One Wild Ride (Lords of Mayhem 2)

“Wow, we’re in the weekend trip stage?” Joey asked. Guilt issued a sharp elbow to her ribs. Had she been so off the grid she completely missed the serious turn Evonne’s love life had taken?

“Apparently we are now. This was the first time,” Hilary said, filling in the blanks.

“Geez, Hil, did this guy piss in your cereal, or what?” Joey asked, shocked by the deep scowl that twisted her friend’s lips downward.

“I don’t like that we haven’t met him yet. I mean…why the avoidance? And he’s making Evonne act all out of character,” Hil defended.

“How do you figure?” Joey asked.

“She’d be the first one here to give us shit about missing a night with the girls and if there’s nothing wrong with Mr. Perfect, why haven’t we met him yet?” Hil huffed.

“Because there’s no one more levelheaded than Evonne and I think it’s a good thing she’s letting loose a little bit,” Juliette said. “I don’t want us to become so suspicious we kill our joy. Not everyone is a lunatic in disguise.”

Joey winced. It took a lot for her to say that after what she’d gone through. The girls turned to Joey for a tiebreaker, and she squirmed in her seat. “Maybe we should be having this conversation with her. Get her take on it. Sometimes, when you enter into a relationship you need to feel it out for yourself before you bring others into it,” Joey said, doing her best to be diplomatic. She didn’t want to throw Evonne to the wolves, but part of her was worried. She’d gotten really into this guy, and they hadn’t even met him yet. It wasn’t like their resident logic-driven friend. They called her Spock for a reason.

“That was just a little too insightful, Joey. Anything you want to share?” Hil asked.

For a second, Joey swore Hil’s eyes flashed red as anger poured off her in waves.

“Can I get you ladies started off with something?” a tow-headed waiter asked.

Thank you, God.

Hilary flashed Joey a look that told her she wasn’t off the hook by any means.

“What do you think, girls? Something new, or tried and true?” Juliette asked.

They ended up deciding on their favorite pinot grigio.

“Been forever since I had a decent glass of wine,” Joey commented.

“Well, you were always more a beer or whiskey girl,” Juliette noted.

Hilary snorted. “Hence her oh-so-classy Whisky Makes me Frisky shirt collection,” Hilary said.

“Hey, those shirts are bitching,” Joey defended.

They all laughed, and the edgy vibe that had descended over the group faded out.

“I know you don’t think I forgot what I asked you before the waiter showed up,” Hil said. Her narrowed gaze burned holes in Joey.

“No but I hoped you did,” Joey mumbled.

“What’s going on? You’re always so candid. It’s not like you to start keeping secrets,” Juliette said.

“It’s not a secret really. I just needed to be sure it was worth mentioning before I ran off at the mouth,” Joey said.

“Oh.” Hilary’s mouth turned into a circular shape.

“So is it…” Juliette paused for emphasis, “worth mentioning?”

“Yeah, now it kind of is,” Joey said, smiling bashfully. This thing between them was new, but it felt so right she couldn’t contain her happiness.

“Oh this smile tells me things are serious.” Hilary said.

“Moose and I have sort of been seeing each other,” Joey said. A weight rolled from her shoulders with the admission. Keeping things from her best friend wasn’t the norm, and it had proved to be harder than she expected. When you’ve known someone since the first grade, you notice changes.

“I knew it!” Juliette said. She pointed at Joey and laughed.