We both stared at Mia while she munched on a chip. I still couldn’t believe that the woman I’d watched do body shots on top of a dirty bar was a mom.
“Okay, would you distract me, please,” Sam begged as she tried to keep Mia from throwing ripped-up bits of napkin on the floor. “How’s your love life?”
I took a suspiciously heaping bite of chip and guacamole to buy myself a few seconds while Sam studied me.
“Something’s going on. I can tell by your face.”
“What? I’m chewing.” I pointed to my overfull mouth. I managed to smile at her and she crowed victoriously.
“Iknewit! You have that freshly fucked glow!” She slapped her hand over her mouth and looked down at Mia, who was mashing pita chips with the wrong end of a fork.
“Oh, hold on, I absolutely do not.” I paused to prepare myselffor the epic play-by-play to come once I told her. “So have you heard anything about the goats?”
“I was right! The second I heard you were training his mom’s goats I knew something was up.” Sam rocked back and forth like she was putting the final pieces of a mystery together. Mia stared up at her with a worried expression. “He’s been all cagey with Nolan, and you two were acting so formal the other night. Like you were strangers in line at the grocery store. ItoldNolan I thought something was going on, but he didn’t think so. He said Andrew would’ve told him. When did it happen?”
It took me a second to process the fact that Andrew hadn’t said anything to Nolan. I knew the guys didn’t gossip like me and Sam, but they were tight enough that he could’ve mentioned it.
I laughed at Sam’s serious expression. “Are you okay? I mean, do you need a minute to process?”
“Well, yeah. This is how many years in the making?”
I shrugged. “You need to know that ‘this’ ”—I made air quotes—“is nothing official, okay? We agreed to have fun, that’s it. No promises.”
She scanned me. “And you’re okay with that?”
“I don’t think he’s capable of much more, so, yeah.”
She frowned at me. “Are you forgetting his two-year relationship with Zadie? He’s not afraid of long-term, Chels.”
As much as I didn’t like thinking about Zadie, shewasproof of his ability to commit to someone. Not that that was what I needed from him, but still.
“Well, that’s not where we are, so whatever.” I fiddled with a chip. “And I’m fine with it.”
Sam pulled the goat barn details out of me and wound upfanning herself by the end, despite my euphemisms to keep the story acceptable for young ears. Confiding in Sam felt like old times. I didn’t realize how much I’d missed it, and her.
The sensation crept up on me. That warm, buzzy feeling of the magic in mundanity. We were just two old friends catching up, so why did it feel special? Maybe it was the midday beer, or the crackling warmth of the fireplace, or the pine tree with white lights glittering in the corner. I’m sure the holiday soundtrack helped too. It was still early enough in the season that I wasn’t sick of “Last Christmas” yet. It all added up to a moment I wished I could bottle up and then drink down the next time I was feeling sorry for myself.
Sam moved the guacamole farther away from Mia and offered her the tablet again. She waited until Mia had the headphones back on before she started talking. “I know you probably thought I was going to freak out when you told me, and I totally am on the inside, but I’m not going to meddle.” I laughed at her and her face fell. “What? I’m serious. Nolan and I would love to couple hang with the two of you before we leave for Long Island, but if you guys are opting to keep it strictly horizontal I respect that.Youtellmehow you want things to go.”
I drained the rest of my beer as I considered how to answer her, because the truth was even I didn’t know what I expected from the little “fun” pact with Andrew. I mean, if I was honest with myself I knew what I hoped for, deep down. But it wasn’t on the table. “Fun” was, and I had to be fine with it.
“I’m going to his place tonight to help decorate his tree, so I’ll let you know if I foresee any ice skating double dates in our future.”
“His place? Just the two of you? Boom-chicka—” Sam stoppedherself and slapped her hand over her mouth for the second time. “Sorry, old habits.” She sat up straighter and folded her hands on the table primly. “I hope you two enjoy the pleasure of one another’s company as you bedeck his tree.”
“Thank you.”
“And make sure to take special care of his Christmas balls, Miss Higgins. I do hope Santa won’t be the only one coming.”
“Sam!”
Mia’s eyes jumped between us as we collapsed into giggles.
chapter thirty
What’s all of this?”
Andrew grabbed two overfilled bags from my hands and stepped back to welcome me into his place.
