I blink, caught midsip. “Uh…I was a cheerleader in high school? Do not tell Cody.” I point a finger.
Addison raises her brows. “I didnotknow that.”
“Obviously, neither did I,” Megan says. “See? This is fun.”
Ella smirks. “You’re next.”
Megan thinks for a second. “I set garlic bread on fire—like, actual flames—in junior high cooking class. The whole school went home early. It was a whole thing.” She gestures like it’s no big deal.
Addison chokes on her drink. “Oh my. How?”
“The broiler setting on ovens get very hot,” Megan answers matter-of-factly.
We’re all laughing now, and I pour another glass of wine without thinking much about it. It’s not that I’m trying to drink more, it just feels nice. The warmth in my cheeks, the way my shoulders don’t feel so tense. My mood is better.
“Okay, Ella,” Megan says, pointing her glass. “Your turn.”
Ella grins. “Before I moved back here, I reached out to Margie—you know, The Moose bar owner—and asked if Jesse was married before I made the decision to come back.”
Addison’s eyes go wide. “Does Jesse know?!”
“No.” Ella laughs, shaking her head. “It’s not like it’s a secret. If it came up now, I’d tell him. But in the beginning…I didn’t want him to think I was still nuts.”
“Stillnuts?” I laugh.
Megan covers her mouth, laughing. “That’s not nuts, that’s strategic.”
“More like stalker,” Addison teases.
Ella shrugs, smiling as she reaches for her mocktail. “Worked out though, didn’t it?”
I take another drink, half out of habit now, and already start to feel my muscles relax.
Megan tilts her head. “Alright, Addison, spill something about you that none of us know.”
“Oh, come on.” She groans, swirling her glass. “I’m an open book. You guys know everything.”
“Not true,” Megan says, leaning forward. “Everyone has a few secrets tucked away.”
She pauses, smirking. “It’s not really a secret, just funny.”
“That’s fine,” Megan says.
“Let’s hear it,” I add.
“When I had my first kiss—not with Wesley, unfortunately—he had some stubble and I thought it was dirt or something. I pulled pack and tried to wipe it off.”
We all crack up. I know exactly what she’s talking about. I have a similar experience from when I was in high school, except I didn’t pull away.
We eventually move from the table to the couch, curling up with blankets and starting some rom-com Ella pulled from the DVD collection. Addison claims the chair, Megan sits cross-legged on the other chair with a cupcake, and Ella and I take the couch.
Halfway through, Ella glances over at me. “Karissa, you okay over there?”
“Better than okay.” I laugh, settling deeper into the cushions. I have a newly poured glass of wine in one hand, another bowl of mac and cheese in the other.
“Good thing you live right next door,” Megan says. “No driving home for you.”
“Very true.” I raise my glass in mock salute. “God bless the girls.” I take another sip and everyone laughs.
