“We didn’t even make it through the appetizer,” Sarah muttered under her breath.
“I’m not sorry.”
“Neither am I,” Sarah added.
“Wait a minute. What is going on?” Beth asked, still lost.
“Sarah and I went on a date on Friday,” Liv said, taking an unbothered sip from her glass. “I appreciate a driven and ambitious woman as much as the next girl, but I’m looking for somethingspecificin a woman. And while everything looked good on paper, it was apparent to me very quickly that we”—she gestured between herself and Sarah—“wouldn’t be going anywhere. So I told her that I thought we’d be better as?—”
“Friends,” Beth finished, understanding what Sean was finding so funny as she echoed the exact words Liv had told her at the end of their own date over the summer.
“She friend-zoned both of you.” Sean snickered into his glass.
“You’d think that for someone looking for something sospecific, using a match-making service would expedite the process a bit.” Sarah rolled her eyes.
“Perhaps if I were actually using the services, my search would be going quicker. But I’m not. Janet is my aunt. Now and again, she calls me to meet one of her clients when thevibeis right. Who am I to say no? We’re all just out here looking for love, aren’t we?”
“Amen!” Pat said, holding out his empty glass, looking adoringly at Sean.
Sophie reappeared at the table next to them, uncorking the bottle in her hand. “Alright, who wants to try that reserve?” All five of them held out their wine glasses, ready for more.
Sophie talked them through the tasting notes for each of the reserve wines, and by the time they reached the last one, Beth was definitely feeling the effects.
She smiled to herself, sitting quietly on her stool as she observed the group around her, watching how their varying personalities interacted with and played on one another. Sarah and Sean like oil and water, each with a heart of gold. Sweet, gentle Pat, always down for a good time. And now there was Liv, with all her eccentricities and oddities—these wereherfriends.
Six months ago, socializing like this would have felt so forced, sonotwhere her headspace was even a year after Jamie’s passing. Now, however, it felt right. But probably the most important thing this evening had done for her was restore her faith in her ability to have fun without feeling guilty—something that hadn’t happened since Jamie died.
She made a mental note to tell Lenore the next time she saw her—actually, she made a mental note to schedule an appointment. It had been almost four months since she had last sat in Lenore’s incredibly bland office to talk about her feelings. Those four months had gone by so fast, and not once had Beth really felt the need to go back to therapy. She had her tools for coping with everything from grief to overwhelm to anxiety toimposter syndrome. Wasn’t the next part to put those tools to work?
“Beth?” Sarah gave her a quizzical look.
Crap. She had zoned out again. She really needed to stop doing that, but for her whole life, she had been the type of person who spent just a little too much time in her head. She glanced around the table to try to piece together what had happened while she’d been off in her little world. Sean and Pat were standing, pulling on their coats, and Oliver had returned with the baby.
“Sorry, I missed that. What?”
“Everyone else is heading out, but I was going to stay and have another glass of wine while Sophie wraps up a few things here. Do you want to stay?”
Beth glanced around, quickly making her decision. “Yeah, another drink sounds great. I could go for a glass of that Viognier.”
“I had a feeling that’s what you were going to want. I had Sophie grab you a glass.” Sarah smiled as Sophie set down two glasses in front of them.
“I’ll be in the back finishing up a few things. Holler if you need anything,” Sophie said, stopping to kiss Oliver and say her goodbyes to Liv and Delaney.
“We need to head out,” Sean said, leaning in to hug Beth first, then extending a hand to Sarah. “You two behave yourselves.” He winked before following Pat out the door.
“Auntie duty calls.” Liv pulled Beth into a warm hug before turning to Sarah. “Sarah, it was good to see you again so soon. I’m sure this won’t be the last time our paths cross. I truly meant what I said. I think we’d be good friends.”
A flicker of something Beth couldn’t quite place flashed in Sarah’s eyes before it was gone. “Don’t be a stranger, Liv,” Sarah said.
Then it was the two of them, a bottle of wine, and nothing but the evening ahead.
“God, when was the last time we did this?” Sarah mused, pouring the pale yellow liquid into Beth’s glass and handing it to her.
Beth wasn’t quite sure whatthisSarah was referring to. Them sharing a bottle of wine? Them being friends? “Mmhmm,” she agreed non-committally as she sipped from her glass, eyes flitting around the tasting room before landing on the collection of her paintings on the opposite wall.
“Those are yours, aren’t they?” Sarah asked, standing up with her wine glass in hand, moving towards the paintings.
Beth didn’t join her, choosing to remain seated. She watched the way Sarah expertly dangled her wine glass between long, elegant fingers as she examined the paintings. A sudden rush of nervousness hit her as Sarah leaned in close to one, and Beth took an anxious sip from her glass.
