“When they’re in bed.” Stella winked at me and I groaned.
“I refuse to hear about my brother’s preferences in bed.” I put the glasses down on the coffee table. “I don’t want to hear anything about his sexual preferences, ever.”
“So, I guess you don’t want to know what he did last night then?” Jules said with a wicked look. “I was wearing a—”
“Jules, no,” I interrupted her with a glare. “Please don’t make me sick before I eat.” Jules rolled her eyes as she opened the wine bottle with the opener that we always left on the coffee table and reached out for a glass. “Okay, guys, how about we order some chicken tikka masala, garlic naan, basmati rice, and maybe some channa masala?”
“Can we get some samosas as well, please?” Stella took the wineglass Jules handed her. “I prefer the lamb ones if they have them, but potato is also fine.”
“And I would love some chaat daal or whatever.” Jules handed me a glass of the wine and then took a long sniff of her own. “This smells fantastic.” She swirled the wine around the glass before taking a sip. “Oh my, this is delicious.” She grinned at me and then looked back at the wine bottle. “This doesn’t taste like it cost ten dollars at Trader Joe’s.”
“That’s because it didn’t.” I took a sip myself. There were light flavors of blackberries, chocolate, and vanilla, and the wine slid smoothly down my throat. “Wow, this is really good.” I held my glass up to the two ladies. “Cheers,” I said, and we all clinked glasses. “Do you know why we clink glasses and say cheers?” I asked them as we all sat down on the couch.
“No idea,” Jules said. “Why?”
“It’s from the olden days, when soldiers used to drink together, well, maybe not soldiers, but when men used to drink together. They would cheers and clink their glasses together so that the beverage from each glass would spill into the other glass. That way they made sure that the other hadn’t poisoned their drink because if they had the poison would now be in both glasses.”
“Oh, wow.” Stella sat back and sipped some more. “That’s cool. I never knew that. I’ll have to tell that story at the bookstore if I decide to host my books and wine night.”
“Books and wine night?” Jules looked excited. “That sounds fantastic. You never told me about that.”
“Well, that’s because it’s still up in the air. I need a license to sell alcohol in the store.” She sighed. “I’m still trying to figure out if it will be worth all the hassle.”
“Yes, it will be,” Jules and I spoke in unison and then glanced at each other and laughed.
“Great minds think alike, eh, Betsy?” Jules smiled sweetly and then rubbed her stomach. “Did you order the food yet?”
“No, let me do it now.” I pulled out my phone and opened the food delivery app. I was typing in the order when a text message from Nolan showed up on the screen. “Check your phone, Jules. Nolan just messaged me asking me if you’re going to be over for dinner. He said that you didn’t respond to his last three texts.” I rolled my eyes. “Oh my gosh, since when did my brother become so annoying?”
“Aww, I think it’s sweet.” Jules pulled her phone out of her bag and giggled. “He misses me.”
“He just saw you this morning.”
“Don’t be jealous, Betsy.” Jules laughed.
I looked over at Stella and rolled my eyes. “As if.”
“So, I heard that you left some edible underwear at the police station today for Max Fernandes.” Stella gave me an impish grin. “Tell me all, right now. I had no idea you had a thing for Max.”
“Ugh,” I groaned. “Firstly, I do not have a thing for Max Fernandes, and secondly, they weren’t edible underwear, they were crotchless, and thirdly, how the hell did you know?”
“Ha ha. Oh, Betsy. We live in Canyon Beach. A couple of the officers went by the animal shelter today with some puppies they found behind the pizzeria, and they told Abby, and she told me a couple of hours ago.”
“Why, of course.” I sighed. “I’m going to die of embarrassment now. Frigging everyone in Canyon Beach most probably knows the story.”
“They might know, but I’m sure they don’t believe it. Abby and I no way believed that you had a thing for Max Fernandes. He’s such a douche.”
“I’m surprised Abby isn’t here as well.”
Much like Jules and I, Stella and Abby kept no secrets from each other and spent their days and nights hanging out when they could. However, Abby and Stella differed from Jules and I in a few ways. They both looked like catwalk models (Jules and I, while pretty, were both more like the girls next door), and they both were very confident when it came to men. In fact, I had a feeling that most men in Canyon Beach wanted to date them, though they rarely got a chance. Both women were single and focused on their careers. Stella was trying to grow her bookstore, and Abby wanted to be an actress, though she spent her days working at the Canyon Beach Animal Shelter.
“Actually, she’s on her way.” Stella laughed. “I hope you don’t mind. She and I had plans to watch a movie tonight, and when Jules told me you had a dating nine-one-one, we decided it was best to come over and help you. She’s a little late because she had to close down the animal shelter tonight.”
“Oh, cool,” I said. “I definitely need as much help as I can get right now.”
“Who’s the lucky man?” Stella asked as I went back to ordering the food.
“Do you really need to ask?” Jules grabbed the wine bottle and refilled her glass.
“Officer Jefferson Evian reporting for duty?” Stella glanced at me with a grin.
“Police officers don’t report for duty, silly. That’s military men.”
“So it is Jeff?”
“Yes, it’s
