“No Gloria,” I confirmed. “Trust me, I looked for any sign of her.”
“No pointy hat and broom in a corner?”
“I was thinking sulfur dust. Isn’t that what demons leave behind?” I gestured behind her. “Anyway, can I offer you something to drink? I have tap water and tap water.”
“No tequila?”
“My bottle broke,” I said, but the warm flush moving across my cheeks said more than my words did. I shook my head at her knowing smile before getting us back on track. “Why? Is this a visit that requires booze? Because I could go get the spoiled fruit that I just threw out. I’m sure it’s wine-esque by this point.”
“I’ll pass. And that explains why it smells like a sterile hospital in here. But no, it’s fine. The drink would be the celebratory kind.” She inhaled. “I’m moving in with Easton.”
“Okay.”
Her shoulders dropped. “I expected some shock. Some excitement. A little razzle dazzle, at least.”
“Wow. I am in some shock. But I also feel some excitement.” I added half-assed jazz hands. “Is that better?”
She whacked my arm, and I lost the fight on my smile.
Grinning huge, I pulled her into my arms for a tight hug. “I’m really happy for you.”
“That’s more like it. It was bad enough that Wren wasn’t totally floored by my submissive revelation. If you weren’t stoked about this, I was going to find new friends.”
“Too bad. You’re stuck with us.” I released her and fixed two tap waters that didn’t pack the commemorative punch that tequila would’ve. “Speaking of, have you heard from our angelic perv lately?”
Some of the joy left Maddie’s face. “No. We talked about getting together when we were both home on Christmas Eve, but it never happened. She said she’s been good but busy.”
Unease prickled at the back of my neck since those were the exact words she’d used when she’d texted me. “I’m starting to get a little worried. She’s under a lot of stress, and if it’s not going well… Or maybe working with kids isn’t all she thought it would be.”
“This is Wren we’re talking about. Rainbows and sunshine Wren. If there was an issue, she’d tell us. We’ve all been busy with school and men and work. It’s part of growing up.”
“Ugh, I don’t want to. Can I opt out?”
She laughed. “Really? You? You’ve been a grown up since fourth grade when you assembled spreadsheet budgets for the three of us to smartly save our allowances.”
“Which you never used.”
“Because I never saved. Those Diet Cokes and fruit snacks weren’t going to buy themselves.” She took a drink of water. “Anyway, the gap between semesters is already a lawless blur of holiday hoopla when time is a manmade construct. Once classes resume, we’ll be back to our routines and our brunches.”
“I’m still going to reach out to her,” I said.
“I will, too.”
“Right. Because you have big, exciting news to share.”
We talked for a while more about her timeline. Unsurprisingly, Easton was going at warp speed to get her into his house. The moving company and cleaning company would be there in a few days, and in the meantime, he was having some life infused into his house thanks to a decorator who actually listened to what they wanted.
Yes.
They.
“I couldn’t move in with the way it was.” Maddie threw her arm over her eyes. “All the white. It was blinding.”
I thought about Tripp’s house. The cool shelf wall really made a difference. I was betting even a few more pieces would help.
“If everything stays smooth, and you would recommend her, pass me the name of the decorator,” I said.
She gave a pointed look around my simplistically neutral apartment. Fine. Bland. It had some personality, but it was my personality. Which was also bland. I probably didn’t have a lot of room to talk.
