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“See?” Willa says.

“What did I miss?” Toni asks.

“Audrey is about to explain to me how her twin sister always had a free drink in her hand and she didn’t,” Greta says.

“People like me,” I say. “Everyone loves Willa.”

“I’ve heard this before,” Toni says. “Didn’t believe it then, don’t believe it now.”

“Toni’s right, though you’re probably a smidge biased.” Willa winks at Toni.

“Touché,” Toni says.

“Hey, Willa promised to get on stage and sing an ABBA song,” Greta says, smirking.

“Funny, that’s exactly what Willa said about you,” Toni says.

“You’re going to have to buy me something stronger than a beer to get me on that stage,” Willa says.

“Don’t listen to her, Greta. She loves singing karaoke and ABBA is her favorite,” I say.

“I knew it,” Greta says.

“Audrey, shh. I’m trying to get more free drinks. Is it any wonder she didn’t get them in college?”

“So you’re admitting it!” I say, laughing.

A duet starts singing Sonny and Cher, drowning out cross-table conversation. So I turn to Toni and catch her looking at me with the Christmas puppy expression, one that makes my stomach go soft and gooey, before she schools her face into something almost passive. Maybe the conversation between her and Greta was better than I thought. Still, Willa’s right. I should appreciate that Toni is respecting me and respect her boundary in return.

“Looked like a deep conversation at the bar,” I say. “Everything OK?”

“Yep. Greta is just doing her big sister thing.”

“You two seem to have been getting along really well over the last few weeks.”

“We are, and I have you to thank for it.” She clinks her bottle against mine and takes a long drink.

“Me?” I try not to watch the muscles in her neck contract, but it’s difficult when I know what she smells like just behind her ear and how her long neck feels against my lips.

“Yes. You set me up to succeed with the non-pitch pitch. I think Greta is finally seeing me as an adult instead of her bratty little sister who’s everyone’s favorite.”

“So modest,” I tease.

We smile at each other and contentment washes over me. It usually takes me days, and multiple naps, to recover from emotional confrontations with Shae, yet here I am, trying to keep my imagination from running away to Aspen and this Christmas and future Christmases and what it would be like to be part of a family like the Giordanis. Thank God Toni can’t read my mind, though with the cute little smile on her face and our crazy long eye contact, maybe she can.

Would that be so bad?

Toni opens her mouth to speak but Greta interrupts us. She leans across the table to be heard over the noisy bar. “Let’s go tonight. To Aspen.”

“What?” I say.

Willa leans across the table. “Greta’s going tonight and said we should come, too. We don’t have anything going on and kicking my feet up next to a fire pit by a creek drinking a hot toddy sounds pretty good right now.”

“Done,” Toni says.

“Wait, wait, wait. Hang on,” I say and immediately go into panic mode. “I have a list of things I need to do that I’ve put off, presents to buy?—”

“You buy presents year-round,” Willa says. “It’ll be fine. Let’s go!”