Page 88 of Puck Me Twice

. . .

Vanessa

On the third Thursday of every month, we have book club. It’s the highlight of my month.

The dusty bookstore is warm and filled with laughter and good cheer. When I show up with a bottle of bourbon and a tray of holiday cookies Jacky foisted on me as I left the office, a raucous cheer goes through the assembled crowd.

I stop in and say hi to Ceci, who’s wearing a floor-length crimson velvet dress and chandelier earrings — I’m not entirely sure why she’s so dressed up, just that it doesn’t surprise me. Arielle has brought Asher, Johanna came with Sullivan. I make a mental note to introduce them to Sven. I think the six of us could have a fun time.

Bex and Elsy are chatting with Rachel. Madison is lounging in the recliner with his eyes closed, enjoying a rare night off from parenting his five younger siblings. Nikki and Sofia are pouring drinks as people come in. Kiley, the youngest of our group at nineteen, runs in looking like her hair is on fire.

“What’s wrong?” three or four people immediately ask her.

“Gotta pee!” She darts toward the back room.

Shaking my head, I check my watch again. Sven has a team dinner—Scott is coordinating, giving me the night off.

The bell over the door chimes.

Robby steps through the door, brushing the light snow off his dark hair. He cuts an impressive figure in his dark gray coat, with his wide shoulders and broad stature.

“You made it!” I smile as he heads toward me.

“Thanks for inviting me,” he says, bumping my shoulder with his.

Bex breaks off her conversation, making her way over to us.

“Hey, Robby,” she says evenly. “It’s been a while.”

“Yeah. It has,” he says quietly. “It’s good to see you again.”

“You two are good?” She looks between us.

Robby nods. “I’m guessing you know,” he says awkwardly. “About me.”

Bex bites her lip. “Yeah.”

“I didn’t mean to out you. I didn’t think you would hang out again,” I admit.

To my surprise, Robby smiles. “I’m not out at work. I don’t care if my friends know.” He meets her eyes. “And I hope I can count you a friend again, Bex.”

She swallows. “Yeah. You can.”

“Come on, let’s mingle,” I tell them. “We can introduce you to some people.”

The place is packed. People are still shopping for holiday presents. There’s a constant onslaught of the door chiming every time it opens.

But when the place empties out and Sadie flips the closed sign on the door, it’s just the core book club in the back of the shop.

Arielle raises her eyebrows at me. “And who is this?”

“This is Robby,” I introduce him to the group.

Johanna frowns. “I thought you were dating Sven.”

“I am. Robby’s my ex.” I blow out a breath. “We’re working on being friends again. He just moved to town.”

“Hey, dude,” Sullivan says, nodding across the circle at him. “Nice to meet you. I’m Sully, this is Asher. We’ll introduce you to some people around here.”