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We threw our hoods on when we stepped out of the car, and trudged through the snow as quickly as we could to get out of the whipping wind. Once inside, we shook off our coats. Chase gave his name to the hostess.
“Right this way,” she gestured with a smile.
“It’s so pretty in here,” I whispered to Chase as we followed the hostess up a flight of creaky wooden stairs. Upstairs, the same red and pink hearts in the windows hung from the ceiling. Small tealight candles sat atop each linen-covered table. I was too busy taking in the scenery to notice who was sitting at the table we were brought to.
“Surprise!” everyone yelled.
I jumped, and my hands flew up to my open mouth. Shelly, Brody, Tina, Kenzie, Beverly, Tanner, a girl I slightly recognized, and Khloe stood around the long rectangular table, laughing at my shocked reaction.
“Oh my God!” I turned to Chase and playfully smacked him on the arm.
“Happy birthday, beautiful.” He pulled me in and kissed my forehead.
“Well, don’t take all the credit!” Shelly scurried around the table and threw her arms around me. “Happy birthday, Merr!”
“You guys are the best. Thank you so much.”
I felt a small human clinging to my leg. “Happy birthday, Merry!”
I knelt down to give Khloe a proper hug. “I’m so glad you’re at my party!”
“Me too. Mommy said I can stay up later tonight.”
“Well, lucky you!” I looked over at Tanner, who had his arm around the new girl’s waist. “And who might this be?”
“His new flavor of the week,” Chase muttered under his breath.
“This is Charlotte.” Tanner introduced us.
I held out my hand. “It’s very nice to meet you, Charlotte. You moved here not too long ago, didn’t you?”
She nodded shyly. “Yeah, about a year ago.”
She was not someone I expected Tanner to bring home. She looked like a sweet, girl-next-door type. She was pretty with blonde hair and blue eyes, but very plain. I was intrigued to see how their dynamic worked. Opposites do attract, after all. I looked up at Chase and wondered if people looked at us in the same way.
I sat in between Chase and Khloe, of course, with Shelly across from me. I looked around the table, amazed at how my circle had grown since meeting Chase. Once everyone had their drinks in hand, I raised my water glass.
“Thank you guys for being here tonight. This surprise means so much to me. I love you all so much.”
We all clinked glasses. Khloe made sure to cheers every person at the table with her plastic cup of apple juice.
Halfway through dinner, I noticed Chase periodically checking his phone.
“Everything okay?” I whispered.
“Yeah. I keep getting calls from this number.”
“Did they leave a message?”
“No.”
“Maybe you should just answer it. Tell them they’ve got the wrong number.”
“If they call back, I will.”
I nodded, and didn’t think about it any further. The night was filled with funny stories and laughter. After everything we had all gone through, it felt so good to come together under happier circumstances.
After the cake came out, Chase stood up with his phone in hand. “I’m going to take this. I’ll be right back.”
