"Okay, okay … I know I haven't painted her in the best light," she said.
"Best light? Over the last two years you basically conditioned her to hate me-not that I blame you, considering the circumstances, but it kind of blows for the new guy. Which is still me, by the way."
"I know," she said, taking my hand. "Which is why I want her here, around you-to show her that you are different and new. Telling her is one thing, but actually having her here? I'm hoping you can change her opinion faster than I can."
"Okay," I agreed, with a reluctant nod. "But if this goes badly-it was your idea."
"Agreed."
"But first, we have a date in the dark room," I said, a mischievous grin spreading across my face.
Her eyes widened as she remembered the film we'd captured the night before.
"Race you!" she yelled, jumping off the messy bed toward the door. I caught her before she got two feet and threw her over my shoulder as I raced downstairs.
Turns out developing those pictures was just as much fun as it was making them.
Everly had been in the kitchen all afternoon, chopping and dicing god knows what.
It seems Sarah would be getting the dinner to end all dinners.
I'd heard a lot about Everly's best friend over the last several weeks. I was both anxious and scared as hell to meet her. Besides Ryan and I guess her counselor, Sarah had been the one constant in Everly's life over the last two years. She'd been there for her from the beginning and I know her opinion was highly valued.
I didn't like being on the bad side of that opinion.
I hoped by the end of the evening, she might hate me a little less and by some miracle wouldn't be dragging Everly out by her hair in an effort to knock some common sense back into her.
I'd suggested going out somewhere-neutral territory. Somewhere that didn't scream, "Hey, look at my gigantic house!" But Everly vetoed that idea, deciding that since we were now officially a couple, we should present ourselves as such.
In our massive house-that I'd bought before, when I was a giant douche.
Fuck.
I already looked like an asshole.
I took a deep breath as I pulled out a pair of jeans from a drawer and grabbed a black t-shirt. I was making no effort to dress up. I didn't want to seem stuffy or overwrought with my own self-worth.
Just me-the jeans-wearing, photo-chasing guy. No big deal.
But as I jogged down the stairs on my way to the kitchen to help Everly with any last-minute preparations. I knew it would take a damn miracle for Sarah to see me as anything but the asshole who'd stolen her best friend away.
Walking into the kitchen, I looked around wide-eyed. "Did we invite the entire ballet over for dinner?" I asked as I scanned the counter. It was covered in dishes.
"I went a little overboard, huh?" she asked, biting down on her bottom lip as she surveyed the kitchen.
"A little? It looks like every major holiday combined in here," I laughed, peeking around to see just what was under some of the covered dishes.
"Don't touch!" she scolded. "You'll let out all the heat."
"I thought you said Sarah was like the size of a twig in winter. Why did you make so much food?"
"Guilt," she answered. "I tend to make a lot of food when I'm feeling guilty."
"Good to know," I grinned, grabbing her waist and pulling her toward me. "I'll be sure to use that to my advantage when I'm feeling a bit peckish."
She laughed as her lips fell on mine, just in time with the chime of the doorbell.
"Damn bell," I cursed.
"She's here," Everly said, her eyes suddenly going wide with panic.
"Whoa, calm down. Do you want me to go get the door?" I asked.
"No! God, no. She'll skin you alive. I'll go. Why don't you pull out the wine?" she suggested, tossing a towel on the counter.
"Sure."
I watched her smooth out her hair, take a deep breath, and walk toward the front door. I knew she was a bundle of nerves, but she was handling it well. Sarah meant a lot to her and I knew tonight was important to her.
I didn't want to screw anything up.
Turning back around, I looked for the wine she'd mentioned. The only wine I'd drank since my reawakening had been a glass or two in restaurants. I'd decided I was more of a beer drinker and that was pretty much where my wine days had ended.
Until Everly showed up.
