“Can we please,please, talk about something else?”
“Like wedding plans?” Sabrina nodded at Rachel.
Rachel lifted her wineglass. “We’ve picked the date. I think the save-the-date announcements will go out next week.” She pivoted in her seat and pointed at Hope. “As long as it doesn’t conflict with anything you have planned. We were thinking mid-June.”
An enigmatic expression passed over Hope’s face then she shook her head. “Nope. You’re good there.”
“Great!” Rachel grinned. “So that gives us eight-ish months to nail down the dress and everything else.”
Sabrina and Maddie chimed in with questions, but Hope stayed suspiciously silent, smiling to herself. I sent her a questioning look, but she just shook her head.
After the questions wound down, I looked at the group of women. “So are you all engaged? Is anyone already married?”
“Hope and I are engaged.” Rachel pointed between them. “Sabrina is waiting until she’s done with vet school. And Maddie—”
“I just moved in with Nathan,” Maddie cut in. “We’ve only been together a few months. We’re not there yet.”
“But they will be. And I will be too.” Sabrina tilted her head. “One day. Just notthisday.”
“Cheers to that.” Maddie reached across the coffee table and clinked her glass against Sabrina’s.
I smiled at them, but I kinda felt like an island of one. They were all in relationships. They all had their lives figured out. Meanwhile, I was sleeping on a guy’s spare bed and relying on strangers for charity.
I’d never felt more alone.
“So Indy…” Hope smiled at me. “Ryan tells me you have a brilliant idea for the guys to finally get out from under James’ thumb.”
“Oh yeah!” Maddie grinned. “So smart.”
Sabrina looked from one woman to the next. “Wait, what? What’s going on? I’m out of the loop since I’m not working at the shop anymore.”
Hope raised her eyebrows at me.
I sighed and filled in Sabrina on my idea for the guys to make a web series.
“That makes so much sense. And Austin has—how many followers on social, Rachel?”
“Over half a million on one platform alone.” Rachel groaned. “But mostly women. At least in his DMs that is.”
“Oh, I heard about the last receptionist.” I leaned forward. “Are they going to make that whole interaction part of the show?”
Rachel’s lip curled. “Pretty sure. Austin said a cameraman was there before he could even push her off him.”
“Almost like they had it planned.” Hope tipped her head in sympathy.
“Exactly.” Rachel sighed. “I know Austin is getting sick of production’s manipulations.”
“Indy’s idea sounds like a great way to pivot.” Sabrina smiled at me. “You never said, what are you studying in college?”
Andthe focus was back on me. Again.
“Marketing and communications,” I mumbled.
“So, um, we should probably talk about the book, right, girls?” Hope asked the group before turning to me. “If that’s okay with you, Indy. I know we all kinda sprung this on you tonight. But you can thumb through it while we talk. And you can help us pick out next month’s read.”
I nodded and accepted the book she held out to me. Sinking back into the couch, I let their conversation flow over me as I read the back cover blurb. A soccer romance. Huh.
For the next while, I listened with half an ear while they debated the heroine’s likeability and lamented over the single POV style of the book. I found myself smiling and laughing at the different takes and kinda feeling like one of the girls even though I didn’t have anything to contribute.
