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“Whatcha talking about?” Leesa rested her chin on Kaitlin’s left shoulder. “Sorry. I was gossiping with the usherettes in the next booth.”
“Georgie dating Oliver and her leaving Leaf-dom behind,” said Kaitlin.
“Nah, can’t see it.” Lifting her head, Leesa rolled up the sleeves of her Clark jersey. “Romantic partners come and go. The Leafs are forever.”
“Amen, sister!” Georgie grinned. “We don’t sing along to ‘We Are Family’ for nothing, right? We are and always will be family.” She bumped Kaitlin playfully and picked up her drink. “Don’t worry, Kaity Kat. Oliver isn’t like my ex. He doesn’t make ultimatums and he likes you guys.” She downed a quick gulp.
“I wish he liked hockey,” Kaitlin replied.
“No one’s perfect, right?” said Georgie. “And in Oliver’s case, he’s also…temporary.”
Leesa reared back as confusion clouded Kaitlin’s gaze. “I’m sorry, what?”
Georgie parked her drink on the table. “When his museum contract expires in August, he’ll be moving back to London.” Saying the words aloud, her heart sank, just like it had at the Queen Mother Café. Who’d have thought their first date would be both a beginning and an ending. “He told me last night.”
“But he just got here!” Leesa glanced at Stefanie, who shook her head, looking equally baffled. “What’s this mean for you?”
“It means carpe diem—we’ll have fun while he’s here. It’s the perfect arrangement when you think about it,” said Georgie, trying to convince herself again. “I’m not ready to jump into something super serious, and neither is Oliver.”
“Will you date other people?” asked Kaitlin.
“No, and we’ve decided we’ll take things day by day.”
“And night by night!” Stefanie snickered, oblivious to her intrusion twenty-four hours earlier.
“Actually, not yet. Soon.” Georgie’s thoughts wandered to her favourite Oliver fantasy. Lost in the London maze after dark, keeping warm with thrusting and bucking and fucking. A heated ache settled in her lower belly. “God, I hope it’s soon. I can’t afford to splash out on a third Magic Wand.”
“This is why you need a friends with benefits arrangement with Michael,” said Stefanie.
Narrowing her eyes, Georgie did a double take. “A what?”
“C’mon, it’d come in handy! Get you over the hump.” Lifting her glass, Stefanie smirked into her Screwdriver. “So to speak.”
“Yeah, no!” said Georgie, shutting her down. “We’re friends. JUST friends.”
“Who know each other really well.” Stefanie prodded, “The question is: how well? Have you guys ever…?”
Kaitlin stopped reading and Leesa perked up.
Looking away, Georgie scoffed. “Yes.”
“Holy shit!” Leesa squealed. “When?”
Her outburst turned Georgie’s head in Michael’s direction, but he was fully absorbed in conversation with Davis, Randall, and the female bartender on her break. “At the prom,” she replied. “His, mine.”
“Seriously, who didn’t do it at the prom?” laughed Kaitlin.
Stefanie and Leesa pointed to themselves.
“I think half my graduating class did,” mused Georgie. “Hopefully the hotel burned the bedsheets.”
Stefanie budged in closer. “How long were you together?”
“A few months. We broke up during first year of university. His parents were adamant he attend UBC for business. It’s where his dad went.”
“Michael in Vancouver, you here—you guys didn’t stand a chance,” said Kaitlin.
“It was just one of those things. We both grew up. Met new people. Things changed—we changed.” Georgie’s gaze strayed to Michael as he whispered something in the bartender’s ear, making her laugh. “We agreed we’d be better off as best friends again. After that, things were great. Still are.”
