Laney takes a step back from them. “Don’t come near me then. I need my cycle to stay the way it is so I’m not on my period on my honeymoon.”
“The wedding is only a month away. Are you getting more excited?” I ask, trying to interject myself into this girl talk, but honestly? I’m out of my element here. Lydia was the only friend I was ever comfortable talking about my period with—or lack thereof since my cycle was never quite regular. And my mother? She wouldn’t be caught dead talking about any part of the female anatomy. It’s a miracle I even knew anything about sex or my body before Lydia handed me my first Cosmopolitan magazine and taught me virtually everything that I know.
Laney’s eyes practically turn into hearts. “I honestly can’t wait until I get to call that man my husband. It’s been a long time coming.”
Dilynne nods. “Yes, it has. Personally, I’m more excited for the bachelorette party.”
Laney narrows her eyes at her best friend. “I swear, Dilynne Marie, if you got a stripper, I will never forgive you.”
Dilynne rolls her eyes. “Pull your panties from your ass, Laney. There isn’t going to be a stripper, but I did find us some entertainment.”
“What is it?”
“Nope.” Dilynne points a finger in her direction, wiggling it around. “You have to wait and see just like everyone else.”
Laney turns to me. “Just for future reference, don’t commission Dilynne to plan a party for you…ever.”
Dilynne puts her hand up, blocking Laney from my view. “Don’t listen to her. She’s just a control freak who hates surprises.”
Elodie and I are laughing at their antics just as Elodie reaches for a bottle of wine. “I think we could all use a drink, yes?”
Once the corks have been popped and we all load our plates with food, we settle into my living room, fitting snugly on the couch and the one other chair I have. “Sorry there’s not more furniture.”
Elodie shakes her head. “Don’t apologize. You probably don’t usually have this many people over.”
“I don’t have people over at all.”
All three pairs of their eyes land on me. “Seriously?” Laney asks. “You didn’t hang out with your girlfriends back in D.C.?”
“I, uh…only had one really close friend there.”
“And she hasn’t come to visit you?” Laney continues.
I swallow down the lump in my throat and reply, “No. Actually…she died about six months ago,” I admit to the first people besides Rhonan.
The three of them simultaneously gasp. “Oh my God, I’m so sorry,” Elodie speaks first. “Was she your friend that you said was from Garnet Valley?”
“Yes,” I reply.
“What was her name?”
“Lydia Rodriguez.”
Elodie’s brows pinch together. “I don’t think I knew her.”
“She lived there when she was younger and then moved to D.C. with her dad when she was twelve. We met in high school, and we were inseparable ever since. You know, until…”
Dilynne shoves Laney from the side of the couch, nearly knocking her over. “What the hell was that for?” Laney barks.
“You better not die before me, okay? I’ll never forgive you.”
Laney looks perplexed. “Why would it matter? I’d be dead.”
Elodie glances over at me and shrugs. “She’s not wrong.”
“Besides, if you die before me, I know you’ll come back and haunt me, and that’s the last thing I’d want,” Laney fires back.
Dilynne’s smile is crooked. “Yeah, you’re right about that. Every time you hear a noise, you’ll always wonder if it’s me.”
