She could only shake her head. George caught her eye.
“You okay?”
“No,” whispered Abby.
The man who’d been behind the bar—tall and slender, dark-reddish hair shining a bit under the dim lights—approached the table and spoke. “All right, ladies? Renee left me in the lurch, so I’m on me own tonight. What may I get you to dri—” The man stopped talking, his eyes on Jessie.
Jessie, however, looked hard at the menu. George finally broke through the moment.
“I think we’ll get a bottle, Rory. Red or white, ladies?”
When Jessie didn’t respond, Abby said, “I’ve only tried red.”And, she thought,I’m not sure I can taste it again without thinking about Luc.
“White it is,” said the man. “Shall I bring you the house?”
“Please” came George’s response.
“Back in two ticks.”
As soon as the man had gone, George turned to Jessie. “You andRory?” she asked, brows shooting sky-high.
Jessie, who’d flushed bright red now, just shrugged.
“How did I not realize this?”
“We always do our drinking at your place.”
“Because you never want to come to the Nook. Because of—”
“I can’t talk about it now. Or ever,” Jessie interrupted, and George just looked at her through those pale-green eyes. Turning to Abby, Jessie asked, “Know what you’d like to eat yet?”
“You pick.”
“Really? I’m not even sure what you li—”
“It’s too many choices,” said Abby, at a loss. “I have no idea where to start.”
“All right.” Jessie looked between George and Abby. “There’s a story here, isn’t there?”
George left it to Abby to nod.
“I’m…I’m not from around here.”
“So, no clothes, no idea what to order, first time out. You’re an alien?”
“Something like that.” And then, because she felt bolder than usual, Abby lifted her chin and went on. “You tell me abouthim, and I’ll tell you about my…origins.”
Though she looked taken aback for a second, Jessie quickly recovered and held out her hand with a smile. “Deal,” she said with a firm shake. “But not tonight. Tonight we drink wine and eat…cheeseburgers?”
“Cheeseburgers it is,” said George, setting down her menu with a smile and a decisive slap.
The man—Rory—returned with the wine and took their order, leaving the three of them alone again, full of stories and a new sense of adventure. They held up their glasses of white wine, which Abby could already tell wasn’t nearly as interesting as red. Or maybe it had just been Luc.
“As your doctor, I’m supposed to tell you that you shouldn’t drink while taking antibiotics,” said George. She held her glass up high, eyes soft on Abby’s. “But as your friend, I’d like to make a toast. To a new life.”
Jessie lifted her glass, adding, “To new adventures.”
Trying not to cry, Abby did the same. “And to new friends,” she whispered as the others touched their glasses to hers.
