Page 74 of The Last Special Thing

“That’s my girl!” Amelia proclaimed. Finally, whatever was eating at Madisson had faded. Madisson passed the bottle back to Amelia. She took a swig. It didn’t burn in the same way liquor did. “Not actually great,” she admitted to Madisson.

Madisson snorted. “Nope!”

After Madisson unscrewed her stainless steel water bottle, she poured the liquid outside the car. Amelia handed the wine bottle back, and Madisson replaced the water with the wine.

“You’re basically Jesus now,” Amelia remarked.

They burst into a fit of giggles.

Inside, a hostess, who could have also been a model, escorted the girls to their table. There were hundreds of dangling lights, all of different lengths. Little lamps on the table provided a soft glow in the moody ambiance. When the hostess eased away, their server, a man with coiffed hair and a perfect smile, set down two crystal glasses of water on the cream tablecloths.

He handed them menus. “Please let me know if you have any questions.”

“So hot,” Madisson whispered as he moved to the next table.

“I assume everyone in the restaurant business in L.A. is hot. Most are trying to break into the entertainment industry.”

“Oh, I’m definitely visiting you.”

“Shall we?” Amelia asked, raising her water glass.

“Yes, ma'am,” Madisson said, raising her own.

They quickly drained their cups.

Amelia glanced around, deemed the coast clear, and whispered, “Go.”

She poured the wine from her water bottle into the empty glasses. Madisson put her water bottle back in her purse and nudged it under the table.

They smiled and raised their glasses for a second time.

“Here’s to you, and here’s to me?” Amelia asked with a smile.

“Best of friends we’ll always be,” Madisson confirmed.

They let the cheer end there. Who needed the boys and their second half anyway? It was more positive without damning the other person to hell.

The girls gossiped while enjoying their pasta and a side of baby zucchini. If their server registered that their water now had a yellow tint, he didn’t say.

“Reyna and I are hosting a College Kickoff Party at the apartment,” Madisson said.

“Ooo, I’ll help decorate.” Amelia imagined red and gold streamers and lots of sparkles. She could get her nails done to match.

The server swung back by their table, and Amelia asked to purchase one of the shirts she had seen hanging in the front.

“What if we did a Madisson Mojito?” Amelia suggested after he had left.

“Renya Rum Punch?”

“SDSU whiskey sour?”

“Get the Fuck Out of Town, Tequila Slammer?”

The waiter returned with the medium shirt. “Can I interest you in a cinnamon pecan sponge cake?”

They exchanged a look. Whether it was the wine or his smile, the girls took his recommendation and inhaled the dessert.

On the ride home, Madisson’s L.A. playlist had concluded, and she switched to the radio. Amelia cruised down the freeway, glad to be out of the glacier-speed L.A. traffic.