“Happy birthday,” they both say in unison.
We clink our glasses together and throw back the wine. Something tells me I’m going to need it to get through this night.
The Tower
I LIFT Afinger into the air, waving down our waitress. “I’ll have another one, please,” I say, pointing to my nearly empty margarita.
The tiny woman nods, rushing off to fulfill my request.
“Get after it.” Lanie whoops, smiling like a loon. “I haven’t seen you suck one of those down that fast in ages.”
One shoulder lifts before I bring the enormous glass to my lips and take another sip. “I guess forty is turning me into a lush.”
“Wanna talk about a lush? You should’ve seen Lanie last week during wine and woo,” Nina says, chuckling into her napkin.
I suck on my teeth, pulling my hair at the ends. “Wine and what?”
“You know... woo.” Nina repeats the word, as though it means something to me.
I shake my head, signaling she’s lost me with thewoo.
“You didn’t tell her?” Nina has an edge to her voice that catches me off guard. When Lanie winces, I know I’m about to hear something I won’t love.
“Tell me what exactly?” I stare straight ahead, waiting for one of them to elaborate.
“I forgot to talk to you about modernizing Thursday nights, and Nina here is reminding me of my epic faux pas. We tested it out last week.” Lanie grimaces.
A twinge of hurt passes over me at the knowledge my friends reprised our Thursday girls’ night without me. Not that I can blame them. It was my decision to put it on hold, and I haven’t given either one of them any indication I was ready to start again.
“We didn’t think you were ready, love. Last Thursday was a very last-minute thing,” Nina says, leaning forward, looking uncomfortable.
Completely ignoring Nina, I turn toward Lanie. “Why does Thursday night need ‘modernizing’?” I ask, air quoting the word with both hands. “What does that entail?”
“We’re just trying to spice it up with some woo-woo intermixed with the wine.” Her eyes widen animatedly. “Spirits all around,” she says, waggling her eyebrows. “Get it? Spirits as in ghosts and spirits as in... well...”
“Yeah, I got it.” I grab the saltshaker, inspecting it for no other reason but to avoid eye contact with my friends.
“Alyssa,” Nina draws out my name. “Don’t do that. We didn’t intentionally leave you out.”
I cluck my tongue, raising my chin to meet her eyes. “I know. It’s all good,” I say, hoping to cut the tension off. “Enlighten me about this woo business.”
Nina frowns, not one to allow something serious to go unspoken.
“Let’s just forget about it and maybe order some food?” Lanie attempts to change the subject, but I’m not going to let her this time.
“Nope. I want to hear it. Tell me what I’m missing.”
Lanie pushes her chest forward, raising a hand, palm up. “Woo as in woo-woo. Tarot cards. A medium. Speaking with the dead. What do you think? Cool and modern, right?”
My back straightens, and Lanie’s face pales.
Her eyes close and she gulps before offering an apology. “I didn’t mean to say the last part. I’m so sorry, Ally.”
My head moves back and forth, and one hand comes up to stop Lanie. I’m tired of being treated like a fragile child.
Heart pounding and palms sweating, I try and fail to formulate words. Not for the reasons either of them would think. My mind is swimming with possibilities.
“It was a horrible idea,” Nina says. “We’re both sorry.” Her head ping-pongs from me to Lanie, eyes wide and mouth smashed into a thin line.
