Page 87 of Finding Lexie
Elodie glanced up. “What?” she asked, obviously wondering what was so funny.
When Lexie got herself under control, she said, “Oh my God, you’re so fancy!”
“No, I’m not! I wanted to bring things that were easy to eat, but also delicious.”
“All that sounds great,” Ashlyn said. “How long did it take to make?”
“Not long at all. I started this morning, prepping, then put it all together around lunchtime. I timed it so I’d be done right before I came over here, so everything would still be warm. It could all probably use a bit of a zap in the oven, but it’ll be good regardless. Why?” The last question was a bit of an afterthought, when she saw both Lexie and Ashlyn trying not to laugh again.
But it was no use trying to hold in their amusement, and both women started to giggle.
“Seriously, what’s up with you guys?”
“Sorry,” Lexie said when she’d composed herself. “It’s just that the stuff I made took like twenty minutes and is nowhere near as complicated or fancy as yours. A cheese and cracker plate, deviled eggs, and bread twists.”
“And I brought Fritos and cheesy sausage dip and Jell-O shots,” Ashlyn added, still giggling.
“Oh shit. I went overboard, didn’t I?” Elodie asked, frowning.
“No!” both Lexie and Ashlyn insisted at the same time.
“Your stuff is probably the most healthy out of everything. And I for one can’t wait to taste it all,” Lexie reassured her.
“I don’t tend to eat all that well because I don’t know the first thing about cooking, not to mention I’m usually too tired and hungry when I get home from work to think about making anything more complicated than a sandwich. I’m super stoked to try those bacon water chestnut things. My mouth is watering just thinking about it,” Ashlyn said.
“I guess I should’ve asked a few more questions about what to bring…” Elodie fretted.
“Nope. And from here on out, I’m always gonna be super vague about things like this, in the hopes that you continue to use your amazing super-chef skills to bring some class to our get-togethers,” Lexie said, reaching out and squeezing her forearm gently.
“What? Jell-O shots aren’t classy?” Ashlyn asked.
This time they all laughed.
“I’ve got the oven set at two hundred, which I know is low, but I figured that should be enough to warm some food?” Lexie asked more than stated.
“It’s perfect,” Elodie said.
“Great. I nominate you to be in charge of the food,” Lexie said. “I’ve got the drinks handled.”
“And I’ll be in charge of ambiance. This place is dark!” Ashlyn said as she headed across the room toward the window.
“No, don’t!” Lexie warned, but she was too late. Ashlyn had already thrown back the curtains. She was obviously expecting some sort of amazing view, but when all she saw was her elderly neighbor sitting on his couch, eating some sort of chips straight from the bag, wearing nothing but a pair of tighty-whities—again—she screeched as if she’d been prodded with an electric probe.
She frantically tried to grab the curtain to pull it shut again, but it took a few long seconds for her to untangle the material before she could get them closed.
By this time, both Lexie and Elodie were bent over double. They were crying, they were laughing so hard, and within moments, Ashlyn had joined them. It took several minutes for the three women to get control over themselves.
“Oh my God, I know you said he kind of looked like Homer Simpson, and you were so right!” Elodie said with a huge smile.
“I can’t believe you didn’t warn me!” Ashlyn gave an exaggerated shudder. “Seriously, I could’ve had a heart attack or something!”
“Hey, I tried, you were just too fast,” Lexie told her, grinning.
“Right. You said something about drinks? I think I need one,” Ashlyn said.
Within minutes, Ashlyn was drinking one of the bottled mimosas, Elodie had a glass of wine, and Lexie chose a White Claw. They chatted about nothing in particular as Elodie got her appetizers sorted. Twenty minutes later, the countertop was full of plates of food.
The three girls sat on barstools around the bar and dug in.