She loved wine. Loved everything about it-the color, the flavor, and the smell. It was like a grown-up version of coffee for her. She didn't drink it every night and she definitely didn't need a cup to wake up in the morning, but she loved drinking a glass with dinner if she could and would always order it on the rare occasions we'd gone out.
Now if I could just figure out where she kept it.
Opening the refrigerator, I scored and found a bottle of white wine chilling inside. I just needed to find the red. Luck was on my side when I found it hanging out by the wine glasses that had been set out earlier.
Now I just had to figure out how to open the damn things.
Looking around, I found the wine opener in a drawer and began the complicated process of opening my first bottle of wine. I started off by staring at the contraption for a long period of time, and then staring at the bottle.
That produced no results.
Shit.
Everly and Sarah were going to walk in here and see me standing around like an absolute idiot because I had no idea how to do this.
Great first impression.
Not willing to waste any more time, I pulled apart the wine opener and placed it on the bottle, drilling in the corkscrew until … fuck-what did I do now?
I tried pulling. Nothing. That little fucker of a cork was permanently wedged in there.
"Do you need some help, babe?" Everly's voice rang out into the kitchen.
I froze, looking up to see her and Sarah staring at me from the doorway.
"I've never opened a bottle of wine," I confessed. "Or if I have, I don't remember. I guess this isn't one of those things that stuck around."
Everly, always patient and kind, walked forward, taking the bottle from me and showing me what I'd done wrong. I watched as she clamped the wine opener down, which allowed the cork to be pulled free.
"So simple," I said, shaking my head and chuckling.
"It's okay," she said with a warm smile.
I glanced up to see Sarah watching our entire exchange. Her eyes darted back and forth between the two of us, analyzing and dissecting our every move and interaction. She's waiting for me to slip up-to do something she could call me out on. What? I didn't know exactly, but I guessed she hadn't come here with an open mind. Not that I'd expected any less of someone who loved Everly so fiercely.
No. I actually respected her more because of it.
But it didn't make my job any easier.
"So, have you spoken to Ryan lately?" she asked, her gaze briefly assessing my reaction before she turned to Everly.
"What? No. Why would you ask that?" she said quickly, glancing up at me apologetically. I gave her a warm smile as she passed me a glass of red wine. I handed it over to Sarah as a gesture of good will, but she just set it on the counter as she plotted her next move.
"Well, it's just-he was such a big part of your life. I figured you'd at least care how he was doing after all of this."
The corkscrew clattered to the counter as Everly slammed her hands down in frustration. "Listen, I understand you're mad. Things between us haven't been the best. But I didn't invite you here so you could instigate more fights, Sarah. I understand Ryan is probably hurting. Does that upset me? Yes. But let's not forget who started this whole thing. It's not like I left him high and dry."
"But you did leave him," she bit back, her voice rising to match Everly's. The anger in the room was palpable and I suddenly felt caught between them without any idea what to do. I'd heard breaking up a cat fight was a bad idea. I was pretty sure the same logic applied to women.
"I did exactly what he told me to do, Sarah!" Everly yelled. "I gave August a chance, and damn if he wasn't right. I know that hurts, and I know it messes up your precious wedding plans, but can you be a fucking best friend and be happy for me?"
"I just don't want to see you get hurt," she said softly.
"That's not your job! Can't you just be there for me?"
"Yes," she answered, tears leaking down her chiseled pink cheeks.
This was girl drama overload and I was in way over my head. They ran into each other's arms, hugging and crying like weepy teenagers as I huddled in the corner with the bottles of wine, wondering when it would all be over.
"I made you food-a lot of food," Everly said between sniffles. Sarah looked around, her puffy eyes wide with surprise. She'd been so focused on her mission of destroying the evening she hadn't noticed the piles of food stacked everywhere.
"For my entire lifetime?" she asked with a laugh, as she grabbed a napkin and began blotting her eyes in that dainty way women do. Everly did the same, but much more quickly, and then started lifting tin foil off the trays and pulling out plates.