“That’s right,” Markie says. “You keeping count, Lolly?”
“I think Cathy and Mira got that one,” Lolly says.
Whew. There’s one.
“What is Hartley’s favorite karaoke song?” Markie asks.
“There’s no way Hartley does karaoke,” Gianna says. “I’ll eat my shoe.”
“I think I got this one,” Nettie says, holding up a hand. “I actually witnessed him singing karaoke once, and it was so random, I remember the song.”
Smiling smugly to myself, I write down the answer.Boom! That’s two.
“What do you think, ladies?” Markie asks.
“I call total bullshit on this question,” Gianna says.
Audrey holds up a hand. “He whistles Keith Whitley songs a lot, so I think it’s something by him. If I’m right, I’ll take half a point.”
“It’s ‘Boot Scootin’ Boogie,’” Nettie says, smiling proudly. “Heard him do it during Sugar Days maybe five years ago. Hil-arious.”
Nope. Good try.“Actually,” I say, looking at Nettie. “His favorite karaoke song is ‘Shoop’ by Salt-N-Pepa.”
“No way!” Astrid says, laughing. “Are you kidding?”
“She’s right,” Markie says. “And he said to tell everyone that it’s Mira’s fault because she made him listen to it so many times that he memorized it and can’t help that it’s catchy.”
Gianna bursts out laughing. “This has to happen. I need to see this.”
“If you give him enough whiskey, he’ll even act it out,” I say, giggling as I recall a night at Patsy’s the week after I turned twenty-one. I happened to be in town, and we ran into each other while picking up a pizza. We decided to grab a drink andwound up drunk off our asses, belting out karaoke songs until Patsy made us leave.
It was one of the best nights of my life. And it made me realize that even though we’d never have a romantic future, I knew I’d be hard-pressed to lose our friendship.
We play three more rounds and I win every one. By the time Markie declares me the winner, I’m riding on a surge of adrenaline. Cathy passes out lemon drop martinis while Lolly gets the presents gathered for me to open.
“Here you go,” Cathy says, handing me a drink in a red plastic cup. “Sorry it’s not fancier. As you can imagine, I didn’t have a lot of time to prepare.”
I take a sip, letting the alcohol warm my stomach. “Thank you for this. All of it.”
“It wasn’t me, honey. It was Lolly and Markie.”
“I know,” I say, frowning. “But you helped. And you put together the picnic for us last night, which was amazing. Your fruit dip is my new favorite food group.”
She laughs. “I’ll keep some in the fridge for you at all times.” Her smile falters. “Also, if you don’t want me in every day, please let me know. It’s your home now, and I don’t want to interfere.”
The emotion in her voice catches me off guard. I clench my cup and try to read the situation. I’m not sure if she thinks I’m going to try to fire her, or if she’s just nervous, or if she thinks this whole thing is ridiculous.
I suck in a breath. “Honestly, Cathy, I was hoping you’d stay and keep your routine.”
Her eyes light up. “Really?”
“Hartley loves you, and you know everything about how things work. How he works. What he likes and what he hates. And, you know, I haven’t been around a lot so I might need help.”
And I don’t want him alone when I leave in a year.
The thought shakes me, causing a chill to ripple down my spine. I’ve gotten so caught up in the celebration today that it’s been easy to forget that this isn’t my actual reality. Their joy might be real, and their support of our union might also be true. But that doesn’t change the terms of the arrangement, and I’d do best to remember that. And when I leave … it’s vital that they don’t put any of the blame for our divorce on Hartley. But that’s for another day.
“I’d love to stay around,” she says. “I work for you now, too. So, please let me know if you’d like things changed or if you have different preferences for meals—anything.”
