Page 16 of WASP

“Stone fruit,” Leah said. Max shook her head no.

“Honeydew? That’s always in white wines, right?” Becca giggled.

Again, Max shook her head no.

“Grapefruit,” Annie said, taking another sip to be sure. “And citrus, lemon probably, and honeysuckle.”

Max beamed, and Annie felt like she was glowing under that smile. “We have a winner. Yes, our award-winning sauvignon blanc is aged in stainless steel barrels until it reaches that perfect dryness that it’s known for.”

“When did you learn so much about wine, Annie?” Fran teased.

Annie shrugged, looking at Max once more. “Lucky guess.”

Max left the group to work through their tasting pours before returning with another bottle when each of their glasses was empty. At the end of the tasting, Annie ordered herself a glass of the chenin blanc, a surprise favorite of hers, considering she was usually a red wine drinker.

“Great choice,” Max whispered above her shoulder as she reached around Annie, setting the glass on the table, moving on to hand Rachel her dessert wine.

“So Annie, now that you’re back in Wellington Point, think you’ll be sticking around for a while?” Fran asked, lifting her glass of sparkling wine to her lips.

Annie fought the urge to respond with an emphatic fuck no, but she stopped herself. “I’m not really sure yet. Technically, I still work out of DC. I’m working remotely right now, but that’s only through the end of the year,” she answered, aware that Max was lingering at the table as their eyes met once again.

“What do you do again? Something with numbers, yeah? You were always so good at math,” Nikki said.

“Accounting,” Annie answered, slightly annoyed because this wasn’t new information to the group. She had been an accountant since she graduated from undergrad. “You know me. I’ve always loved numbers.”

“Are you and Caroline finally going to settle down and pop out some kids?” Rachel asked, a delighted look spreading across her face. “You two would make the cutest babies. Your genes would mix really well.”

Rachel’s comment hit in layers. First, the incorrect assumption that the move here had been a co-decision between her and Caroline. Second, the absolutely laughable understanding of how babies were created—astounding considering she had two; and third, the fact that Annie’s reality couldn’t be further from the truth.

A heat flared in her chest, but she extinguished it just as fast. She had no right to be annoyed that her friends didn’t know about the breakup. She had never bothered to take the time to tell them. No text, no calls, no “oh hey, heads up.”

Instead, she had acted like a child, relying on her mom to relay that information through her whisper network of connections around town. Well, time to set the record straight.

“Caroline and I moved back here independently of each other. I broke up with her a few months ago,” she said, leaving it at that with no additional elaboration.

“That’s not what your mom told my mom,” Leah rushed to say. “She said you two were figuring things out and that she’d be surprised if you weren’t back together by Christmas.”

Annie glared at Leah over the rim of her glass because, really—what were they, five?! “Well, my mother is incorrect,” she said flatly, taking a sip of her wine.

“Does anyone need another glass?” Max’s voice chimed in over Annie’s shoulder, making her jump as she coughed on the sip she had unfortunately just tried to swallow.

“I’ll take another glass of chenin blanc, please.” She handed her glass to Max, who took it, their fingertips brushing with the slightest whisper of skin against skin. Annie inhaled sharply, retracting her hand only when she was sure the glass was securely in Max’s grip.

“You got it,” Max confirmed with a smile.

Stop it. Max is not flirting with you. Why would she be flirting with you? You’re a hot mess.

Max collected the empty glasses, returning to the bar area where Annie’s gaze followed her, watching her float around with the confidence of someone who was completely in their element. By the time she shifted her attention back to the conversation playing out at the table, the topic had changed drastically, causing her to take a moment to catch up.

Fran sat poised on her stool at the head of the table, holding court as she so often liked doing when they were kids. She was happiest when all eyes were on her.

“I’m so glad we could do this this year,” Fran said, looking at each of the women around her. “We’re all having babies of our own, and it’s getting harder to find the time to see each other, but you all really are my best friends for life, even you, Annie. It’s nice that you’ve finally decided we’re worthy of your time again.” She capped her words with a smile, but Annie knew her well enough to see the sneer that lived beneath.

That was definitely a dig. Thankfully, Rachel cut in before Annie’s impulse for confrontation kicked in. “You have to make it through the diaper stage, then your life starts feeling normal again. And the next thing you know, they’re all grown up and turning double digits. But I don’t miss the baby stage.”

“I love the baby stage!” Leah chimed in. “Especially a fresh baby. When they smell all new and shiny.” She inhaled deeply, eyelids fluttering.

“I’m ready for it to be over,” Becca said. “Chase is absolutely useless with an infant. I’m tired of having to trade blowjobs for help around the house.”