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Paisley, who I had met tonight and was married to Russell, an old friend from high school, grinned. “You must be driving, Tiffany,” she said dryly.
“Absolutely. Alice needs to relax tonight. She needs a brain break.”
Holly glanced over, casting me what appeared to be nothing more than a polite smile. “So what’s the scoop with you and Jonah? Alex told me he’s been staying with you because his parents are staying in his place.”
Amelia glanced at Holly, shaking her head slowly. “You’ve been sitting on that question, haven’t you?”
“We’ve only been here an hour,” Holly protested.
My cheeks were hot as I laughed. “It’s fine. He was staying with me, but his parents are headed back to Seattle for a week, so he’s back at his place.”
“How very neighborly of you to let him stay with you,” Madison offered.
“Well,” I began with a shrug, feeling the heat burn a little hotter in my cheeks, “I wasn’t about to say no when his grandmother asked me.”
“How is Bea?” Susannah asked.
“I wish I knew. She had an episode where she was at the hospital for a night. She doesn’t talk much about it. Her prognosis isn’t good, even if she decided to do another round of treatment. She says she doesn’t want to feel miserable.”
“Chemo can be miserable,” Holly offered. “Even younger people have a really hard time with it sometimes. I don’t blame her for making that choice.” Her smile was tinged with sadness. “She’s a spark plug, though. She was a riot while she was in the hospital.”
My heart stung a little just thinking about the uncertainty of how long Bea may be with us.
“How is Jonah holding up with that?” Phoebe asked.
“Okay, I think. I think he’s resigned to it, for lack of a better way to describe it,” I offered.
Susannah returned, placing two more plates of appetizers in the center of the table. Someone had picked up the variety platters to go from Wildlands, so we had various flavors of chicken wings, fried halibut bites, sliders, and more. I reached for one of the honey teriyaki wings and a chicken slider.
After a moment, Holly asked, “So whatisthe deal with you and Jonah? Bea mentioned she saw you two kissing.”
I groaned, taking a bite of a slider and chewing, willing my embarrassment to dissipate. After a moment, I glanced over, offering, “Bea is nosy.”
“So is Holly,” Lucy commented dryly from her side.
That elicited a snort of laughter from Amelia. Holly merely shrugged, unabashed. “I don’t care. I am nosy. Jonah is cute.”
“And you’re married,” Maisie interjected.
“And whipped as far as I can tell,” Susannah chimed in.
Holly threw her head back with a laugh. “So what? I have eyes. I’m just curious. I like Jonah. He’s got that whole broody vibe going for him.”
I felt protective of him. “Maybe so, but he’s a really nice guy.”
Tiffany snorted.
“What do you know?” Holly pressed.
Tiffany cast me a sly smile.
I rolled my eyes. “Fine. We were kind of having a fling. I think it’s over.”
“Oh no! It can’t be over,” Holly insisted.
“I’m not so sure that’s your call,” Susannah interjected.
“I think maybe with everything he went through, a relationship isn’t the best choice for him right now,” I replied.
