Hallie swiveled in her chair to face them. “Is that tonight? What’re we doing?”
“Manis and pedis.” Kendall’s nose scrunched like she’d smelled something foul. “Not my choice.”
Not Hallie’s either. Like she really needed to spend more money right now. “Why don’t you guys go without me tonight? I’ll come next time.”
“Hal, you can’t bail,” Beej whined. “Girls’ night is a time-honored tradition.”
Back in college, maybe. But now that Elise had moved to Connecticut and Beej frequently worked the night shift at the hospital, it seemed they barely managed two Fridays a month.
“Besides, this is Cassie’s choice,” Beej continued. “Brad’s coaching in Inglewood tonight and doesn’t think he’ll get home until late. They’re staying at Grandma June’s, so I invited her and Gemma to join us.”
Beej’s sister-in-law hadn’t felt well enough to leave her apartment for weeks. And Hallie hadn’t stopped by to help out since last month. She’d love to see her. But still, the expense. “I don’t think it’s smart to splurge on something so frivolous right now. Some of us don’t have a thriving career yet.”
“You’ve been working on your finances, haven’t you?” Kendall lowered onto her stomach, using Foxie to prop up her chest. “You always get in your doom-and-gloom mood whenever you have to deal with money.”
Hallie threw a side eye in the direction of her friend. “I do not. I’m being cautious until I get my business off the ground. And you should be too. I have my doubts that the campus biology lab pays enough for a lot of extras.”
“Don’t worry about me.” Kendall shrugged. “One time isn’t going to destroy my bank account.”
Beej pulled her legs into a crisscross position. “Hal, youwillgetyour business off the ground. I know it. It’ll just take time. And you know we’re here to help with anything.”
Hallie dropped her gaze to the floor, embarrassed by the random tears stinging her eyes. She didn’t doubt her cousin’s insistence—all her roommates were fierce supporters of her ambitions. “I didn’t realize it would be this hard.”
“You know what you need?” If Beej’s last statement had been delivered in a compassionate tone, this one could only be described as perky cheerleader.
“What?” Besides a long walk to clear her head, which she wouldn’t be getting tonight.
A bright smile slid onto Beej’s face. “A night out with the girls to take your mind off your business troubles. Kendall and I will cover your bill.”
“We will?” Kendall’s dry tone made it obvious that this was the first she’d heard of the plan.
“I’m not letting you pay for me,” Hallie insisted. Kendall’s financial situation wasn’t all that different from hers. And despite Beej’s full-time salary, it wasn’t fair to expect her to pay for everything. Although Hallie knew her cousin wouldn’t mind, she refused to set that precedent now.
Her adamance didn’t dim Beej’s determination in the slightest. “Fine. I have another suggestion.”
“What’s that?” Hallie joined the others on the bed.
Beej pulled her phone from the pocket of her scrubs and swiped her finger across the screen before holding it out for Hallie to see. “I have a coupon. I’d planned to use it myself—I have a date with a hand model tomorrow, so you know my nails have to look perfect.”
“Yeah, because you know he’ll notice.” Kendall rolled her eyes with a smile.
Beej ignored her. “I think you could use it more.”
“Why do you want me to go so much?” Hallie asked.
Sure, girls’ night was tradition, but it wasn’t like no one had ever skipped in the past. So why the importance of this one?
Beej’s jaw worked as she swallowed slowly. “It’s just … Remember the old days when we used to do everything together? With Elise gone and all of us done with school?—”
Kendall loudly cleared her throat.
“Well, the two of us done with school,” Beej corrected, gesturing to herself and Hallie. Kendall still had over a year left of her PhD, and McKenzie wouldn’t start her undergrad program until January after putting off college to pursue the Global Elite Games. “I miss the old days when we were all together.”
They never talked about the dynamic shift that had occurred in the house with Elise’s absence. Hallie had simply thought she was the only one who’d felt it. She sighed. “Fine. I’ll get my feet done. I hate having nail polish on my fingers anyway. I always pick it off before it has a chance to dry.”
Beej clapped her hands. “Perfect! I have to change and Zee’s in the shower. As soon as she’s ready, we’ll head out.” She picked up her phone from the bed. “I’ll text Cassie and tell her and Gemma to meet us at the salon.”
With that, she popped up from the bed and left the room, a slight skip in her step. Kendall gave Hallie a commiserating glance before following.
