Vivi: Hope and Finn can watch the kids, so I’ll be ready.Just let me know what time.
Me: My brother is STILL there?
Vivi: Yeah, he swung by after practice. He’s got a few away games coming up, though, so he said he’ll be gone for the next week or so.
Me: Oh, whatever will he do without Hope?
Vivi: LOL. So can I come?
Me: Pack a bag. I can drop you off at home early tomorrow morning.
Vivi: Thank you, Addie. You were always my favorite cousin.
I roll my eyes. She’d say that to any one of our cousins if they were the one springing her from her brownstone prison.
Once I’ve texted my girls to let them know I’m bringing Vivi, I take a deep breath and stuff my phone back into my pocket, then turn around. No JJ in sight. And no chance of running into him tonight.
Much better.
NINE
ADDIE
Sutton Jones has beenmy best friend since we were eight. Only JJ has ever known more of my secrets than her, but that changed a long time ago. Sutton is in the middle of a Broadway run, so she’s not around, but Josie and Savannah both answered my S.O.S. text with promises to take my mind off my problems.
Both women work forJoliemagazine, and JJ’s mother is the editor in chief. I swear the connections between the people in my circle make my head spin sometimes.
Savannah is recently engaged. Her fiancé, Camden Snow—a former notorious bachelor who played hockey with my uncles—is old enough to be her father, but I’ve never seen a man so in love with a woman.
The two of them are so damn happy. As much as I can appreciate that, what I love even more is the beautiful house they recently purchased and the guest bedroom set up exclusively for me. Josie has one too, even though her parents’ house on the opposite side of the pond is visible from the floor-to-ceiling windows in the living room.
I show Vivi the third guest room, and when she’s dropped her bag on the bed, we head downstairs.
Savannah has the doors to the back deck open, letting the mild warmth of the September night in.
Damn, I wish I’d remembered to bring a swimsuit so I could do laps in the pool tomorrow morning.
“What smells so good?” I ask as I step onto the deck.
Smiling, Savannah motions to the dish on the table. “Whipped eggplant with focaccia for dipping. I’ve got garlic and oil as well if you’d prefer that.”
Not only is my friend one hell of a writer, single-handedly increasingJolie’s readership recently, but she’s a fabulous cook.
She’s also a knockout, with pinup-girl type curves, long red hair, green eyes, and a beauty mark above her lip. One I swear God placed himself before saying “There, now you’re perfect.”
Her life hasn’t always been so luxurious. In fact, it’s been pretty tough for the most part. Until she met Camden, I don’t think she ever truly opened up to anyone, not even our close-knit group. Now that she’s confided in us about her childhood and her family, the four of us are even closer.
“Looks amazing,” Vivi says. “Thanks again for letting me tag along.”
I drape an arm over my cousin’s shoulders. It’s an odd sensation, since I tower over her. She’s tiny, with dark curly hair, big brown doe eyes, and the kind of energy that makes me think she’s constantly ready to burst.
She’s always been this way. While we’re only four years apart, she seems so damn young.
“Of course. We’re always excited to welcome new guests to girls’ night,”Savannah says.
Josie sashays through the open doorway carrying a bottle of red wine in one hand and white in the other. “Hell yeah, we are.”
She has strawberry blond hair and freckles, and she’s always wearing outfits that the rest of us could not pull off. Yet they look incredible on her. Not because of her figure but because of her style and confidence. Tonight’s ensemble includes a floral boho-style top with a pair of blue chinos and strappy sandals.
