you about Starla?” Meredith asks, and Noel stares at me in shock.
“Starla?” Noel screeches. “As in the pop star?”
“That’s the one,” I reply and fill her in on the concert and Levi leaving with her.
“You didn’t tell me!”
“I’m sorry, it’s been busy,” I say with a shrug. “I haven’t seen Levi much, but no, I don’t think he’s said anything.”
“Starla won’t talk about it either,” Mer says, tapping her chin in thought. “I want to know if there’s something ongoing there, or if it was just a one-night thing. Frankly, Starla hasn’t given anyone the time of day since Rick died, and that was more than four years ago now.”
“Wow,” I breathe. “I had no idea. I remember his accident was all over the news. It was sad.”
“It devastated her,” Mer says. “So, when she left the venue with Levi, I was excited for her.”
“Wait, let me get this straight,” Noel says, shaking her head. “You’re friends with Starla?”
“Oh, yeah, long-time friends. I used to tour with her as a backup dancer, but now I own a studio here in Seattle with my dance partner, Jax, and I’m a mom. I danced with Starla when she was in Seattle for old times’ sake, but I hung up my touring shoes years ago.”
“That’s so awesome,” Noel says.
“I’ll ask Levi about it the next time I see him,” I offer.
“So will I,” Lia says with a wink. “We’ll get the deets.”
“You guys, it’s the cha-cha slide,” Meredith exclaims, shimmying her way out of the booth. “Come on!”
“I don’t know how to do it,” I say with a laugh.
“I’ll show you, it’s easy. Let’s go.”
“Where is he?” Noel asks as we stand on the sidewalk. Jace is on his way to pick us up, and rather than wait for him inside, we decided to get some fresh air. Noel is holding her heels in her hands.
“On his way. You’re going to get flesh-eating bacteria or something, standing on the sidewalk in your bare feet.”
“I let a stranger kiss me on the dance floor,” she reminds me, and I break out in giggles. Gosh, she’s funny when we’ve been drinking. “I don’t think I need to worry about the sidewalk.”