“Oh, we all are.” I waved her off.
“Speak for yourself.” Kelsey grinned and I rolled my eyes.
“If you can survive one night with us, you’re basically family. Also, bonus points if you can drink two glasses of wine without crying over a rom-com.”
Alessia’s laugh got a little louder. “Okay, I think I can do that.”
“You already know Elise, but this is Taylor, a really good friend of mine.” Kelsey motioned to Taylor who hadn’t moved from her spot from the counter.
“Hey.” Taylor lifted her chin in acknowledgement before taking another bite of her Pop-Tart.
“Now that everyone is here, let’s get this night started!” Kelsey bounced towards the couch where her favorite peach blanket awaited her.
“Thanks again for the invite.” Alessia said once she had settled on the opposite end of the couch with the glass of sangria Taylor had poured for her. “I’ve been so busy working, I haven’t had time to go out and meet new people.”
“Of course. We’re glad you could make it. Where did you move from?” Kelsey wondered.
“New York.”
“Ooh, that’s one of my favorite places to visit.” Kelsey said.
“What about you guys? Have you always lived in California?” Alessia wondered.
“No,” I sighed. “Though it was probably for the best since I was the ultimate fangirl in my early teens.”
“You say that like you’re not a complete fangirl now.” Taylor interjected.
“It’s more manageable now.” I defend before looking back at Alessia. “But to answer your question, Kelsey and I are both from Florida.”
“Yeah. Elise born and raised. I, on the other hand, moved there from Georgia when I was twelve to live with my grandma. It’s how Elise and I met. We went to the same junior high school.”
“Parents?” Alessia raised a brow.
“My dad is still alive. My mom is dead.” Kelsey explained and I kept my expression neutral. Mrs. Henderson was definitely still alive and kicking, but to Kelsey, she was six feet underground and knowing their history, I don’t blame her for the narrative she decided to tell everyone. “And maybe if you get me drunk enough, I might just tell you the whole story one day.” she adds.
“Oh please. If there’s one thing I know about, it’s interesting family relationships.” Alessia said, taking a sip of her Sangria.
“Speaking of interesting,” Kelsey stared pointedly at me. “What’s going on between you and Nathan Edge?”
Heat rushed to my cheeks at the sound of his name.
“Whose Nathan?” Alessia questioned.
“Nathan Edge. Elise’s sexy as hell as boss.”
I shook my head, not bothering to correct her. Because let’s be real, he was sexy as hell.
“Wait, Nathan Edge? As in the CEO of Edge Records?”
“The one and only.” I confirmed.
“He came to the opening of The Upper Echelon and I had to serve him and I overfilled his cup because I was so distracted from how hot he is.”
I laughed, and Kelsey and Taylor joined in.
“I guess it’s comforting to know I’m not the only one he has that effect on.” I replied. “And there’s nothing interesting about our relationship. He’s my boss and I’m his assistant.” I insisted.
“Which is why he conveniently showed up at our place the same day you had a date planned?” Kelsey challenged.
