Carolina laughed. “I know. You’ve been working so hard to get in with a good troupe.”
“Yes. So no matter how much I complain about how hard they’re working me, it’s just the best job. And we have to rehearse hard because the show opens right after Christmas.”
“I’ll be there.”
Stella grasped her wrist. “I know you will. And I love you for that, considering how insane with work you are right now.”
Carolina laughed. “Well, my insanity is coming up, but I always have time for you.”
The waiter brought their food and they sat and ate. Stella dove into her salad just as eagerly as Carolina did.
“Are you eating well?”
Stella nodded. “Yes. I have to. I’m burning calories like crazy. I’d die if I didn’t replenish. How about you?”
“Trying to. Edward and Tierra ride me worse than my parents about eating. One or the other of them is always fetching me food. It’s unlikely I’m going to starve to death.”
“I’ll be sure to thank them both next time I see them.” Stella stopped to take a sip of tea, then looked at her. “And how about hot guy Drew? Seen him lately?”
She popped a crouton into her mouth and shook her head. “Not since that night in the bar. How about hot guy Trick? How did that go?”
Stella grinned. “That went very well. And he is very hot. But like you, I don’t have a lot of time for hot men in my life, and he’s had several road games. But we have done some long-distance sexting.”
“That sounds fun.”
“It has been. And it relieves some of that excess tension. He’s a great guy.”
Carolina studied her. “You like him.”
Stella shrugged. “As much as I can like any guy. He’s good in the sack, and I might want to do him again.”
“You try so hard to make it seem like he doesn’t matter.”
“Please. We only had one night. And you’re avoiding the subject of you and Drew. How did that go after we left?”
“I went to his place.”
Stella laid her fork down. “And?”
“And I . . . left the next morning.”
Stella’s eyes widened. “Ohhh, so you slept with him. Yay. You needed to get laid.”
“I really did.”
“Anything since then?”
“Nothing at all. I actually left before he woke up. And I’ve been so busy I haven’t had any time to talk to him. Plus, he hasn’t called me.”
“So, you walked out on him without a word. Good for you.”
She loved Stella’s smug smile. “You know I didn’t plan to dump him. I had this . . . well, this is going to sound bizarre, but when I got up that morning, he looked so beautiful sprawled out on the bed, I was inspired to draw him just like that. Unfortunately, I didn’t have my drawing pad with me, so I dashed out of his place, raced home and sketched that image I had of him before I could lose the visual.”
Stella just stared at her.
“I know. I told you it was bizarre.”
“No, I’m just thinking. So you weren’t out to get revenge on him for dumping you in college.”