Page 60 of Your Pace Or Mine

Your advice is usually “Get it, girl” so no.

Laurel:

She’s not wrong.

Stevie:

That’s what I said about Cal, and I was right, wasn’t I?

Laurel:

You were right.

Oh God, she’s not going to start mooning again, is she? I jump in before things go in that direction.

You’ll have to wait. If things go well, of course I’ll introduce you.

Stevie:

Oooh, I have an idea. The other day, Andy was talking about hosting dinner parties like we’re fancy people. Send help. Anyway, it’s the perfect excuse. Bring Jared and tell him you can’t get out of it because your friends are obnoxious.

The obnoxious part is right…

Laurel:

Sounds fun! I’m in. I will rope Cal into coming too.

Okay, fine. I’ll ask Jared.

Stevie:

Let’s shoot for next weekend, then. Our next-door neighbors Anna and Jake will be there too. They seem fun, or at least their kids don’t make me want to claw my eyes out, so that’s an endorsement.

Stevie:

Seriously, they’re nice and invited us to play pickleball with them. Andy is the least coordinated person ever, but Laurel, maybe you and Cal will hit it off with them since you’re sporty.

My mood drops. Now Stevie is helping Laurel make “couple friends”? Not to mention, being with three couples sounds like torture, even with Jared there. I like Andy well enough, and I don’t mind being around Cal and Laurel except when they’re undressing each other with their eyes, but I don’t know these other people. What if this turns into some Bridget Jones thing and Jared and I are the odd ones out? But I suppose I already agreed, so I sigh inwardly and wait for Jared to weigh in.

Jared agrees to the dinner party right away, which seems promising. We text a lot over the week, joking around and also getting to know each other. I almost forget to keep checking my app messages; I should, so my account keeps the traction. I exchange messages with a few guys out of habit, but they all seem boring. I’m not disappointed when the threads peter out.

Meanwhile, the dinner party text thread is getting ridiculous. Laurel and Stevie keep discussing side dishes, and it starts to feel very Stepford Wives as opposed to our usual girls’ time. I stop reading when Stevie posts about choosing new napkins and Laurel, who has never once cared about table linens, gives a lengthy opinion on the patterns and colors. This nesting thing is out of control. I send Sebastian a few catty texts about it, then feel guilty for complaining about my best friend.

On Saturday morning, I give myself a pep talk. I should be grateful my friends care enough to throw together a party to interrogate a potential boyfriend. Maybe Anna and Jake will be great and we’ll all end up becoming best friends. Even if we don’t, at least I’ll get to see Jared—he’s been really busy this week. I try not to read anything into the fact that we’re dating and yet I’m not chomping at the bit to meet up again.

I fake a big smile when I get to the group run and pretend to listen to Stevie talk about some new brussels sprouts recipe. By the end of the run, I’ve managed to say very little, and no one has noticed. Afterward, the crew heads to get coffee, but I hang back when I see a text from Jared.

Jared:

Ashley, I’m so sorry. I can’t make it tonight.

The disappointment splashes over me like a bucket of ice water. Of course, he doesn’t want to come to some stupid party with me. I’ve made things weird. I scramble to figure out how to respond.

Oh, I’m sorry. I understand.

I woke up feeling sick like I’m getting the flu. I don’t want to make anyone sick.

Oh no! I get it. You can meet my friends when you’re feeling better.