Page 23 of The Lucky Heart (Jamison Valley 3)
I stood from my seat at the same time someone screeched “Felicity!” behind me.
My old friend Andrea Merkuso rushed my way and came right into my space for an exuberant hug. “I’m so excited to see you! It’s been ages.”
Her reaction was unexpected and it took me a moment to hug her back. Andrea and I had been close in high school but I hadn’t talked to her since graduation. She had a catty side, and right before I’d left for Seattle, we’d gotten into a spat. I was glad to see that she wasn’t still holding a grudge.
“It’s good to see you too.” Surprisingly good. Refreshing, actually. It was rare for me to see a familiar face and not feel the need to apologize for something.
“You look hot!” She stepped back and surveyed my outfit. “Like a sexy motorcycle chick.”
I laughed. “You look good too.”
Andrea was as beautiful as she’d been in our youth. She had the same long blond hair and trim figure, though her boobs had definitely been enhanced. “So, you’re back. How great! It will be just like old times.”
I smiled but didn’t comment. The last thing I wanted was for my adult life to resemble that of my adolescence.
“I’ve been meaning to track you down but wanted to wait until you moved out of our rather unfortunate motel.”
I didn’t miss her dig toward Maisy and glanced back to the table.
Maisy had shrunk into her chair and Silas’s arm was around her shoulders again. His jaw was locked tight. Gigi was glaring daggers at Andrea while Jess was staring at his beer bottle with extreme concentration.
Okay, weird.
“So are you working?” Andrea asked, stealing my attention away from the table.
I nodded. “Yes. I work as a consultant for a tech company back in Seattle.” Her eyebrows came together, so I explained, “I dig into a company’s processes and recommend where they can automate manual steps with software.”
“Sounds fancy.”
“It’s not fancy at all. Boring, actually. What about you?”
“I’m a dental hygienist for Dr. Lester.”
“Just like you always wanted to do. Good for you.”
“Thanks! I’m here with some people. Let me go get a drink and tell them where I’m at. Then I’ll come back and we can catch up. Okay?”
“Oh, I was just leaving.”
“No! Please. One more beer. Pleeeease.”
“Um . . . okay. I guess I could stay for one more beer.” I really didn’t want to stay, but if Andrea joined our table, at least I wouldn’t feel like a tagalong anymore.
She walked away and I slid back into my seat, looking up to four pairs of eyes glaring at me. My spine straightened as the tense, angry mood hit me in the face.
“What?”
“Inviting Andrea to sit with us is not okay, Lissy,” Jess said.
“Why? I haven’t seen her since high school. I’m just trying to be nice and say hello.”
“Don’t.”
My defenses snapped into place. “Seriously? Don’t be nice? Don’t talk to an old friend?”
“No, don’t talk to that one.”
“Why?” I said through gritted teeth.
