Vera’s attention turned back to me. “Kaya’s on to something. I will bite your head off if you don’t tell me what’s going on.”
“Nothing’s going on,” I told them quickly. At their annoyed looks, I added, “Seriously, nothing. We’re just friends.” I jumped forward in my seat, holding up a hand. “No, not even that! We’re getting to know each other. We’re becoming friends. And who can blame us when we’re always thrust into these major couple situations and we’re the only two people in the room not making out in the corner.”
“Don’t turn this around on us,” Molly warned. “If anyone was making out in the corner last night, it was you and Vann.”
“We’ve never made out,” I said patiently. At Vera’s pursed lips and wide eyes, I quickly added, “We’ve never even kissed. Seriously, we’re friends. That’s all.”
Vera slumped in her seat. “Probably for the best. He’s not the nicest guy when it comes to girls. I haven’t even met one of his dates before. I don’t think he’s into the whole commitment thing.”
I resented her implication that I needed commitment. “Who said I am? Just because we might have flirted last night, after copious amounts of carbs and cocktails, doesn’t mean I’m ready to marry him. Keep your wedding cooties to yourself, Vere. He’s funny. I like talking to him. That’s it.”
“He’s not funny,” she argued. “He’s grumpy and responsible and the cheapest person you will ever meet.”
I shrugged. “Okay.”
The three of them leaned toward me, eyeing me shrewdly.
“You’re like complete opposites,” Kaya pointed out. “You’re never grumpy and you’re never responsible and you’re the opposite of cheap.”
I couldn’t help but laugh at the truth in her words. “See? It would never work. Good thing there isn’t anything going on between us! Can we move on now?”
“I suppose,” Vera sighed. “But it would make me happy to see him settled down with someone I love.”
“Maybe you could set him up with Jo,” I suggested. “She’s grumpy and responsible and cheap.”
Kaya snorted. “Cheap as hell.”
“Good grief, they’re perfect for each other,” Vera groaned.
We were all able to laugh about Vann after that and finally move on. We spent the rest of brunch drinking more cocktails and talking about details of the remaining weekend and all the exciting things Vera had going on in her life right now.
Sure, there was also a lot of stress attached to all the major life events converging at the same time—a wedding, a restaurant opening and a baby in five months. But they were the very best things she could have ever hoped for.
And I was so beyond happy for her and Killian. Life wasn’t going to be easy going forward, but dang, it was going to be beautiful.
That pang lanced across my chest again, reminding me that some day I wanted this too. Not any day soon, I tried to maintain, but my old argument fell limp inside my head.
Who wouldn’t want this? Vera made it look wonderful.
And so did Molly.
And so did Kaya.
When I was surrounded by all this love, it was hard not to notice it was missing from my own life.
But it was. It so was.
After brunch, we headed over to Salt. The place was a madhouse. There were people everywhere. Florists setting up for the wedding tomorrow. Last minute construction guys making sure everything was in working order. An electrician. A couple of plumbers. Landscapers out front and around the building.
In one corner of the restaurant, Ezra’s maître d’ was instructing a gaggle of waiters. And in the other corner, Vera’s wedding planner and business manager were in the throes of a knockdown, drag out fight, each wielding a clipboard like it was a sword.
“This place is a circus,” Molly noted as we sidestepped a painter speckled with white paint and wearing goggles, a mask hanging around his neck.
“Killian’s been coordinating the final stages. I told him that it doesn’t have to be perfect, but he’s insistent that we’re in excellent working order by tomorrow.” She glanced back at us as she led us through the dining room and bared her teeth. “As long as we don’t have to use port-a-potties I’ll be happy.”
“Working on that now, ma’am,” a man in overalls called out as we walked by.
Vera stopped to talk to him, but the rest of us forged on, arms full of produce from Jo’s and protein from Vera’s favorite butcher. The men had been in charge of finding everything else on the extensive list.
