“Oh, really?” Grace’s eyes widen in utter delight. She nudges Julian in a way that is probably supposed to be subtle, but is actually not subtle at all. Julian sets an arm around her shoulders to calm her matchmaking whims. She looks up at him, hearts in her eyes. “Remember when I refused to DTR?”
Julian smiles, but somehow doesn’t smile. “Worst month of my life.”
“I’m sensing a story,” Joss says with an impish grin.
Grace pats Julian’s chest and sighs. “Not a good one. Just me learning that everything is so much better when you finally... surrender.”
Julian kisses her cheek, and they beam at each other in a vaguely sickening way. Jocelyn and I exchange a quick, awkward glance.
Still holding hands. Why are we holding hands again?
Grace shakes herself. “Anyway, thanks for coming. Have a great dinner.”
She hugs Joss, who finally releases me to return the embrace. My hand feels weird where she touched it. All hot and prickly. Grace whispers something in Joss’s ear, then moves on to the guests behind us. With a last nod at Julian, I take Joss’s elbow and lead her farther into the dining room.
“Well, she was fucking lovely,” Joss says, starkly sincere.
“Told you. Sweetest woman alive. What’d she say to you?” I check the names at the round tables, finding ours—Dr. Asher Foley and guest—at one in the corner, still empty. I pull out Joss’s chair, and she slides in.
When I settle next to her, she leans close. “She said, ‘I know it was a joke, but he’s worth the wait.’?”
Hmm. Is it, like... excessively hot in here?
Since entering this restaurant, my entire body has buzzed like a hive of bees lives under my skin. With those words, their stingers pierce my flesh. I reach for the ice water on the table and take a sip without looking at Joss. “She really took you at your word there.”
She chuckles. “I see what you liked about her. And Julian is very charming.”
“I’mcharming,” I mutter, annoyed that Joss noticed anything about Julian at all. Bro steals too much attention for himself. It’s like he’s the groom of this wedding or something.
Rude.
Her laughter grows. “Yes, but he’s the refined sort of charming, whereas you’re the goofy, lovable sort. The two aren’t the same.”
I gather the courage to look at her, flush be damned. “You make me sound like a puppy.”
“Um. Puppies are straight fire, Ash. Just take the snapshot.”
Smiling, I aim a fake camera at her and make a clicking noise while she sticks her tongue out.
“Foley!” booms a deep voice. Maxwell approaches our table, his arm around his wife, Cat.
Short for... Catherine? Caterina? Catwoman?
Don’t know.
I stand and greet them both, introducing Jocelyn, even though they both met her two years ago. The couple settles at the table.
Maxwell graduated a year ahead of me and currently works as faculty at our residency program. Extracting gossip from him is something I’ve looked forward to this weekend—Is Dr. Chen still Chen-ing? Do the hospitalists still suck? Which residents shine? Who’s sleeping with who?
Our table fills, but the four of us laugh and catch up, and before long, it’s nearly over. When Julian stands to toast Grace, Maxwell makes his way over to give his own toast.
Speeches are made. Tears are shed. At the closing of the evening, Maxwell reminds me to meet them in the hotel lobby for bachelor party shenanigans.
“Are you sure you don’t mind?” I ask Joss on the drive back to the hotel. “I don’t have to go to the bachelor party.”
She gives my shoulder a playful shove. “That’s what we came for. Go! Enjoy your friends.”
I smirk. “You going to party without me?”
