“Where’s the bedroom for us?” I ask Hayden when I notice her watching me.
She gives me a goofy smile paired with two thumbs up. “I’ll show you!” She then turns to look at the rest. “You’re all welcome to spend the night. I’d be worried about you driving in the snow this time at night.”
She presses a hand to her chest, eyes wide as she now stares at her husband. “I can’t believe how domesticated I am. Did you hear that? Me worried about people driving out in the snow at night!”
Ray gives her an approving nod. “Proud of you, babe.”
It might seem like a condescending response to anybody else, but we all remember how Hayden was when she first rolled into town. She’d never worked a day in her life, the ultimate socialite of Boston. Now, she is married to a guy who is nowhere in the high society circles, she has a job in Evie’s flower shop, and hosts dinner parties for her husband’s friends, followed by friendly game nights.
“We’re gonna take off,” Call announces. He already has a hand on Evie’s ass, pushing her toward the front door. “UnlikeRomeo over there…” He points at me. “I don’t need an audience when I make out with my woman.”
Mona’s giggles are out of control now. “Cal! You’re a funny guy,” she calls out to him. “I almost didn’t stop to talk to you that one time in the city. But it was worth it!”
Cal looks confused. “How so?” When he notices both me and Evie staring at him in question, he shrugs. “I ran into her one time when I delivered some flowers to the shop in the city for you.” He points at Evie. “It was cold, and I gave her a ride home.”
Mona lets out a loud snort. “I thought he was going to kidnap me. Who gets into a white van like that? Am I right?”
She definitely sounds tipsy.
“However, had I not gotten into the white van,” she continues, “I wouldn’t have signed up for theHolidatesapp.”
Gasps of surprise come from the girls while my jaw goes completely slack.
“You told her to sign up for theHolidates?”
Kyle gets in on the action. “This is fuckin’ funny. Thank God we didn’t leave early.”
“I didn’t tell her to sign up for shit.” Cal puts his arms up defensively.
“Why would he tell me to do that?” Mona asks.
They both talk at the same time, then the others chime in.
“Hey, what do you have against theHolidates?”
“It changed my life!”
“I wouldn’t be here with all you guys if it wasn’t for theHolidates!”
Meanwhile, I continue staring at Cal. I can’t believe he is the reason why I about had a stroke at hearing that Mona was on the dating site.
“It was perfect timing, Cal,” Mona yells out to Cal. “I had just left a date where this guy kept on going on and on about these plants he had in his mother’s basement…”
“Ewww!” All the girls say it at the same time in a synchronized move.
Mona pushes herself away from me to look at her new best friends. “I know, right? I told him he should go to the botanical gardens and walk around until he finds a girl who’s as obsessed with plants as he is!”
“Solid advice!” Kyle is the first one to agree. “Also, he could just marry a plant. It’d probably be easier.”
Mona gawks in response, looking as if she is repeating his words in her head. When they finally make sense, she lets out a loud laugh.
“Marry a plant!” She’s wheezing with how hard she’s laughing. “Why didn’t I think of it?”
I’d laugh, too, at how cute and funny she is when tipsy if it wasn’t for the small detail of theHolidatesapp.
“What the fuck were you thinking?” I ask Cal over Mona’s head.
He puts his hands up. “I didn’t do anything!”
