I hand her phone back, forehead furrowing. “Oh, yeah? In what way?”
She shimmies in her chair, lifting her gaze to the blue sky. “I don’t know. I guess I’m tired of just being that girl who looks good half-naked next to my boyfriend. I want to do something real. Something actually useful and smart or whatever. You know?”
I nod, her energy resonating. “Yeah, I do. It’s a good time to be a woman who stands on her own two feet.”
Sierra nods, some of her nervous energy settling. “Yeah, it is. I mean, I love Torrance so much, but…I want to be more than his girlfriend.”
“You already are,” I assure her. “And pretty soon you’ll prove it.”
She beams as she squeezes my arm. “We should hang out while you’re here. I can show you the best clubs, too. Do you like to go dancing?”
I shake my head, exhaling a laugh as I confess, “I don’t know. I’ve never been to a club. I mean, I’ve played clubs back when the band was first starting out, but I’ve never gone for fun. My ex thought they were cheesy, so…”
“Ugh, I had an ex like that, too. I swear, he was allergic to fun.” She smiles as she lifts her mimosa in a toast. “Don’t worry,girl. We’ll get you all caught up on fun. That’s one of the things NOLA is best at.”
“She’s right,” Charlotte says, catching my gaze across the table. “New Year’s Eve is insane, and then Mardi Gras is just around the corner. You’ll have more fun than you can shake a stick at.”
“Speaking of sticks,” Makena says with a wicked grin. “We should set Bea up with Jean-Louis. Allegedly, his stick is the stuff of legend, and he knows exactly what to do with it.”
“No thanks,” I say, holding up a hand, fingers spread wide. “No hockey guys for me. Too risky with a brother on the team.”
Elly nods, sobering as she agrees, “Oh, yeah. Way too dangerous. One step out of line, and Nix would totally freak out.”
“In my boyfriend’s defense, I will say that he’s freaking out a lot less,” Charlotte says. “But I agree it’s best not to test his newfound patience. Besides, there are tons of gorgeous, fascinating men in New Orleans who have nothing to do with the Voodoo.”
“Oh yeah? Where are they?” Elly asks. “Because honestly, until I met Grammercy, I’d pretty much given up hope. And all the younger girls in my college classes are doing that 4B thing.”
Sierra frowns. “4B? What’s that?”
I lean in, listening as Elly describes a women’s movement originating in Korea committed to avoiding dating, sex, marriage, and having children with men.
“Wow,” Sierra says after a beat of silence. “What’s left todowith them once you’ve cut out all that? I’m not sure Torrance is capable of doing anything else. I mean, except playing hockey.”
We all laugh, but it’s not entirely comfortable. It’s clear even the ladies in great relationships know what it feels like to be in one that isn’t so well-rounded.
“Grammercy and I are really into Feng Shui right now,” Elly confesses a little shyly. Makena gives an exaggerated roll of hereyes, and Elly slaps her lightly on the thigh. “Stop. I know it sounds silly, but it makes our home feel so much homier and relaxed. I swear, Mimi is sleeping so much better since we Shui-ed her room.”
“I’m just messing with you,” Makena says. “I can’t say anything, Parker and I are already stalking fruit trees at the nursery and plotting our spring planting. We’re borderline obsessed with our garden at this point.” She takes a sip of her drink before adding in a carefully neutral tone, “Though we won’t be planting zucchini next year. For obvious reasons. Just in case any sexual deviants at the table were wondering.”
Charlotte exhales a breath and lifts her hands, making Sierra and me both jerk surprised glances her way. “I have apologized literally a hundred times. Will I never live this down?”
Makena smirks. “Never. You will be the Woman with Deviant Zucchini Tendencies from now until the end of time.”
“What did she do with the zucchini?” Sierra demands, clearly thirsty for the gossip.
Charlotte shakes her head, pointing a warning finger at the rest of the table. “No one say a word. This story doesn’t spread any further than it has already.” She sniffs as she recrosses her legs. “Besides, Nix’s sister is here. It would be inappropriate to talk about his sex life.”
My eyes fly wide. “Nix was in on the zucchini?”
Makena and Elly giggle as Charlotte flushes an even brighter shade of pink. “I plead the fifth,” she says, as Mack adds, “It’s not a big deal, really. They were both consenting adults. We just like to mess with Charlotte. She’s usually so by-the-book, we get excited when she does something worth teasing her about.”
“Don’t worry, Char,” I assure her. “Sierra and I will keep your secret. What we know of it anyway.”
Sierra nods enthusiastically. “We totally will. And please don’t tell Torrance that I said he wasn’t capable of anything elsebut hockey. We do have good talks sometimes. And he’s the sweetest guy I’ve dated. I don’t want to hurt his feelings.”
We all promise not to say a word, and it feels…fine.
Sierra clearly isn’t afraid Torrance will yell at her or be angry that she said something about him behind his back. She simply doesn’t want to hurt his feelings.
