“Wait—seriously?”
She sighed, leaning against the table and picking up a cupcake, peeling back the wrapper and taking a nibble. “Charlie and Drew are especially close,” she said. “So when things went down, Charlie tried to talk to her and Cat, and Jade made a comment aboutyou and your girlfriend young enough to be your daughter.”
“She said that?” It felt like a cold flush in my stomach, and I clutched my drink tighter.
“Apparently. Just don’t tell anyone I told you that,” she said with a sheepish laugh. “I heard it from Linda. I think Charlie doesn’t want to talk about it.”
I guess Jade had been under a lot of stress and pressure, but going off on Charlie like that was just… well, a low blow at best. I looked down.
“Aw, don’t make that sad face,” she said. “Sorry, maybe I shouldn’t have said anything. I didn’t realize you liked Jade so much.”
“She’s been a nice friend for me,” I said. I hated how pitiful I sounded.
“I don’t think she’s a bad person!” Abby said, hands up. “I just think she’s been in her own head lately, that’s all. You know when you get caught up in your feelings and you say things you regret?”
I laughed nervously. “Yeah, I, uh… I do know that.”
“Don’t worry about it, babe,” she said, and she took a bite of her cupcake and set it down next to her, sidling closer to me. “Aside from all that, how are you liking Vermont? Not too tired from the hike?”
“Ah… I’m a bit tired,” I lied. Well, not a lie, technically—I was exhausted, but it had nothing to do with the hike. “But I’m really glad we got to go. I had a lot of fun.”
“Me too.” She batted her eyelashes a little. “We should totally do something like it again sometime soon.”
“Are you going to be at the market on Sunday?”
“I am, yeah. But I know Daniela will be there with you.”
I cocked my head. “Do you not like her or something?”
“She’s fine,” she laughed. “I just mean, something with me and you.”
“Oh. Yeah, I mean, I’m down. We could get coffee or something?”
She smiled wide. “That sounds wonderful,” she said. “By the way, I love your dress. You look so good tonight.”
“Thanks…” I adjusted the dress, sipping my drink anxiously. I was floored by the thought that maybe I did manage to look good—not just in that I was kind of plain, but in that I was so frazzled and exhausted that I felt like I’d phoned it in getting dressed for a party. “You look nice, too,” I said. “I like your shoes.”
“Oh, thanks,” she said, lighting up as she flashed the shoes from all angles, cute little sandal heels. “I decided to make an effort today and see if I could get a girl’s attention tonight.”
“Oh, yeah?” I stood up taller. “Is there someone here you’re after?”
She laughed, giving me a playful look. “I think I can think of someone.”
“Well, don’t just tease me with it,” I laughed. “Who is it?”
She bit her lip, eyes twinkling. “I’ll let you guess.”
“Oh, god, I don’t know. Daniela?” I really hoped not. I had a job to handle.
“Close. Ididgo on a hike with her yesterday, but it’s not Daniela.”
I frowned. Charlie and Linda were the only other ones with us. “Linda…? Do they have an open relationship or something?”
The smile vanished from Abby’s face, and she went through a whole series of emotions looking at me before she said, “Are you… oh, shit. Are you straight?”
“What?”
“Oh, god, I was just assuming. I’m so sorry.”
