“There’s a small army here,” she said. “Martini, please. Make it dirty with two olives.”
“Someone looking to get a little buzzed, like me?”
“Just need to take the edge off,” Mia replied. “Weddings make me itchy.”
“Like you’re allergic?”
“No, Izzy.” She shook her head and laughed.
“Well, what the fuck? Clue a sister in.”
We turned toward the bar, picking up our drinks and clinking them together.
“I feel I’ll always be a bridesmaid and never a bride.”
“You have Mike.” I sipped the Jack, letting it slide down my throat in one quick swallow.
Mia sipped her martini and winced before her lips puckered. “I could be an old hag before he finds just the right way to ask me to marry him.”
“Fuck tradition. Ask him already.”
“He’d die,” she said, bringing the glass to her lips and looking at me over the rim.
I held up my hand, snapping my fingers for a refill. “He’ll get over it. Make a deadline, then. If he doesn’t ask by a certain date, then you ask him.”
“Maybe,” she replied, setting her drink on the bar. “I wouldn’t walk away if he doesn’t ask. I love him too much.”
“He loves you too, Mia. It’s really sickening how often I have to hear about you.” I laughed, tapping my fingernails against the wooden surface as I waited for my drink. “I love you, of course, but Jesus. The man talks about nothing else except for you and the clinic.”
She hit my shoulder, causing me to laugh. “Would you rather him talk about Rob and working out all the time?”
Rob was my brother’s trainer before he quit fighting. Rob and I had had a “thing” for a short time. It’d ended badly. Mostly for him, though, since my knee had found its way to his balls and he’d ended up on the floor.
“Well, lesson one is don’t refer to women as bitches.”
“I’m sure he learned his lesson,” she said, and laughed. “I’ve heard more than once about your wicked, bony-ass knee. I think he still has a thing for you, Izzy.”
I turned, holding my glass near my lips. “Ain’t no way in hell am I ever dating him. Never. Ever. He’s a total asshole.”
Mia’s laughter turned into a fit of giggles as she held on to the bar to maintain her balance. Tears streamed down her face and her dark eyes twinkled in the lighting. “I know he is. Total douche, but he has a soft side.”
“Mia, stop trying to get me to hook up with Rob.” I sipped the Jack Daniel’s, the feeling of the first shot already making its way through my system. My legs felt a little wobbly and my core warmed. “I don’t want a boyfriend and I certainly don’t want him.”
“Someday, Izzy, you’re going to meet that guy. One who makes your belly flip and toes curl. The electricity between you two will be undeniable. You just haven’t met the right one.”
“He’s like a unicorn, Mia. Totally fictional bullshit.”
She shook her head, finishing the last sip of her martini. “He’s not. You just haven’t found him yet. I feel those things when I’m with Michael.”
“You’re obviously mentally impaired,” I chortled.
“I can’t wait to see the day someone has you all in a fluster. You’re going to be totally fucked.”
“Mia, babe, there ain’t no man tough enough to handle all this,” I said, motioning down my body.
“Uh huh,” she clucked, her shoulders shaking from laughter. “I can’t wait to see the damn day.”
“It’s dinnertime, ladies,” my ma sang as she walked through the bar area. “It’s time to take your seats.”
